Better Together

Field Team

TAC Members

NAME:                  Riley Doren
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2023

My name is Riley Doren. I am a senior at Prescott High School, where I am on the cheer team, student council and president of s-club. I am a member of the teen advisory council and I am passionate about meaningful change in our community.

NAME:                  Sophia Brown
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2025

Sophia joined TAC in February of 2022 after participating in numerous Launchpad programs, hoping to help create the feeling of acceptance and support that she had felt in the Launchpad’s doors. In TAC she found a passion for helping others in the community through the Better Together Program and their goal to help bring better unity and acceptance to Prescott. In her free time she enjoys hiking, being with her siblings, and writing and hopes to one day be a teacher for the bright minds of the future.

NAME:                  Elle Long
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2023

Hi! My name’s Elle Long. I operate as a member of TAC (Teen Advisory Council) and a board
member here at The Launch Pad. I am currently a senior at Prescott High School and looking
forward to attending University of Washington in the fall. I enjoy staying active so if you’re ever
looking for me, you can probably find me on the soccer field, badminton gym, softball fields, or
even at Crossfit. I’m also a big Chiefs and St. Louis Cardinals fan. Over the past few years I
have found that most of my enjoyment and purpose is fulfilled through volunteering. Being an
active part of The Launch Pad and its happenings allows me to project this. I hope everyone in
our community has the ability to see and join all the amazing things we are creating everyday.
Can’t wait to meet all of you at The Launch Pad!

NAME:                  Jussynda Burns
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2025

Jussynda joined TAC in 2021 after experiencing the launch pad’s impact first hand through their sister. She joined after longing for a place in community discussions and in her free time, she codes, reads books, writes, and protests for topics she is passionate about. They will go on to college where they hope to earn a medical degree from a top ranked university and engage in its broader community, fusing the community together with their tools from better together.

NAME:                  Ben Harvey
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2025

Ben joined TAC at the beginning of the 2022 school year and fell in love with the community and dedication of its members both to the project and to each other. He loves statistics and keeping organized, which has served him well as the data analyst for the Better Together Survey. He codes, hikes, and cooks in his free time, and hopes to someday become a statistician working with other community-driven projects.

NAME:                  Megan Cramer
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2023

Megan joined TAC February 2022. She joined because of the division seen throughout the community and wanted to contribute to healing the Tri-City area. She loves forensics and insects. In her spare time, she plays volleyball, enjoys the outdoors, and studies various topics, like geography and insects. Megan is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Biology at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

NAME:                  Lia Killeen
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2024

Lia Killeen joined TAC in September of 2022 with the hope of becoming a voice of change within the Prescott community. In her free time, Lia enjoys reading, writing, spending time with family, and adventuring outdoors. Lia intends to pursue a degree in anthropology after graduation, using what she has learned during the Better Together Campaign to further explore the values which bind people together.

NAME:                  Madeline Stanik
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2024

Maddie joined TAC in August of 2022 after working as a teen researcher in the initial stages of the Better Together project. As she became more involved with the Launchpad, she found her place within TAC’s community of empowering teens. As a member of TAC she hopes to help show Yavapai county the beauty of communication and the strength of unity. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with friends. In the future, she hopes to explore the East Coast and pursue a degree in mathematics.

NAME:                  Lena Teng
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2024

Lena is a Junior at BASIS Prescott. She is a newly joined teen researcher for the Better Together Advisory Counsel. Outside the Launch Pad, she was Vice President of NHS and Co-Dance Commissioner of ASB. Her interests are dancing and playing tennis. Lena is working towards her goal to become a Nurse in the future.

NAME:                  Gianna Franz
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2024

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NAME:                  Caution Molnar
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2024

Caution joined TAC in September of 2022. He wanted to join because he saw TAC meetings while he was in drop in at The Launch Pad and was interested in what TAC was doing. At the Launch Pad, he created a program called the All Access Pass where teens who do not have access to food are able to receive free meals provided by the Moon Cafe. He loves playing guitar and music. Caution is pursuing an Associate’s Degree of Science at Yavapai College to aid in the pursuit of an Electrical engineering degree.

NAME:                  Malia Hirasa
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2025

Malia joined TAC in October of 2022 with the goal of becoming more involved in her community after starting her social justice journey after the Pandemic, and participating in some Launch Pad events as a volunteer. She has since become very passionate about TAC and its goal to provide unity to the Tri-City area through healthy conversations. In her free time she plays volleyball, spends time outdoors and with friends, and kickboxes. She hopes to go to school on the east coast and major in Pre-law.

NAME:                  Toby Chang
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2024

Toby began working with the Launch Pad in 2022 as a Teen Researcher, hoping to help bridge divisions and spark discourse within our county. He works to engage youth in creating and developing their passions into tangible projects, and his goal in TAC is to provide the space and tools for community teens to do that. His future aspiration is to pursue a career in elected government and politics. In the little free time that he is allowed as a BASIS student, Toby has never been known to refuse a nap.

NAME:                  Parker Nelson
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2024

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Previous TAC Members

NAME:                  William Heitzman
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2022

My name is William Heitzman and I recently graduated from BASIS Prescott. I have been in TAC since 2021and have helped achieve success on many different projects. I am currently taking classes at Yavapai College and plan to major in Psychology at USC. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing and working out.

NAME:                  Ridley Mortensen
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2022

Ridley is a new graduate from BASIS Prescott and is planning to attend Université de Bordeaux. He juggles in his free time and plans to be a translator.

NAME:                  Roshmi Uhler
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2023

Roshmi is a senior at BASIS Prescott. She has been a part of TAC for three years. Her interests outside of TAC and school are mountain biking. She enjoys spending time outside and with friends. 

NAME:                  Shalyssa Burns
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2022

Shalyssa Burns is a founding member of TAC and has been a part of the Council since it was first started in 2019. She graduated as Valedictorian from BASIS Prescott in May of 2022 and is headed to Northwestern University. She also plays the violin, reads, and bakes in her free time. 

NAME:                  Joaquin Orellana
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2025

Hi My name is Joaquin. I attend BASIS Prescott and will be a sophomore next year. The reason I joined TAC is to improve communication among the community and to decrease divisiveness. Other interests besides TAC are various sports and strategy games.

NAME:                 Emma Wymore
SCHOOL:             BASIS Prescott
GRADUATION:   2022

Emma Wymore has been a member of the Launchpad Teen Center’s year long program, the Teen Advisory Council (TAC), for the past two years. She is a leader for the Better Together Campaign, where she organized virtual trainings and events, advocated and secured funding from the Arizona Community Foundation, and is now mentoring the next TAC cohort. She graduated from BASIS Prescott in 2022 and is pursuing Global Studies and Economics at Barrett the Honors College at Arizona State University.

NAME:                  Sedona Ortega
SCHOOL:             Tri City College Prep
GRADUATION:   2022

Sedona Ortega has lived in Prescott, Arizona her whole life and just graduated from Tri-City Prep High School. She joined TAC towards the end of 2020 during the beginning stages of the Better Together campaign. She is passionate about unifying the community she grew up in and hopes that her work with many organizations, including The Launch Pad Teen Center, has helped plant new seeds towards a more inclusive, safe, and strong Prescott.

Breeanya Hinkel

Kristine Preziosi

Larry Kernnedy

Jamaal McCoy

Lisa Schlegal

NAME:                  Natalie Amadio
POSITION:           Youth Workforce and Leadership Director at the Launch Pad

Natalie grew up in New England before moving to California to attend a small, arts-focused international high school. Her experience inspired her to find a college that shared similar values: experiential and self-directed learning in a small tight-knit community which lead her to Prescott College. After falling in love with the Southwestern landscape, she has spent the past 13 years here. She has over 9 years experience teaching and counseling in expeditionary learning and college prep environments.

Here at the Launch Pad, Natalie is the Youth Workforce and Leadership Director. Through her work with the Teen Advisory Council and the Better Together Campaign, she hopes to create meaningful connections between teens and our community. Using her experience in college and career counseling, Natalie hosts three Project Launch camps per year for youth ready to take the first steps toward employment. She also oversees the apprenticeship program at the Moon Café. Her goal is to provide young people with the tools and opportunities to be lifelong learners, empowered citizens, and resilient leaders. Along with working at the teen center, she is a manager at a local restaurant and is currently pursuing her graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Outside of work, Natalie enjoys traveling, hiking, and exploring the world with her seven-year-old, Finn.

NAME:                  Tessa Martinez
SCHOOL:             Prescott High School
GRADUATION:   2022

Tessa is starting second year at Yavapai College taking general studies courses. She enjoys community involvement and takes action in many ways like being a member of the Teen Advisory Council for 2 years. Outside of TAC she works at Chapel Rock as on outdoor educator/facilitator.  

NAME:                  Lisa Schlegel

Lisa Schlegel is a higher education professional and has worked for Prescott College, NAU-Yavapai, and Yavapai College. She is currently the Corporate Liaison for the Regional Economic Development Center at Yavapai College. Her passion is connecting people to opportunities. She raised her two children in Prescott and they both graduated from Prescott High School. Lisa is honored to be serving on the AAC for the Better Together project and is inspired by these youth who care about our community and about making a difference in our world.

NAME:                  Eric M. Bailey

Eric M. Bailey is the bestselling author of The Cure for Stupidity: Using Brain Science to Explain Irrational Behavior and President of Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, one of the fastest-growing human communication consulting firms in the United States. Eric has a diverse set of experiences that includes helping NFL All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald pet a rhinoceros, doing barrel rolls in an F-16, and chatting with LL Cool J on the campus of Harvard University.

Honored as Diversity Leader of the Year, Eric is the creator of the Principles of Human Understanding™, a leadership and communication methodology based in brain science and psychology. Eric’s unique style blends fact and emotion and finds ways to appeal to the analytical thinkers, the emotional feelers, and everyone in between. Eric has a unique ability to communicate seemingly complex concepts in practical, easy-to-comprehend ways, aiding in self-awareness and knowledge retention.

As a honoree of the prestigious 40 Under 40 award, Eric has been featured on CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Soul, Huffington Post, Forbes, the Consciously Unbiased Podcast and has helped leaders and teams across the world see common problems from new and different perspectives. Eric works with Google Inc, the US Air Force, Los Angeles County, the City of St. Louis, MO, Phoenix Police Department and many more. Eric also runs a YouTube series of 2-minute executive lessons called The Walking Meeting (www.thewalkingmeeting.com). You can learn more about Eric at ericmbailey.com

NAME:                  Sarah O’Neill

I joined The Launch Pad as a community supporter in 2018 after my son had several great experiences attending camps that the Launch Pad put on over the summer. Over the past few years I have been involved with multiple events, committees, and various volunteer positions. I really connected with the core mission of the Launch Pad and felt it was my job as a member our community to volunteer with The Launch Pad and support the mission. I am passionate about being a resource to others, connecting people, listening, learning and most of all giving my time to help make organizations that make our community a better place to be. 

I grew up in Chino Valley, AZ and as a youth I always felt there was something missing from our community for youth and teens. I have lived most of my life between Chino Valley, Prescott Valley, and now Prescott. I am proud to be a contributing member to the community in any way I can to make it a better place for everyone to live. I am married and have 3 teenage children, and our family is a proud supporter of The Launch Pad. I work in the Consumer Loan Department at Foothills Bank and have worked in banking in the Prescott area since 2000 in a variety of roles. In my free time I enjoy traveling with my family, hiking with our dogs, kayaking, visiting family, and volunteering.