About Our Staff

Katie Hurstwicker founded Arizona Lionhearts with a deeply personal understanding of the challenges families face when navigating services for individuals with developmental disabilities. As a parent of two children living with developmental disabilities, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her leadership role.

With a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City, Katie is a 25-year veteran social worker with extensive experience across multiple sectors including home health, advocacy, mental health, cancer wellness, and administration. Her diverse background has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the complex systems families must navigate to access vital services.

Prior to founding Arizona Lionhearts, Katie served as Executive Director of the Cancer Wellness House of Salt Lake City, where she led critical wellness initiatives for cancer patients and their families. Since relocating to Arizona, she has held key leadership positions including Programs Director, where she successfully managed 200 staff members providing home and community-based services to vulnerable populations.

Katie's expertise extends to program development and implementation, having worked as a consultant to develop and implement Home and Community-Based Services programs. Her unique combination of clinical knowledge, administrative leadership, and personal advocacy experience positions her to understand the full spectrum of challenges and opportunities within the disability services field.

As CEO of Arizona Lionhearts, Katie is committed to creating innovative, compassionate solutions that empower individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to thrive in their communities.

Taylor Tacchia brings a wealth of experience and deep compassion to her role as Director of Education at Arizona Lionhearts. With a Bachelor's degree from Capella University, she has dedicated her career to supporting individuals with special needs and vulnerable families throughout Arizona.

Taylor has extensive experience working with individuals with Autism, having served as a Behavior Technician for several years providing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy. Her hands-on experience in behavioral intervention has given her invaluable insights into effective therapeutic approaches and individualized care strategies.

As a Family Case Manager, Taylor has worked tirelessly with vulnerable families across Arizona, connecting them with vital services and resources. Her extensive experience within the DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) and ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System) communities has made her a trusted advocate and resource for families navigating complex systems.

Known for her compassionate approach and resourceful problem-solving abilities, Taylor excels at finding creative solutions to meet diverse needs. Her combination of academic foundation, practical experience, and genuine care for others makes her uniquely qualified to lead our training initiatives.

At Arizona Lionhearts, Taylor applies her expertise to develop comprehensive training programs for CPR and First Aid, Article 9, Direct Care Worker and Habilitation trainings that empower our team to provide exceptional support and services to individuals and families in our community.

Jorge Henriquez, our Director of Operations, brings extensive leadership experience from his background as a Regional Manager leading international customer care teams. With an MBA and Bachelor's in Marketing, he holds certifications in Ontological Coaching, Experiential Facilitation, Team Management, and Leadership Development.

As founder of PlayWay Learning, he has helped over 100 leaders strengthen their soft skills and build resilient teams through innovative experiential education programs. His passion lies in helping people discover and develop their leadership potential, believing that "leadership is not a title, but a skill we all possess."

Jorge is known for his compassionate approach, exceptional attention to detail, and strong problem-solving abilities when addressing issues the needs of our employees and members.  His detail-oriented management style and proactive approach to operational challenges make him invaluable in maintaining organizational excellence.

At Arizona Lionhearts, Jorge applies his expertise in team building, organizational culture development, and people transformation to support our mission of empowering individuals to overcome limitations and achieve their true potential.

 His unique combination of operational oversight and compassionate leadership ensures that both our team and the individuals we serve receive the highest level of support and care.