About Us

Facilitation and Coaching Areas:  

• Trauma Sensitive Schools 
• Cultural Humility  
• Implicit Bias In Education 
• Crucial Conversations
• Leadership 

Kanisha Phelps is a seasoned People & Culture executive, leadership-development consultant, and former educator with over 20 years of experience strengthening organizations and developing leaders through people-centered strategy, culture building, and talent development.

Before entering executive HR leadership, Kanisha was a special education teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, where she worked with youth with significant behavioral needs. She became a fierce advocate for students often misunderstood or marginalized, championing dignity, respect, and accountability over punishment. In recognition of her impact, she was named 2015 Teacher of the Year.

Today, as the Founder & CEO of Kaykenal Inc., Kanisha partners with nonprofits, schools and mission-driven organizations to build confident leaders, strengthen HR infrastructure, and create workplace cultures rooted in dignity, clarity, and belonging. Her work bridges education, human resources, and leadership development—helping leaders lead with courage, compassion, and results.

Known for her candid yet caring approach, Kanisha is trusted for saying what needs to be said while creating spaces where people feel respected, challenged, and empowered to grow.

Kanisha has a master’s degree in Administrative & Instructional Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is certified in Human Resources Management and Instructional Design. 

Kanisha is the founder of Kaykenal, Inc.  

Facilitation and Coaching Areas:  

• Early Childhood Education
• Social Emotional Learning and Development
• Mental Health and Well-being 
• Spanish Language Curriculum

Yimma Davila Castro is the Early Childhood  Manager for Milwaukee Succeeds.  She has over ten years of direct experience in early childhood education as an owner and lead teacher of a family childcare center called Yimma's Bright Beginnings Daycare LLC.  Through her leadership and commitment to excellence, this organization earned a 5-star rating from Youngstar, in recognition of its effective and high-quality programming.  Yimma has extensive experience in early childhood education and is skilled in best practices, organizational management, staff development, training, and leadership.   

Yimma moved to Milwaukee, WI from  Tepechitlán, Zacatecas México  in 2000.  Her lived experience as an immigrant to the United States helps her to understand and empathize with the experiences of other Hispanic early childhood educators.  This allows her to effectively engage in providing support and advocacy on behalf of this population.  She is a trusted messenger who can connect and network with others easily to provide resources and support.

Yimma has provided many bilingual trainings to ECE Educators with Registry Trainer approved hours.  Topics include mental health and well-being,  professional development, organization tools, policies, and contracts.  She is the co-author of a curriculum called “Well-being for Early Childhood” which helps early childhood educators to understand stress and trauma in adults and children and provides strategies to respond effectively.  This curriculum is currently being used to certify other trainers in Wisconsin.  

Yimma graduated from MATC with an Early Childhood Education Associate Degree and is currently enrolled at UW-Whitewater pursuing an ECE Bachelor's Degree.

Facilitation and Coaching Areas:  

• Parenting (Infancy to Adolescence) 
• Social Emotional Learning and Development
• Mental Health and Well-being 
• Spanish Language Curriculum

Diana Billstrom is a bilingual (Spanish/English) nonprofit leader, who currently serves as Senior Director of Growth & Strategic Partnerships at the Wisconsin Latino Chamber of Commerce. With more than 10 years of cross-sector leadership, she advances equity in education, community health, family engagement, and economic mobility.

Diana is the former Executive Director of Bay View Community Center, where she led organizational growth serving over 13,000 residents annually, developed family-centered and health equity initiatives, secured significant philanthropic and public funding, and strengthened long-term sustainability through strategic partnerships.

For more than three years, Diana has worked extensively with early childhood education (ECE) professionals as a statewide trainer, advocate, and conference presenter. In addition to delivering professional development on trauma-informed care, the Pyramid Model, culturally responsive and bilingual practice, mental health and wellbeing, family engagement, and equity-centered systems change, she has supported ECE providers in accessing capital and financial resources, including grants and capacity-building funds.She is a 2025 Milwaukee County Health Equity Champion and one of Wisconsin’s 31 Most Influential Latino Leaders.

She has facilitated numerous workshops on positive and nurturing parenting, social emotional learning, healthy brain development, and coping with stress and emotions. She is certified in Nurturing Parenting, Be Strong Families Cafés, Mind in the Making and Wisconsin Breastfeeding Friendly Childcare Provider professional development programs.  She also works directly with adolescents providing support on building healthy relationships, setting boundaries and self-care. She is the co-author of a curriculum called “Well-being for Early Childhood” which helps early childhood educators to understand stress and trauma in adults and children and provides strategies to respond effectively.  This curriculum is currently being used to certify other trainers in Wisconsin.  

Diana has earned a Technical Degree in Commerce with a specialization in Business from the Universidad Tecnológica de Aguascalientes. 

Michael Joranger is a trainer and consultant who specializes in trauma-informed practices and resilience focused approaches in schools and human service settings. He partners with educators and professionals to better understand how stress and trauma impact behavior, learning, and relationships. Michael is known for making complex ideas practical and accessible, offering strategies that educators can immediately use to support students. His work emphasizes the importance of connection, regulation, and creating safe, supportive environments where all students can learn and grow. Through his engaging and relatable style, Michael helps school teams build the skills and confidence needed to respond to challenges with clarity, compassion, and consistency.

Tamara Johnson is the Executive Director and Principal of Malaika Early Learning Center, where she leads a high-quality program serving children from birth through elementary age. With over 25 years of experience in early childhood education, she is an experienced trainer and facilitator and a champion of trauma-informed practices and applying brain science to education. Tamara supports educators and leaders through professional development, coaching, and mentorship that emphasize regulation, relationships, and resilience. Her work is grounded in culturally responsive practice and strong family partnerships, with a deep commitment to expanding equitable early learning opportunities and strengthening communities.

 Karen Johnson is the Senior Director of Change in Mind at Social Current, where she leads efforts to integrate brain science, resilience, equity, and trauma-informed approaches into organizations serving children, families, communities, and staff. With nearly three decades of experience in child welfare, behavioral health, and community services, she partners with leaders and organizations to strengthen resilience, improve outcomes, and build healthier organizational cultures. Her work focuses on applying research on brain development, adversity, toxic stress, and relational health to complex systems and everyday practice. Before leading Change in Mind, Johnson spent over five years with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing providing trauma-informed training and consultation and worked for 19 years at Wellpoint Care Network developing foster care and community-based programs. A licensed clinical social worker, she is also certified in Dr. Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead and Daring Way programs and trained in Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, bringing a strengths based, hopeful approach to resilience and healing.