Who We Are: More Than Three Decades of Building Inclusive Communities.

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A candid photo of Networks co-founders Mike and Rosa McAllister seated side by side at an event, both smiling warmly as they look toward something off to the left. Mike has gray hair, a salt-and-pepper beard, and glasses, and wears a white button-up shirt. Rosa has long, curly brown hair and glasses, and wears a black-and-white checked shirt with a pendant necklace. Both wear name tags. Behind them, colorful balloons float near the ceiling of a warmly lit room. The photo has a soft, slightly faded look that suggests it was taken in the early years of Networks.

Hello again (it’s been a minute)

It’s been a while since we posted here, and honestly? We’ve been busy. Busy running trainings, strategic planning, helping brand-new nonprofits get themselves up and running, and cheering on artists near and far!

So we figured it was time for a proper reintroduction. Maybe you’ve known us for decades. Maybe you landed here while searching for nonprofit consulting in Pennsylvania. (Hi! Welcome!) Either way, here’s who Networks for Training and Development is, where we came from, and where we’re headed.

Where it all started: a road trip to Harrisburg

Networks officially began on November 12, 1992, when co-founders, Michael “Mike” McAllister and Rosa McAllister drove to Harrisburg to file their incorporation papers. Two days later, they got married. Their motto back then was “all balls in the air,” and it pretty much stuck.

The idea behind Networks was simple, and at the time, a little radical: people with disabilities belong in the community. Not next to it. Not on the edges of it. In it, living, working, loving, creating, and dreaming like everyone else.

For almost two years, Networks grew under the wing of Horizon House before going fully independent on July 1, 1994. From there, the work took off. We built a reputation for disability training and consultation in inclusive employment, person-centered planning, and assistive technology, all focused on helping people build lives on their own terms.

Our story includes real loss, too. Mike passed away in 2009, and the team came together to carry his vision forward, with Shauna Roman stepping up as Executive Director. Rosa is still part of the Networks family as our Organizational Advisor. If you want the whole story in her words, it’s well worth a read.

What hasn’t changed (and never will)

Some things about Networks are exactly the same as they were in 1992, and we’d like to keep it that way.

  • We believe everyone deserves equity, dignity, and a real shot at success. That’s the heart of everything we do.
  • We don’t pretend to have all the answers. We partner with people who know things we don’t, and we learn from the communities we serve.
  • We stay small, close-knit, and a little rebellious. If something isn’t working and nobody else wants to try fixing it, that’s usually when we raise our hand.

Our mission is still about promoting inclusive communities through quality training, consultation, and practice. What’s grown is our definition of who gets included.

How we’ve grown: more people, more barriers, more ways to help

Over the years, we noticed something. The same barriers that keep people with disabilities on the sidelines show up everywhere. A first-time founder with a big idea and no roadmap. A local artist with incredible work and no audience. A team that’s lost its sense of direction. So we started showing up for them, too.

Here’s what that looks like today:

Strategic planning. Retreat facilitation, PATH planning, succession planning, and the big-picture thinking that helps organizations figure out where they’re going and how to actually get there. Learn more about nonprofit strategic planning.

Nonprofit startup support. Starting a nonprofit is exciting and, let’s be honest, a little overwhelming. We’ve been there ourselves (remember that drive to Harrisburg?), and we help new organizations build a foundation that lasts. See how we support startups.

Marketing and communications support. Great work deserves to be seen. We help organizations tell their story clearly, reach the right people, and make sure their content is accessible to everyone who encounters it.

Support for artists. Through Artists for Artists Global and partnerships like the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours, we help amplify creative voices and connect artists with their communities.

Organizational development and coaching. Leadership coaching, team building, The CoLab Project, and assessments like CliftonStrengths and Maxwell DISC. Explore organizational development.

And yes, we still do the work we were founded on: ACRE-approved employment training, person-centered planning, wellness strategies, and assistive technology. That’s not a chapter we closed. It’s the foundation everything else is built on.

Let’s build something together

Networks has been around for more than three decades, but in a lot of ways, we’re still that same group of dreamers who drove to Harrisburg with a big idea and a little nerve.

If you’re a nonprofit, a business, an artist, or someone who’s just tired of running into walls, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to our team, browse our On-Demand Learning, or sign up for our emails to see what we’re up to next.

And this time, we promise not to be such strangers on the blog.