Dianne I. Maroney, MSN, RN Executive Director and Founder
Life has knocked me down many times, but it has also shown me how to rise again, stronger and more resilient.
I grew up in a complex family environment marked by suicide, alcoholism, and financial struggles. These challenges, though painful, shaped my understanding of perseverance and what it takes to overcome adversity.
In 2010, I traveled across the U.S., meeting ordinary people who had faced extraordinary challenges. I found that resilience exists everywhere, and their stories inspired me to create a multi-award-winning book. The profound impact of these stories led me to introduce the Imagine Project format to children. It quickly became clear that every child has a story—often one filled with difficulty—and that they need support to process these experiences and move forward. After hearing the stories of hundreds of children, I founded The Imagine Project, Inc. in 2015. My background as a nurse and author guided me to create a program that could reach and help thousands of children.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our mission is to empower kids to overcome life’s challenges by helping them realize they have the power to rewrite their own stories. Through our fundraising efforts, we bring The Imagine Project to schools and youth organizations free of charge. The program’s 7-step interactive process enables children to write about their struggles, envision how they want their story to change, and imagine new possibilities for their future. Ultimately, The Imagine Project promotes the mental health and well-being of youth. Today, it has reached children in all 50 states and 24 countries. Watching young people transform their difficult stories into narratives of hope and possibility is incredibly rewarding.
Dianne holds a Master’s Degree in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing from the University of Colorado Health Science Center. She is an international speaker, mental health expert, and thought leader, and the author of several books, including The Imagine Project: Empowering Kids to Rise Above Drama, Trauma, and Stress (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2018). Her first book, The Imagine Project: Stories of Courage, Hope, and Love (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2013), won multiple awards, including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award for nonfiction. She also wrote the children’s book Byron the Caterpillar Who Loved to Imagine (Yampa Valley Publishing, 2017), aimed at helping children under eight understand the power of believing in themselves. Dianne lives in Stagecoach, Colorado, with her husband and has three grown children.
Bill Young
Board of Directors
Bill Young is presently the Senior Director of Alcohol Policy for Molson Coors Brewing Company and is based in Denver, CO, but it’s not his public policy work that brings him to The Imagine Project. A love for young people and a desire to help them live their dreams is the inspiration for Mr. Young joining The Imagine Project board of directors. Mr. Young coached youth sports for more than 20 years and has raised three kids — a lifetime of experiences with hundreds of kids and a lifetime of helping their voices and positive attributes be heard and seen. In addition to his seat on the Imagine Project board of directors, Mr. Young is a longtime board member of the Mark K. Ulmer Native American Scholarship Foundation. Bill is a native of Colorado but grew up mostly in Laramie, WY, graduating from Laramie High School in 1979 and the University of Wyoming in 1984. He currently resides in Littleton, CO with his wife, Lori and has two grown children.
Arlene Karlin
Board of Directors
Arlene Karlin has dedicated her entire 30-year career to helping families and students with special needs and emotional difficulties. As a special educator and school counselor with K-12, Arlene has worked tirelessly to improve the learning opportunities for these students. As part of this effort, Arlene has identified and brought into districts new and innovative SEL (Social Emotional Learning) programs. She brings practical, hands-on experience in making these types of programs effective with The Imagine Project.
A highly relevant example is Arlene’s role was as a trainer of the Yale University RULER program, where teachers were provided lessons that taught students ways to regulate their emotions in positive, healthy ways. Additionally, Arlene was a facilitator for the MCEC (Military Child Education Coalition) in creating leadership clubs for students in elementary schools whose parents were in the military and/or deployed. Through these clubs, she fostered physical and emotional safety for children who were continuously transitioning to new locations and/or experiencing stress and trauma in military life.
Through her experience as a school counselor, Arlene has abundant knowledge of the Colorado Academic Standards for Social Emotional Wellness and has transformed these requirements into programs and activities with an emphasis on students’ health and wellness. Providing support to students working through trauma and challenging life circumstances that limit a child’s ability to grow and learn, both academically and emotionally, is her passion. Arlene is excited to help The Imagine Project curriculum become more widely incorporated into the social emotional education of students across the globe.
Arlene is a native of Colorado and resides in Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Russ Slocum
Board of Directors
Russ Slocum takes a vision and makes it reality through sound strategy development. He intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together into a coherent whole, helps others extend their thinking, and drives material business advantage. He is an inspirational leader and has built “World Class Teams”. Respected as a credible voice in decision-making, a well known “Lean Operational Leader”, and turn around specialist.
As the Regional Vice President – Western U.S. at ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a privately‐held, national auto collision & paint company, Russ was responsible for the operations of a $270M dollar plus region. He led the successful acquisition and integration of three independent Regional Collision Companies into the ABRA organization over an 18-month period resulting in record sales and profitability for each.
Russ is a decorated Military Officer who rose through the ranks in the United States Navy retiring as a Commander in Special Operations. His 30-year military career included both Active Duty and Reserve assignments. He is now spearheading a major strategic initiative for the hiring of Military Veterans transitioning from active duty into the civilian work force. Russ has a passion for helping those in need particularly veterans and at-risk children, which led him to become a board member of The Imagine Project, Inc. He lives in Parker, CO with his wife and has two grown children.
Russ Slocum takes a vision and makes it reality through sound strategy development. He intuitively sees the threads of opportunity that wind through an organization, brings them together into a coherent whole, helps others extend their thinking, and drives material business advantage. He is an inspirational leader and has built “World Class Teams”. Respected as a credible voice in decision-making, a well known “Lean Operational Leader”, and turn around specialist.
As the Regional Vice President – Western U.S. at ABRA Auto Body & Glass, a privately‐held, national auto collision & paint company, Russ was responsible for the operations of a $270M dollar plus region. He led the successful acquisition and integration of three independent Regional Collision Companies into the ABRA organization over an 18-month period resulting in record sales and profitability for each.
Russ is a decorated Military Officer who rose through the ranks in the United States Navy retiring as a Commander in Special Operations. His 30-year military career included both Active Duty and Reserve assignments. He is now spearheading a major strategic initiative for the hiring of Military Veterans transitioning from active duty into the civilian work force. Russ has a passion for helping those in need particularly veterans and at-risk children, which led him to become a board member of The Imagine Project, Inc. He lives in Parker, CO with his wife and has two grown children.
Susan Hartley
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Susan Hartley is the parent of a child who had a rare seizure disorder and suffered severe developmental disabilities.
She understands and has experienced the broad scope of emotions that all parents or caregivers feel when providing for a child with special needs. Susan’s personal experience created a great passion for helping other families in similar situations. She has served on several nonprofits including a longtime board member of the Developmental Disabilities Resource Center in Lakewood, CO.
Susan’s 30 year career in the Telecommunication/Business industries gives her an incredible amount of experience helping The Imagine Project with our communications needs.
A tool that helps Children and Families work through Stress and Trauma is especially appealing to Susan. She has seen hundreds of families struggle with providing for their children and has worked hard to get the services needed. Until the Imagine Project she had not seen a tool that could help families, especially siblings and parents work through the stress associated with caring for their special needs child. Susan is a Colorado Native and she and her family still reside here and enjoy all this beautiful state has to offer.
Christie Taylor
Director of Development and Executive Producer
Christie Taylor joined The Imagine Project in 2017 with great enthusiasm to help the founder, Dianne reach kids who have been affected by stress and trauma. Christie brings a repertoire of talents including marketing, sales, video production, and fundraising.
Christie’s background began in film production, graduating from the Colorado Film and Video Institute in 2002. She had already climbed her way to becoming a Producer at Starz Entertainment when she graduated. Working first in the marketing department at Starz as a PA, Christie quickly moved up through the company. Her passion was around the Starz Kids/WAM channel, where she produced and wrote her own short film that aired on the channel for Father’s Day, titled Daddy’s Day. Thereafter, she was recognized by the President of Starz Entertainment as a vital contributor to the companies charity projects. Christie wrote and produced many segments for Down Syndrome organizations in Denver for a year before getting onto the Starz on Demand launch team.
In 2007 Christie ventured down the entrepreneur route and opened a fitness business called TruFIT20. Christie runs the daily operations of this very successful business located in the Denver Tech Center. Her philanthropic heart brought her to The Imagine Project where she facilitates fundraising and video production, as well as sales and marketing. Christie’s sweet now 12 year-old daughter Sydney, is featured on the cover of the project’s latest book, The Imagine Project, Empowering Kids to Rise Above Drama, Trauma, and Stress. “These tools are amazing, and I believe every parent and teacher needs The Imagine Project. I am thrilled to be working on this amazing project alongside Dianne. I truly believe The Imagine Project will change the world!”
Todd Daubert
Educational Consultant
After growing up as a child of educators, spending over thirty years as an elementary school teacher, and serving as a mentor to undergraduate students studying to become teachers, my entire life has been and continues to be focused on learning and teaching (in that order). As educators we are constantly on a quest to make learning accessible to everyone. It is the single most challenging, most important, most frustrating, most rewarding, and most difficult calling there could be.
If learning is our focus, then having tools that help everyone access their “wizard brains” are essential. While there are a lot of programs for social/emotional learning that touch on the topics of empathy, emotions, and conflict resolution, nothing that I have used has had the impact that The Imagine Project does. It helps students move from their “lizard” to their “wizard brains,” from avoiding to embracing learning. The Imagine Project builds a vulnerable classroom community filled with understanding and empathy. It allows different points of view and life experiences to be seen and heard. Most importantly, it creates a brave space to share and rewrite your story where no one has to feel alone.
As educators, our goals are to provide skills that “stick” and are accessible to our students long after they have left our classrooms. The simplicity and power of writing an Imagine Story to process difficult, stressful, and even traumatic events. If it is used consistently throughout the year, it can become a habit that students will fall back on during those tough solitary moments that are sure to come.
I am proud to support The Imagine Project and the schools that use it, as a tool for everyone who want to help students free themselves to learn at the highest levels while managing the stress of learning and life.
Imagine… the fear and worry that comes from teaching for over 30 years through towers falling, school shootings, student suicides, and a threatening pandemic.
Imagine… wanting to protect your students and create a safe space to learn but knowing that the world is not a safe space.
Imagine… spending each new school year searching for ways to connect and empower children to persevere and show courage through difficult times, but always coming up short.
Imagine… walking out of school on a Thursday in March and never coming back to school the same way again.
Imagine… starting your final school year full of fear, sadness, and uncertainty.
Imagine… wishing to feel normal, see smiles, and hug friends and family, but you can’t.
Imagine… learning a simple tool that helps to express those feelings and process those experiences.
Imagine… writing stories about your hard feelings and experiences that allow you to get them out of your heart and onto paper.
Imagine… sharing those stories with trusted friends in class and being able to empathize and connect with each other.
Imagine… all those intense emotions lifting off your shoulders and being shared by everyone who listens.
Imagine…creating a new brave space where students can be seen and heard for who they are.
Imagine… this simple tool being applied throughout the curriculum and school day whenever the need to process, connect, and empathize arises.
Imagine… carrying a tool into life that you can use anytime you need to feel hope.
