Marissa Roche Theisen, 66, passed away last Saturday. She attended the University of New Hampshire for her Bachelor's degree and a Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard. After graduate school, her passion for environmental issues carried her to Washington D.C., where she worked for The Conservation Foundation. Her job there focused on connecting and empowering citizens through dialogue and education and working to improve issues like water quality, sewage treatment, and national forest conservation. In D.C. she met Chuck Theisen whom she followed to Phoenix where they were married. Although the marriage only lasted four years, it brought her two beautiful children. Marissa's professional experiences in Phoenix were vast and varied, but followed a common theme: service. After attaining an MBA from ASU, she and Rich Fisher started Win Win Creations, a management consulting firm specializing in conflict disappearance. Together they facilitated partnering workshops for a range of clients, including the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Navy, the Marines, and the Arizona Department of Transportation. This work also led her and Rich to write a book in 1997 called George and the Jeannie: An Adventure in Conflict Disappearance. Afterwards, she briefly stepped in as Executive Director of the YWCA of Maricopa County and then became the President and CEO of the Arizona Grantmakers forum in 1999, leading that organization for 18 years. Within this role, she helped spearhead the creation of Arizona Gives Day. Marissa also was a Faculty Associate at ASU's Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation. And she volunteered on numerous boards and committees, including the YWCA, the Junior League of Phoenix, Child Crisis Arizona, Social Venture Partners, and the Self-Employment Loan Fund. Marissa was preceded in death by a brother. She is survived by a son, a daughter, two granddaughters and four sisters. Her family will be hosting a Celebration of Life Ceremony for her on October 8th. Please email rememberingmarissa@gmail.com for details if you would like to attend. In lieu of flowers, contributions are requested to the Marissa Theisen Family Fund at the Arizona Community Foundation   (Source: Arizona Republic)