Samantha began her career at Adult Enrichment Centers 15 years ago as the activity director and is currently the CEO. She is a National Board-Certified Dementia Educator, Certified in Montessori for Dementia and a Certified Time Slips Facilitator. With over 20 years' experience in senior/different abilities programming, she teaches community education and serves on various committees. She is a board member of The Gravity Center, a hub for entrepreneurs, serves on the Eat Smart Move More leadership team and has volunteered with the Alzheimer's Association in many roles though the years. Currently serving as a founding member of York CAN, her passion to build an inclusive community for all is fueled by her commitment to those of different abilities and their families. She is a wife to Mark, Mom to 3 grown kids and a Grammy to 2.

Fredy spent 15 years developing and implementing educational and life skills programming for young people of all abilities before joining the AEC team – and now he is thrilled to translate his experiences and methodology to working with adults. As a Registered Behavior Technician with an Associate’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Phoenix, Fredy’s previous roles include Behavior Technician, Camp Director, and Assistant Principal for charter schools that engage the special needs community. Fredy is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Lily Asaad is a Fort Mill resident who loves to sing, spend time with family, travel, and advocate for others within her community. Lily has a Bachelor in Social Work and is currently working on her Master’s Degree in the Advanced Standing Program at Winthrop University. Lily is the worship director at her church in Charlotte, and enjoys spending time with her sisters and her dog in her free time.

Crystal F. Guyton was born in Rock Hill and is currently the Principal of York Road Elementary School. Crystal attended Clemson University where she obtained a B.S in Early Childhood and then attended UNLV for a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She began her teaching career in Las Vegas and brings 34 years of experience as an Educator of which 24 years of service is as an elementary principal. Crystal married David Guyton in 1992 and together they have two children, Caleb age 24 and Hannah age 16.

Elizabeth (Liz) Duda is a Tega Cay resident who loves her family, job and being active in the York County community. Liz has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a BA from the University of California, San Diego. Liz works part time at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and holds leadership positions in many volunteer organizations to include: Impact York County, Eat Smart Move More York County, Bike/Ped Coalition of York County and Tega Cay Healthy Kids. She is also a member of the Tega Cay Lions Club and Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation.

Julia Khaled is currently an Attorney, Founder and Owner of Khaled Elder Law Group where she provides legal guidance for her clients through the complicated legal process of estate planning and probate issues which include creating wills, living wills, power of attorney, various types of trusts, Medicaid qualifications, Veteran’s benefits and probating estates. Julia began her career after graduating from the College of Charleston and obtaining a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina and utilizes those skills in working with families in times of need. She later obtained a Juris Doctor from the USC School of Law and a Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) from Villanova University School of Law. Julia lives in Rock Hill with her husband, Ben and her children Joseph, Ava Grace and Jacob keep her on her toes. She attends Westminster Presbyterian Church. Julia enjoys volunteering and spending time with her family.

Kati Durkee BCPA serves as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for NAMI Piedmont Tri-County, York County. Kati is a Board Certified Patient Advocate and came to NAMI by way of support for family members and loved ones who live with mental health diagnoses. After losing 2 family members to suicide, she became passionate about advocating for resources, mental health parity, and educating the community on the most stigmatized medical condition there is - mental illness. Kati has been with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Piedmont Tri-County since 2014 where she started as a volunteer NAMI BASICS teacher.

Laura Antinoro Elder is a Rock Hill resident who is currently serving as York CAN Program Coordinator. She retired from a career as a School Psychologist and Transition Coordinator and previously worked for the SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs, Fort Mill School District and Clover School District. She served as Chair of the Transition Advisory Council of York, Chester and Lancaster Counties from 2001-2016. Laura attended Rochester Institute of Technology and holds a MS in School Psychology. She enjoys spending time hiking with her husband John and spending time with her adult children and grandchildren.

Mandy Ridgeway Wolff was born, raised and currently lives in Rock Hill. Mandy began her career as a Probation/Parole agent before becoming a Guidance Counselor at a local private school. She has worked at the Applied Technology Center in the Rock Hill Schools where she currently serves as the Work Based Learning Coordinator. Mandy is married to Dr. Walter Wolff, who is the Director of Alternative Programs for the Rock Hill School District. She enjoys spending time with her grown children, Walter and Randall and their families.

Mariann Carter is currently the Lead Consultant and Owner of Carter Hears! and the developer and creator of The Quill Model. Ms. Carter is a trained and experienced Elementary and Secondary Educational Leader and a renowned teacher in South Carolina for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children. As a National Board-Certified Teacher – Retired, she has vast experience as a hearing specialist, as well as multiple teaching certifications that bring a wealth of knowledge into the planning, teaching and coaching experience. Carter has over 20 years of teaching experience at schools for the deaf, public schools, college level training programs and with educational leadership. Currently, Carter proudly and humbly serves as the Lead Consultant for Carter Hears! In addition to coaching and educating, Mariann develops, delivers, and assesses academic training programs and helps schools and families analyze and determine needs. She has and is well-versed in finding research options, planning strategy, resolving problems and conflicts to achieve aggressive goals. She also presents and lectures nationally and has served on several state and national organizational boards. Carter resides in Fort Mill, South Carolina with her husband, Rev. Richard Carter. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Michelle Shaffer currently serves as the Executive Director of Maxabilities. Michelle developed her interest in human services as a camp volunteer with Special Olympics and Camp Spearhead/Greenville, SC while attending college. Starting her career as a Direct Support Professional (DSP), Michelle has successfully served in a variety of professional positions for two different DSN Boards as well as a stint as a contracting facilitator. Additionally, Michelle has worked with various Boards, private providers of ID services and state agencies on special projects and staff training initiatives throughout her career. Michelle brought her 30+ years of experience to MaxAbilities of York County in 2008 and currently serves as its Executive Director and the chief coffee taster for the York Coffee Roastery. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys a variety of hobbies to include cooking, travel and served several years as a local Cub Scout Volunteer.

Phyllis has been employed with Catawba Regional Council of Governments for almost 25 years. Phyllis is a WIOA Program Specialist and works in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Program (WIOA). This program is designed to develop a skilled workforce that meets the needs of business and industry to compete in a global economy by helping jobseekers access training, education and employment. She is also a certified Global Career Development Facilitator and is serving as Chair of the York CAN Employment Team. Phyllis attended the University of South Carolina where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is a Rock Hill resident.

Shane Childers is the Area Supervisor for York and Lancaster for the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (SCVRD). Shane has worked for SCVRD for almost 10 years and previously worked for the York County Sheriff’s office. Shane has a BS Degree in Criminal Justice and a Masters in Business Administration. Shane grew up in Blacksburg and currently lives there. Shane is very active in the community and serves on several boards in the Blacksburg area such as Habitat for Humanity, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and recreation board where he also serves as a coach for youth basketball and baseball. Shane has been married for over 18 years, has four children and enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

Steve Yaffe (Yaffe Mobility Consulting, yaffe@ymobility.info) oversaw planning and operations for Arlington County’s local fixed-route and demand response transit until retiring in 2018. He has prior fixed route experience with RT Metro in Sacramento and Houston Metro as well as paratransit experience with WMATA’s MetroAccess service and FASTRAN – Fairfax County’s consolidated human service transportation provider. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Transit Data Committee, is a past member of the TRB Paratransit Committee, and co-chaired the 2019 TRB International Conference on Demand Responsive Transportation. He also was a member of the Fairfax Area Long Term Care Coordinating Council and the board of the ENDependence Center of Northern Virginia, a center for independent living. He is a contractor for Easterseals and a grants manager for the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (nadtc.org). He also chairs the Transit Family of Services Committee and is the Board Secretary of the International Professional Association for Transport & Health (IPATH) Mr. Yaffe co-chaired the 2019 Transportation Research Board International Conference on Demand Response Transport and is one of the co-chairs for the joint TRANSED/DRT conference to be held virtually Sept 12-16, 2022.

Vicki is a Fort Mill resident and is the Lead Transition Teacher in the Fort Mill School District and the co-chair of the local Transition Advisory Council. Vicki attended Winthrop University where she obtained a B.S. is Special Education and then attended University of Florida for a Master’s Degree in Special Education. Vicki has been working in the field of special education for 25 years. Vicki has two children, Serena age 21 and Aidan age 18.

R. Warren Norman III was born and raised in Rock Hill where he is currently a Managing Partner at Warren Noman Co., Inc., a family owned real estate development company. Warren currently manages full development services on Retail, Office and Hotel projects such as Fountain Park, Hickory Tavern, Academy Sports, Hampton Inn and Shiland Village among many others. He was awarded SC Business Person of the Year for Rock Hill in 2013, and is involved in numerous affiliations such as Member (deacon 2009-2011) of First ARP Church, Kiwanis Club, YMCA and Youth Basketball Coach, York County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs Board member, York County Board of Disabilities and Special Needs Foundation member. Warren graduated from Presbyterian College with a Special Education Major and worked for 2 years with the University of North Carolina TEACH Program for people with Autism. Most recently, Warren is working as one of the Founder and Lead on the Miracle Park. Warren lives in Rock Hill with his wife, Chrissi and 3 children; Ren, Walker and Riley.