In 2017, I co-founded this consulting business 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, and I am very proud of the work that I do to serve the American people in local municipalities throughout the Midwest. As you can probably tell, my mother’s influence upon me to be passionate about my work, wherever I am, is paramount to who I am.

I have always been in positions that have afforded me the opportunity to serve and engage the public because I enjoy working with people and using my talents in collaboration with others for a common or shared purpose. As a consultant, I lead seminars, workshops, presentations, and public speaking events. If you are looking for a facilitator, 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 indicate that I specialize in urban planning and community development events and projects. One of my recent accomplishments is designing and teaching online urban planning courses on behalf of Planetizen, Inc. My Planetizen courses explore the significance of culture and placemaking in the U.S, which are important subjects of my teaching at the post-secondary level.

Writing 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 my talents on a local radio show by announcing 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, and 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, it caused me to recognize that my writing skills and abilities have been central to every job that I have ever had.

I am also a former United Methodist clergywoman. My journey as a local church minister or small organizational administrator officially started in 1996, when I became a candidate for ordained ministry in Illinois. As a local church pastor, I learned how to write and preach narratives 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 as 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 expressions are central 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. I walked away from local church ministry – as a vocation – when I let go of my belief in “original sin” – which I learned in childhood. Thus, in theological terms, I rejected the need for “personal salvation” by way of the Christian theory of atonement (e.g., concerning the work of the person that is called Jesus the Christ).

Being an atheist simply means that I do not maintain or promote a belief that any gods or alleged supernatural others exist. I do believe that perhaps we can be inspired or empowered by the memory of those who have gone before us or who have died, but I do not believe that any alleged “supernatural” beings or entities are alive and working on our behalf, nor do I believe that such “persons” are coming to save us in the future no more than we see anyone coming to save us or our loved ones on a day to day basis. The primary philosophy that I hold on to about the role that we have as a society to the Earth and to each other is humanism, not theism, and humanists believe that we have the power and the responsibility to save ourselves and our planetary existence in our galaxy, to an extent. It is our turn to live and act in the world in which we live and we must embrace this responsibility courageously and for ourselves.

That said, I am also certified as a Senior Humanist Celebrant, which means that I am legally authorized by the American Humanist Society to co-create and officiate ceremonies that celebrate and commemorate life. For a little over a decade, I have recycled the skills that I gained as a pastor to serve in an official capacity to assist and celebrate the lives of those who are often disparaged or misrepresented in life and in death due to the fact that they are atheists, agnostics, or nonbelievers. In general, the only world that I am concerned about is the only known one that we are all living in. I use my talents and my intellect to make this world better in the here and now. 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.

I have been inspired by many people. Most of them have been women, womanists, authors, feminists, artists, and writers such as bell hooks and Dianne Reeves. Reeves is an extraordinary jazz vocalist who I tried to emulate (vocally) in my early twenties. It was such a pleasure to meet her in person in Kansas City at the American Jazz Museum in 2017, where I used to work. The amazing writings of bell hooks, Alice Walker, and Octavia Butler have been key 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 when available and when needed. As a lecturer, I also I teach college courses 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 Parkland Community College in the Department of Humanities. I began 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: black atheists, such as Lorraine Hansberry and Dr. Robin d.g. Kelley, as well as many black humanists, such as Alice Walker, have given this world so many good things. 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. I also write out of my own lived experience and in relationship to my education and expertise in urban and regional planning.

Finally, I write because it is my way of learning and expressing myself, and I believe that learning and thus evolving (e.g., adapting and growing) are fundamental to human growth and development. Therefore, I always try to maintain a willingness to learn, and I expect adult others to do the same. I understand that it is scary to adapt and grow because sometimes it means we have to leave the old way of doing things or thinking behind us. I know, first-hand, that letting go of ideological and ontological frameworks is hard. I would go so far to say that letting go of anything or anyone that gives us a sense of identity, security, or safety is very difficult, but when the time comes to let go we have to find the courage to change (no pun intended) and hence, to grow. Becoming the person I desire to be is a significant aspect my life’s journey, and evolution is central to the human experience. Any person, society, or institution, that refuses to evolve, change, or grow will suffer and cause suffering and perhaps destruction to our world.

In closing, I sincerely 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, please contact me in the comments section of this site and I will receive it via my notifications.

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. At this time, Dr. Fonza has created only one WordPress or dot com account: this one. If discovered, the unauthorized use or copying (e.g. re-posting and screenshotting) of the content from this website without permission from the author will be addressed appropriately and possibly with the assistance of legal counsel.

Updated 01/16/2024