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Neshama Abraham
A native New Yorker and public relations professional, Neshama moved to Boulder, Colorado in 1996 where she met future husband Zev Paiss and first learned about cohousing.
Since 1997, Neshama has authored dozens of articles and worked with many of the nation’s major print and broasdcast media outlets about cohousing. She is the National Press Contact for the Cohousing industry and helps educate the general public and the media about this supportive and environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
Through their business Abraham Paiss & Associates, Neshama helps train group members as effective spokespersons for their community, coordinates media contact, writes and distributes press material, and guides the community in their marketing and membership building programs. She has helped cohousing groups in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Texas.
Neshama lives in the Nomad Cohousing Community in Boulder, where she and Zev are raising their two daughters.
Zev Paiss
A native of Los Angeles, Zev has lived in cohousing since 1994. Over the past 12 years, he has become a nationally recognized cohousing consultant known for his expertise in Group Process and Community Building. Zev is a principal in Abraham Paiss & Associates, an independent business that helps cohousing communities get started. He has traveled across the United States assisting cohousing groups in California, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, North Carolina and Texas.
Zev is the founding Executive Director of The Cohousing Association of the United States, a national non-profit organization he ran from 1998-2002. Since 1991, he has taught “Getting Started” workshops and delivered dozens of presentations and slide shows about cohousing neighborhoods and the professional development process.
Zev is a National Spokesperson for the Cohousing industry and has been interviewed by many of the country’s leading national print and broadcast media about the sustainability benefits of living in a community setting. He is also co-founder of Support Financial Services which provides early stage financing to cohousing groups. Support has helpped 12 cohousing neighborhoods get built since 1993.
Zev produced the 17-minute introductory cohousing video “Neighborhoods for People.” Since 1997, Zev has resided in the Nomad Cohousing Community in Boulder.
Dene Peterson
Dene (Geraldine) Peterson is the Executive Director of Trailview Development Corporation and is the Project Director for building the ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Virginia where she has been living since February 2006. This is a 29-home cohousing community with an emphasis on late life spirituality.
The homes were completed in the Winter of 2006 and the Common House will be fully operational by early 2007.
Dene has her certification as a Housing Finance Development Professional and has a Masters Degree in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. She has been the administrator of non-profit organizations throughout her professional career. Dene has extensive experience in raising funds from public and private sources and has been highly successful in securing funds for this commmunity.
Ellen and Ray Coppock
Ellen and Ray Coppock were instrumental in planning and building Glacier Circle Community in Davis, California, the first elder cohousing project to be completed in the U. S. With help from enthusiastic professionals and with the cooperation and hard work of its members, Glacier Circle is essentially finished and a going operation.
Ray is a retired writer and editor with the University of California and Ellen, a retired elementary school teacher, a water color artist and bridge player.
They will offer participants an inside look into what it took to create and now live in an Elder Cohousing community.
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