Community Led by Community

Our Philosophy

 An all-volunteer Board of Directors works closely with the DeafBlind community to collectively discern and choose new directions for the organization. We will expand to officers and staff in 2021. It is believed this model of shared ownership and shared authority will allow DeafBlind Retreat of Arizona (DBRAZ) to truly work as community for the community.

Board

(Acts as Advisors and help with Fundraising)

The background is a wooden outhouse frame with a wooden toilet seat. Andrew Cohen's, who has white skin, has his face framed with an orange pumpkin that has arms/hands and legs/feet made of the stems of pumpkins. In the right hand of the pumpkin, is being gripped hard while the left hand has it out in a gesture of "You caught me in the outhouse going to the bathroom"! He is wearing black sunglasses and has a short black beard. He is a closed mouth smile.

Andrew
Cohen

The background has various trees with green, yellow, and orange leaves on the trees and a cream colored porch showing thick railings. Bonnie Faye Gibson-Brydon has straight blonde hair past her chest, medium green t-shirt, and black shawl over it. She is a white woman wearing dark red lipstick smiling with teeth.

Bonnie Faye
Gibson-Brydon

The background has trees with green leaves and brown trunks with Mark Mellenger standing in front of it. He is white with short dark gray hair and a short white beard. He is wearing a dark gray t-shirt while smiling showing teeth.

Mark
Mellenger

The background has a glass sliding door in the distance with various green plants seen through the glass sliding door. On the left side of the photograph, are three tulle pieces of fabric hanging on the wall in light blue, red, and dark blue. On the right side of the photograph, is a yellow wall with a lantern pendant floor lamp that is silver with a glass cover in green and yellow, and then an orange and gold designed pillow under it. The photograph has a white woman with dark long gray hair in a braid down the right side in in front of her body. She is seen from the top of her head to the middle of her chest. She has black framed "cat eye" glasses, is smiling showing teeth, and then is wearing a dark gray t-shirt with six brown buttons down the middle of the chest.

Petula
Oster

The background has green leave trees with brown trunks surrounding water with Richard Vanover standing in front of it. He is white with short brown hair and a thin brown goatee. He is wearing a black polo t-shirt while smiling with teeth.

Richard
Vanover

The background shows green grass with hits of the sun shining on it. The close photograph of the white male has on a medium green hunting boonie hat, black framed and lens sunglasses, a white beard down to his chest, a tan long sleeve collared hunting shirt, and a dark green hunting vest.

Shawn
Whitley

Officers

(Runs the organization and report to the Board)

The background is a wooden outhouse frame with a wooden toilet seat. Andrew Cohen's, who has white skin, has his face framed with an orange pumpkin that has arms/hands and legs/feet made of the stems of pumpkins. In the right hand of the pumpkin, is being gripped hard while the left hand has it out in a gesture of "You caught me in the outhouse going to the bathroom"! He is wearing black sunglasses and has a short black beard. He is a closed mouth smile.

Andrew
Cohen
President
(2022 - 2023)

The background has a hazy pink, blue, and white sky with red mountains, and then a white woman in front of them. The woman is seen from the top of her head to her shoulders. She has short, curly, and gray/white hair with squinting eyes and a small smirk that shows a few front teeth. She is wearing a red long sleeve button down shirt.

Caryn
Tenin
Vice President
(2023 - 2024)

The background has trees with green leaves and brown trunks with Mark Mellenger standing in front of it. He is white with short dark gray hair and a short white beard. He is wearing a dark gray t-shirt while smiling showing teeth.

Mark
Mellenger
Secretary
(2022 - 2023)

The background shows a gray seat inside a vehicle with a filter used around a brown woman's face. She is seen from the top of her head to her shoulders. The woman has her long black braided hair pulled back, is wearing teal cateye framed glasses, has a smile showing teeth, a leopard printed scarf wrapped around her neck, and a light jean blue long sleeve button down shirt. The filter around her face has various pink balloons, golden stars, and a pink and gold cone hat on the right side of her head.

Ashley
Dillard
Treasurer
(2023 - 2024)

Retreat Team 2023

(Runs the retreat and report to the officers)

The background has layers of blue, purple, pink, orange, and then yellow from top to bottom with the "arm" of a Saguaro Cactus on the right side. Krista Caudill is seen with a close shot showing the top of her head to her shoulders. She is a white woman with shoulder length red hair. She is smiling while showing teeth.

Krista
Caudill
DeafBlind
Coordinator

The background has a clear blue sky with various hues of green desert bushes growing in desert sand. On the right side, a set of brown wooden sleepers with metal rails for a train track is seen close, and then at a distance. Pablo Felix is seen from the top of his head to his chest. He has light tan skin with short black hair, silver framed glasses, a black goatee, and then a dark blue polo t-shirt. Pablo is smiling in the photograph with teeth.

Pablo
Felix
Volunteer
Coordinator

The background shows a light blue and white sky with the sun setting, and then green Organ Pipe Cacti all around. The photograph shows a close headshot of a white man from his head to his shoulders. Martin Greenburg has on a backwards green ball cap with several strands of about 5 inches of white hair seen sticking out from the sides and front. Martin has a white mustach with a closed smile. He is wearing a red and black checkered flannel long sleeve collared shirt.

Martin
Greenberg
FAT Coordinator

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