Meet the Spirit in the Desert staff and board of directors. We are here to serve you. Please contact any one of us if you have a question or concern.
Director
Suki Kisling
Empowering Women Suki Kisling’s zeal for empowering women continues to find many opportunities. She lived in Las Vegas for 28 years where she opened her ownfinancial planning practice. Some of her clients were widows who were at aloss to manage finances. Some had never written a check or paid a householdbill. Suki was there for them with support and education. She said, “Teachingwomen to become independent became a passion. This passion combined withmy Christian faith became the focus of a…
Secretary
Julie Yates
An International Perspective Julie Yates has managed commercial real estate properties in the UnitedStates and London. After living and working in London for fifteen years,Julie and her husband Steve moved back to Arizona in 2015 and becamere-acquainted with Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center. She said, “Weloved living in London and experiencing the perspective of aninternational community.” In 1993, the Lutheran Church was given facilities and land in Carefreethat had been the International Restaurant and the Adobe Inn. Julie,because of…
Retreat Leader
Catherine Slabaugh
Catherine Slabaugh is all about connecting people through powerful stories and creative communication. She currently holds the role of Director of Communications and Community Engagement at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sacramento, Calif., serves as Communications Director for the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering, and is the Co-Founder of Vero Communications LLC. Catherine’s journey has included leading communications and events for the Sierra Pacific Synod, heading up the social media team for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, and steering communications for…
Retreat Leader
Felecia Boone
Felecia Boone is vice president of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA and served on the ELCA Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. Ms. Boone has spent 30 years in local government with over 10 years in Human Resources and is currently a senior diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, which includes strategic planning, supporting departmental diversity and inclusion committees, and investigating respectful workplace discrimination complaints. She is also a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. In 2023 she…
Spirited Book Club, Retreat Facilitator
Sheri Brown
Sheri Brown is a retired special education teacher, news reporter, and video producer who has written liturgy, poems, and reflections for nearly 15 years. Her writing has been described as “sometimes raw but always real,” and as a “fresh perspective on old words”. Her writings, when she writes, are distributed to an email group under the heading, From the Edge of the Inside. (The reason for that obtuse self-descriptor became clear when she learned she is a healthy 4 during an…
Lead Facilitator, Healing of Memories
Audrey Lukasak
Rev. Audrey Lukasak is a highly experienced lead facilitator who received her facilitator training in South Africa from Father Michael Lapsley, the founder of the Institute for Healing of Memories. Audrey first learned about Healing of Memories while studying the culture context of leadership in South Africa; she returned the following year for facilitator training at HOM after leaving a toxic ministry. She knew how important it is to heal before entering a new ministry in order not to hurt others.…
Retreat Leader, Legacy Workshop
Alanna Mack
Alanna Mack is retired from a highly successful practice as a tax CPA. In her work with clients on estate and trust tax matters, she found that surviving spouses often feel unprepared to face new – and unexpected – financial responsibilities and realities. Helping clients understand and manage their finances after the loss of a loved one became a specialty for Alanna. She also has served on exempt organization boards and finance committees, most recently the Franciscan Renewal Center and the…
Retreat Leader, Legacy Workshop
Kelly Emme
For more than three decades, Kelly Emme has enjoyed teaching people the joy of movement and the peace that comes from being still. Her classes are an eclectic blend of movement, breathwork, philosophy and meditation. And of course, no class is complete without the soothing sounds of her crystal meditation bowls! Kelly holds certificates in yoga and meditation, and is a certified integrative health coach. Since 2012 she has lead retreats combining yoga, meditation, and healthy cooking. She believes true health begins…
Retreat Leader
abby mohaupt
abby mohaupt facilitates the retreat, Cultivating Climate Justice: Tools, Hope, Theology, and Spirit in March, 2023 at Spirit in the Desert.
Retreat Leader
Lisa Dahill
Lisa Dahill facilitates the retreat, Cultivating Climate Justice: Tools, Hope, Theology, and Spirit in March, 2023 at Spirit in the Desert.
Retreat Leader
Ruth Ivory-Moore
Ruth Ivory-Moore facilitates the retreat, Cultivating Climate Justice: Tools, Hope, Theology, and Spirit in March, 2023 at Spirit in the Desert.
Lead Facilitator, Healing of Memories
Linda Rich
Linda L. Rich, DCSW, LSW, CSAC has been an Institute for Healing of Memories facilitator since 2010 and chairs the board of IHOM-NA. As a social worker she has worked in a wide range of addiction treatment, mental health and medical programs. She served in military hospitals with the American Red Cross in Vietnam and in the U.S. She believes deeply in each person’s capacity to heal and to help others heal the wounds of the past. Linda is a…