By Denise D. Resnik, First Place Global Founder, President/CEO & Matt’s Mom
I’m still thinking about the shared experiences from the Dimensions™ 2025 symposium and moments between formal presentations: bus and break-time conversations, tears and laughter, sudden goosebumps and quiet nods of recognition between people who had been strangers just hours before. Those experiences felt like something important was taking shape.
During three powerful days, we discussed housing, health, employment, policy and culture. But the real story was what happened when all those efforts began to cross-pollinate—when people who care deeply about these areas shared what they’ve been cultivating in their own communities. That’s what market transformation looks like: an ecosystem coming alive, roots intertwining beneath the surface.
A principled approach to market transformation.
At First Place Global, we are building the systems, standards and valued networks that make inclusive housing, employment, healthcare and lifelong learning practical and scalable. What were isolated success stories have become reliable systems that—with the power of examples—communities can replicate and localize.
We heard from featured speaker Jane Wei-Skillern, Ph.D., about her Four Network Principles for Collaboration Success, among the most popular articles in the 15-year history of The Foundation Review.
During the symposium, we experienced those four principles in action:
- Focus on mission before organization.
- Manage through trust, not control.
- Promote others, not yourself.
- Build constellations, not stars.
These principles mirror how First Place Global approaches market transformation by leading through trust, collaboration and shared success.
Listening, talking and learning to continue connecting.
What moved me most was realizing that growth no longer depends on charitable nonprofits like us to plant every seed. It’s about policymakers and various aligned private- and foundation-sector sponsors joining us, led by Arizona-based presenting symposium sponsor and longtime First Place AZ champion Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, which embraces network leadership in its markets across the U.S.
New shoots are sprouting everywhere—local leaders trading lessons, researchers partnering with developers, families linking arms with employers. The network is taking on a life of its own, nourished by shared purpose and collaborative care.
Our next chapter is about keeping the connections growing. Market transformation doesn’t happen through a single, perfect plan; it happens the way healthy community gardens do—when neighbors come together to sow seeds, tend the soil, and ensure there’s enough sunlight and space those seeds need to grow.
If you left Dimensions 2025 feeling that spark, we encourage you to nurture it. Follow up with the person next to you. Share your experiences, your challenges and your next steps. Reach out for help prepare the ground for your next project—whether it’s through an A Place in the World® Housing Market Analysis, training, curriculum or a Vote the Spectrum® collaboration. Every conversation, shared insight and act of collaboration is the seed for building home and community.
As featured speaker Fred G. Karnas, Ph.D., former senior advisor to the U.S. HUD Secretary and forever friend of our cause, reminded us, “We can almost be certain that what we create will fall short if we do not listen to those with lived experience and their families.”
Let’s keep listening, talking and learning how to turn pilot projects into living ecosystems where ideas take root in local soil and spread through the simple act of staying connected and growing together.
Watch for the 2026 webinar schedule and plan to join us next year in Phoenix, Arizona for the 15th First Place Global Symposium, Oct. 14–16.
First Place Global and Madison House Autism Foundation just released the much anticipated third edition of A Place in the World (APITW): Fueling Housing and Community Options for Adults with Autism and Other Neurodiversities. The updated 2020 report includes new research and maps a path forward for communities ready to shorten those interminable waitlists and close that persistent gap. By working together, we can reshape what home can mean for the special populations we serve.