In 2025, Stepping Stones Agencies celebrates 45 years of providing 24/7/365 advocacy services for families experiencing domestic violence in West Yavapai County. Stepping Stones’ Board of Directors is excited to announce the new dynamic leadership of our co-CEO team. Founder and CEO, Robin Burke, is retiring after 45 years of extraordinary leadership, building the organization to what it is today. Her hard work and tireless support for local families finding freedom from domestic violence and abuse established best practices and ensures that even 45 years later, families can always call the 24/7/365 helpline and get help immediately.
Through Robin’s mentorship and guidance, four extraordinary organization leaders are joining together as co-CEOs to lead Stepping Stones: Alva Sanchez, Director of Operations, Cori Burke, Director of Services, Denise Merritt, Director of Human Resources, and Alexis Miller, Director of Community Outreach.
This co-CEO team brings 63 years of collective experience and expertise to ensure the agency remains committed to serving local families experiencing domestic violence and other forms of victimization, growing and sustaining operations, and investing in our associates and the community.
While a co-CEO model may not work everywhere, Stepping Stones’ Board of Directors is optimistic that these four minds thinking strategically together will allow for the organization to have a dynamic and strategic best practices approach to meeting this critical need in our community.
“A co-CEO model works for our organization because it allows us to oversee the core areas of our work while collectively making decisions and sharing the ever expanding responsibilities and expectations of not-for-profit leadership roles,” said Cori Burke.
Stepping Stones is excited for what the future holds for the organization’s services to the community, the social enterprises developed to sustain services, and the families finding freedom from abuse.
WHY CO-CEO?
The co-CEO leadership model allows for a framework where shared goals and collaborative decision-making sets the future of the organization. A 2024 Forbes article by Dean DeBiase puts it best: “…the adoption of the co-CEO model is more than a strategic decision; it’s a reflection of the changing face of corporate leadership in a world where agility, diversity of perspectives, and collaborative decision-making are not just valuable, but essential.”
Stepping Stones’ move to a Co-CEO model allows for a strategic and flexible approach to not-for-profit leadership.
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