Meet Lisa Drennan

A passionate advocate, supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With a background in leadership, she offers inclusive training, tools, coaching, and support for camps and programs.

Lisa has a longstanding career supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to be active and engaged within their community. 

Starting as a direct support professional and then recreation director at New England Village, a residential community for adults with developmental disabilities, she climbed the ranks and expanded her experience to be named the Director of the Sollar Wellness Center, a first-of-it-kind building offering aquatics, fitness, music, art and education specifically designed for persons with disabilities. 

In 2014, she joined the South Shore YMCA as the first-ever Association Director of Inclusion. Through innovative program development, and creation and execution of comprehensive staff training, she was recognized as a leader in the field of social and recreational inclusion for persons with diverse abilities. Lisa was appointed as the National Co-Chairperson of the Y-USA’s Diverse Abilities Working Group providing a platform of learning and sharing of best practices for YMCA’s across the country. In 2018 she started MERGE where she provides comprehensive consultation, staff training and systems implementation to community entities committed to camp, and recreation program inclusion.

Lisa is a graduate of Saint Michael's College in Vermont with a Psychology degree. She lives with her family in Pembroke, Massachusetts and is an avid fitness enthusiast who enjoys outdoor adventure activities.

Services that Lisa offers

  • Customized in-person or online trainings on inclusion strategies for all levels of your organization (from leadership staff, to "boots on the ground" camp counselors, aquatic staff, volunteers and CIT's)

  • Creation of implementation resources/tools: inclusion binder, sensory kits, visual tools

  • Developing a Leadership Road Map toward inclusion

  • Coaching for new or existing Inclusion Staff

  • Evaluation of your intake process

  • Mid-season training to enhance the learning and solidify the implementation of inclusion strategies

  • Camp season crisis support 

  • Creation of a staff training video recording that you will own, customized for your YMCA staff present and future.

How to reach Lisa