In 2017, I co-founded this consulting firm with Dr. Marjorie A. Fonza-Thomason so that we could work intentionally on the projects and causes to which we are both committed. My mother, who is a retired nurse and naval captain, has now embraced her retirement permanently, but, as AM Consulting LLC, I continue to provide strategic and professional consulting services for educational institutions, community-based organizations, local planning commissions, developers, agencies, and professional boards.
I am also certified by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as a substitute teacher, and formerly as an adult education and literacy instructor. Currently, I am employed as a federal civilian employee.

I have always been in positions that have afforded me the opportunity to serve the public because I enjoy working with people and using my talents in collaboration with others for a common or shared purpose. If you are looking for a dynamic presenter, facilitator, moderator or instructor, I am available for seminars, workshops, presentations, and public speaking events. If you are looking for a writer or researcher, I would be happy to meet with you to learn about your projects and proposals. A quick review of the writings and presentations tab on this website will show you that I specialize in urban planning and community development events and projects.

Writing was and is germane to all that I do, and therefore, critical thinking is what I do to write and to write well for myself and for others. Needless to say, the work that I engaged in early in my professional career has a special place in my heart and it has informed my attention to detail and to the art of storytelling. On the other hand, I didn’t truly embrace the fact that I was much of a writer until 2003, when someone else recognized it and told the public, on a local radio show, that “Annalise is an excellent writer.” At the time, that someone was my boss and soon to be good friend, Benjamin Swan. Today, Ben Swan is a retired Massachusetts lawmaker. We are still good friends to this day. At the time that he made that statement about me, I was sitting in as the co-host of The Black Love Experience, which still airs to this day on WTCC-FM in Springfield, Massachusetts. It startled me to hear it, but, I finally realized that writing has been central to every job that I have ever had.

If you do not know this about me already, I am also a former United Methodist clergywoman. My journey as a local church minister/administrator officially started in 1996, when I became a candidate for ordained ministry in Illinois. As a pastor, I learned how to write and tell stories that were meaningful to the people who gathered every week at church for worship and for community-based activities and programs. In all, I served about six local congregations in the official role of a pastor for about seven years. I am very thankful for this part of my life: the memories of my experience and travels as a pastor are very special to me.

Today, working as AM Consulting LLC enables me to use my talents to write and to develop narratives with others. Once, I heard someone say, “If you can write, you can change your life,” and that has been very true for me. I am the author of many writings and publications, and I have provided a list of selected writings in the “Learn More” tab on this website.

Ideologically and philosophically, I am a womanist and I am an atheist. These two identities are germane to who I am today. As a womanist, I am naturally a truth-teller and an advocate for the sustainable development of black urban communities. And, I am more than able and willing to stand up in print and in person for the dignity and humanity of black women, men and children. Saying the word “atheist” may sound strange coming from an ex-clergywoman. In 2003, I voluntarily, officially (and procedurally) returned my ordination papers to my annual conference in the United Methodist Church.

Being an atheist simply means that I do not maintain or promote a belief in any gods or alleged supernatural others. And, in general, the only world that I am concerned about is the only known one that I am living in, which is the same one that we are all living in. I use my talents and my mind to make this world better in the here and now, and, hopefully, my efforts, along with the efforts of other like-minded people, will serve as a means for future generations to be self-sustaining and self-determining as well. The primary philosophy that I hold on to about the role that we have as a society to the Earth and to others is humanism, not theism. That said, I am also a Humanist Celebrant certified and authorized by the American Humanist Society to perform ceremonies that celebrate and commemorate life.

I have been inspired by many people in life. Most of them have been women, authors, feminists, and artists, such as bell hooks and Dianne Reeves. Dianne Reeves is an extraordinary jazz vocalist who I tried to emulate in my early twenties. It was such a pleasure to meet her in person in Kansas City at the American Jazz Museum in 2017. The amazing writings of bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Octavia Butler have been central to the development of what I call a womanist-feminist consciousness. If you are not aware of what either of those terms mean, then I urge you to read more from these authors. And, of course, many of my own publications explore these terms and their origins.

My primary way of serving others is through teaching and writing. I teach in the local Kansas City metropolitan area in public schools and, when available and when needed. I also I teach at the post-secondary level at Cal Poly Pomona in the Department of Urban & Regional Planning and the Department if Ethnic & Women’s Studies. My teaching career officially started in 2001 in Illinois, at a community college. I started teaching developmental writing and religion courses, e.g., Old Testament and introductory courses on Eastern spiritual traditions or frameworks. At the time, I was still a practicing Christian and a believer in gods. I am still very interested in teaching courses that explore religious or secular frameworks, but as an atheist. In practice, however, many traditional religious institutions or seminaries, for example, have no interest in offering courses on atheism or secularism, which I think is quite unfortunate. I also maintain a personal blog at https://www.annalisefonza.com. The writing that I post there is often about matters of race/racism, gender/sexism, and, I write about those matters as they relate to the day-to-day experiences, events, and public discourses that affect black women and black communities, in particular.

In addition, it has frequently been my critics and even haters that have kept me compelled about writing and teaching. This criticism and hate that I receive often comes in response to womanism and atheism, and from women and men alike. This criticism and hatefulness also comes most audibly from Christians who claim to believe in a loving, forgiving god. Nevertheless, I write out of my own lived experience as a black woman and my expertise in urban and regional planning. As many have written, the words and works of black women writers and educators are often overlooked. In some cases, they are overtly dismissed by those who endeavor to negate their discourses as valid and valuable; and this dismissal/rejection is expressed by men and women. These folks have kept me going. Because, at the end of each day, I am accountable first to myself, and then to the communities that I serve. I continue to write and I teach, first, because I am literally compelled to do it, and for the purpose of encouraging students and others to persevere in the face of rejection and perhaps hate. I also write because it is my way of learning and expressing myself, and I believe that learning and thus evolving (e.g., changes) are fundamental to human growth and development. Therefore, I always try to maintain a willingnessto learn, and I expect others to do the same.

In summary, I thank you for taking the time to visit this site. I am very excited about my current endeavors and for the collaborations and invitations that are to come. If you are interested in inviting me to your school or your organization, then please contact me at 816-237-8793.

Best regards,

annalise fonza, Ph.D., MURP, M.Div., MPA, BA

[N/B: Except where noted otherwise, all the ideas, research and opinions on this blogsite are the exclusive intellectual property of Dr. Annalise Fonza and they are not to be attributed to any organization or person to which she is associated or affiliated with for any purpose. And, at this time she has created only one WordPress or dot com account: this one. The unauthorized use or copying (e.g. re-posting) of the content from this website without permission will not be tolerated.]