Our Team
Our exceptional Team can help you realize management and operations goals; execute a project to completion; conduct research and data analysis; and develop effective marketing; communication; fundraising; and development strategies. The A/R360 Team has worked in management; operations; diversity, equity, and inclusion; economic and community development; workforce; training; certification and accreditation; and numerous other areas across the country.
We are a national firm with offices located in Colorado, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Contact Us
We know that finding the right consultant or team of consultants is important for your organization, nonprofit, or government. That’s why we offer free consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your project and goals, and your budget. We want to make sure that our Team will fulfill the needs of your team, so the project is done right; on-time and within budget!
Contact us today to learn more. ▸
president and Co-founder
Fred Abousleman
Fred has led complex organizations, including, national trade associations, Economic Development Districts, Councils of Governments, Area Agencies on Aging, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Business Lending Offices. He has deep partnerships with corporations; nonprofit associations; organizations; universities; federal, state, and local governments; and foundations and helped build their customer and membership bases for his entire career.
His work has translated into a portfolio of millions of dollars of innovative projects, grants, contracts, and awards. Notable partnerships and projects include the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) for Northeast Ohio Agency Coordinating Agency, Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments, and the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments in Maine; the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot program (TCSP), which won a Hammer Award for Reinventing Government; the $7.9 million Pathways Out of Poverty Program; Managing U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Economic Development Administration, and County Revolving Loan portfolios; corporate partnerships including Marriott® International, Enterprise® Rent-a-Car, and Staples;® grants from the Energy Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Labor, Defense, and Agriculture; and research partnerships with American University, University of Colorado, University of Oregon, and Georgetown University.
His research portfolio includes work on regional aviation; transportation safety; emergency response planning; banking; wet lab and chemical manufacturing support; additive and distributed manufacturing; and working with the U.S. Department of Defense facilities. His legislative and advocacy portfolio includes a Public Safety Compensation bill; congestion relief legislation; reauthorization of Federal Transportation legislation; hazardous mitigation and pipeline safety congressional briefings; and sustainable communities legislation.
Fred believes in providing exceptional customer service and transparency on the obstacles, and opportunities facing communities, agencies, and businesses.
Specializations
Advocacy and Legislation
Communications and Marketing
Development and Sponsorship
Grant Research and Writing
Management and Organization
VICE PRESIDENT and co-founder
Lindsey Riley
Lindsey has managed the communication, marketing, and large projects for multiple complex organizations, including, a financial services organization, national trade associations, Economic Development Districts, Councils of Governments, Area Agencies on Aging, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and Business Lending Offices. She has deep partnerships with large and small corporations; nonprofit associations; universities; federal, state, regional, and local governments; and foundations. Throughout her career, Lindsey has focused on building business, membership, and customer success through innovative communication and marketing projects and programs unique to each organization.
Lindsey’s work includes a portfolio of projects, plans, and grants in the millions of dollars for organizations nationwide. Notable examples include the Digital Equity Plan for Forsyth County, North Carolina; the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) for the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (Auburn, Maine), for the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (Cleveland, Ohio), and the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments (Albany, Oregon); the $7.9 million Pathways Out of Poverty Program for the U.S. Department of Labor; corporate partnerships with Marriott® International, Enterprise® Rent-a-Car, and Staples®, among others; grants and contracts from the Energy Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Labor, Defense, and Agriculture, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, among other state, local, and foundation opportunities; and research partnerships with American University, University of Colorado, University of Oregon, and Georgetown University.
Her communications and marketing portfolio includes work in the financial services industry; with regional and local governments in economic and community development, transportation, aging, Veterans, emergency response, and environmental planning programs; with nonprofit organizations in additive and distributive manufacturing, food systems, and banking support; and working with numerous federal agencies to support their legislative and advocacy efforts, such as sustainable communities legislation, reauthorization of Federal transportation legislation, and others.
She serves as the Vice President and Co-Founder of A/R360. Her prior experience includes Communications Consultant for the Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments; Deputy Director for the National Association of Regional Councils; and the Senior Marketing Coordinator for Online Resources Corporation (an online banking services company acquired by ACI).
Lindsey believes in fanatical customer service and attention to detail. She is passionate that creating opportunities for clients, partners, and communities.
Specializations
Communications and Marketing
Community Outreach and Engagement
Events Management
Grant Research, Writing, and Management
Organization Operations
Program and Project Management
consultant
Sharon Betterton
Sharon is a graphic and web designer specialized in the demands of higher education, non-profit, startups, research groups, and local governments. Her design skills cover print, digital, and web.
Sharon’s publication experience ranges from eight-page inserts to 200-page annual reports, and runs the gamut of marketing collateral: postcards, trifolds, brochures, event pamphlets, giveaways, newsletters, and more. Her publication design recently won a regional gold award with CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education) for Oregon State University. She is an expert on maintaining brand alignment over multiple platforms and supporting strategic initiatives through design.
Sharon’s digital expertise with front-end design of websites covers many platforms, including html, Squarespace,® Wordpress,® and Drupal.®
Specializations
Graphic Design
Web Design
consultant
Jami Dennis, GISP
Jami specializes in geographic information science (GIS), applied data analytics, and data visualization. With over 25 years of experience she has worked with a variety of socio-economic and geospatial data. She has worked in the fields of transportation, state/local government, social services, survey/engineering, education, economics, and more. She is a GIS Professional (GISP) – awarded through the GIS Certification Institute, a member of URISA, co-founder of the Women In GIS – Arizona Chapter, co-chair of the Arizona Geographic Information Council’s conference committee, and co-owner of Geodetic Analysis, LLC.
Specializations
Data Development, Collection, and Analysis
Data Visualization
Geographic Information Science (GIS)
Graphic Design, Marketing, and Communication
Technical Report Writing
Web Development
consultant
Jim Hassinger, AICP
Jim is an experienced manager; economic and community development, and transportation planner; researcher; writer; and former Executive Director of economic development districts, local development districts, and metropolitan planning organizations. He led an U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Project Region in Pittsburgh, which won national recognition as best practice by the American Planning Association (APA) and was awarded an EDA Performance Award; administered land use surveys and environmental suitability analysis system in Hamilton County, TN; administered assistance to local government Comprehensive Plan and zoning updates in central North Carolina Counties in greater Charlotte-Mecklenburg; administered update of the Comprehensive Plan, zoning, and subdivision process for municipal government in Jackson, MS, which resulted in greater interagency coordination for decision-making; and led public-private strategic planning initiatives economic development, riverfront redevelopment, and neighborhood housing as Executive Director of Chattanooga Venture, among many other projects over his career.
Specializations
Economic and Community Development Planning
Management
Research
Transportation Planning
Writing
consultant
George Hornedo
George works at the intersection of law, policy, and government, with more than ten years of experience working in politics. As such, he supports corporate, municipal, and nonprofit clients with their policy, government affairs, communications, and business development needs before federal, state, and local governments. He has served as an attorney, consultant, and on several political campaigns. With strong political and advocacy relationships in Washington, DC, and across the country, George is a utility player who understands how government works and can support client needs across various issue areas.
Specializations
Appropriations
Federal, State, and Local Government Advocacy
Policy and Regulatory Analysis
Political Intelligence and Engagement
Political Giving and PAC Strategy
Stakeholder Engagement and Coalition Building
Strategic Partnerships
consultant
Heather Lustig-Curran
Heather is a writer, editor, researcher, and communications professional with more than 28 years of experience working with students and professionals of all ages and backgrounds. She is a content marketing writer, feature writer, long-form lesson content writer, editor, Advanced Placement English teacher, and adviser for an award-winner student newspaper. Heather conducts research for data-driven analysis of local and regional demographics, and educational needs for different populations.
Specializations
Communications
DEIAB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging)
Editing
Research
Writing
consultant
Howard Maier, FAICP
Howard is a metropolitan planning organization executive with more than 23 years in the industry. He led the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), a policy-based transportation and environmental planning organization, which received the 1999 Overall Achievement Award from the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the Major Metro Achievement Award from the National Association of Regional Councils in 2008.
During his tenure at NOACA, Howard received several professional awards, including the award for “Excellence in Planning Leadership” from the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association, among others. In recognition of his professional contributions, he was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Howard serves on the Board of the Senior Transportation Connection of Cuyahoga County and the Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District in Ohio. He is active in Cleveland Heights, where he serves on Cleveland’s Transportation Advisory Committee. Howard teaches a course entitled Transportation in American Life at Case Western Reserve University.
Specializations
Environmental Planning
Management
Transportation Planning
consultant
Chris Newman, P.E.
Chris is a leader in the development of transportation policy and the delivery of Federally-funded highway projects and programs. He spent a 34-year career with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and brings a wealth of expertise in the technical and administrative requirements in environment, asset management, pavements, contract administration, and workforce development. He retired from FHWA in 2023, with his most recent roles within the FHWA Office of Infrastructure, leading the Federal-aid Programs Team and a newly-created team for managing and overseeing the Emergency Relief Program. In that role, Chris provided expert guidance to FHWA Headquarters and field offices, along with State and local government partners, on National Highway Performance Program; Surface Transportation Block Grant Program; Territorial and Puerto Rico Highway Program; Ferryboat Program; and others. Responsible for the development, oversight, and communication of Federal policy to federal, state, and local transportation departments nationwide. In response to increasing challenges and oversight, he formed and led a new team to manage the FHWA Emergency Relief program.
Previously, he served FHWA by working an 18-month detail in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (Majority) in 2017-2018, where he applied his knowledge in Federal-aid funding regulations and programs to explore legislative approaches to increasing infrastructure funding. He also served in leadership positions in the FHWA New Jersey Division ($1 billion in Federal-aid highway funding annually) and FHWA California Division ($3.4 billion in Federal-aid highway funding annually), working with State and local government partners to program, construct, and preserve the transportation system in congested regions.
Over the course of his career, he has undertaken initiatives in a variety of disciplines and helped devise solutions to many complex challenges. Highlights include the development of legislative language for the proposed 2017 infrastructure package and FHWA reauthorization; delivery of an Action Plan for Emergency Relief Program improvements, arising from a program assessment under FHWA Enterprise Risk Management efforts; implementation of program improvements for efficiency and effectiveness related to GAO and OIG reviews; led a team of FHWA Area Engineers in the southern California office, with project delivery responsibility for over two dozen Major Projects, including I-5 North Coast Project in San Diego County, SR-91 Express Lanes, I-405 HOT lanes, I-5 widening in Los Angeles County, and Gerald Desmond Bridge; worked with AASHTO for the formation and leadership of the Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TCCC, 2001-2011). Through the TCCC, transportation agencies nationwide could consolidate workforce development efforts, improving training efforts for highway construction and maintenance inspectors and technicians.
Chris has served on research panels with the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, and on Committees within the Transportation Research Board, helping advance the state of the practice of pavement preservation.
Specializations
Federal-aid Highway Regulations and Funding Programs
Grant Research and Writing
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Transportation Research
Workforce Development
consultant
Lauren Weston
Lauren is a communications and administrative professional with more than 10 years of experience in small and mid-sized businesses; and in creating and implementing programs to help individuals of different abilities thrive. Lauren has overseen multiple large and small office environments, including communications with clients and members of the public; planning events of all sizes; and is able to turn projects around under tight deadlines.
Specializations
Communications
Events
Administration
Project Management
