About Us
OUR FOUNDER
Wade Blank helped ignite Denver’s disability rights movement, organizing alongside people with disabilities to demand dignity, independence and the right to live in community.
Mission & Vision
Why We Exist
The disability rights movement won the right to live in community, but living in a place and helping shape it are different things. Too many people with disabilities are still housed at the edges of community life. We exist to close that gap.
How We Work
We develop with the disability community, not just for it. People with disabilities shape our designs, our properties, and our priorities, and we pair accessible, affordable homes with the supports residents choose.
What We Do
Atlantis Community Housing develops accessible, affordable, and integrated housing where people with disabilities can thrive.
We believe everyone deserves a safe, dignified place to live. Since 1998, Atlantis Community Housing has purchased and developed multifamily residential properties across the Denver metro area that people with and without disabilities can call home. We also create housing opportunities for those who need them most by administering state-funded voucher programs.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
James Roy II
Executive DirectorJames Roy II (he/him) serves as the executive director of Atlantis Community Housing, leading its mission to develop and advocate for safe, accessible, and affordable housing for people with disabilities. He is a dedicated social entrepreneur and urban planner with over a decade of expertise in equitable urban development. Previously, he was the executive director of Denver Metro Community Impact (DMCI) and program manager of Master Site Development for the Urban Land Conservancy. He also founded Urbanity Advisors to further his community-focused mission. James holds a BA in urban studies/geography and a Master of Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Colorado Denver.
Terrell Curtis (she/her) oversees the internal systems and residential programs at Atlantis Community Housing. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and fiscal oversight, she is a seasoned problem-solver who views housing as a fundamental component of healthcare. Previously, as executive director of The Delores Project, she led the development of the nationally recognized Arroyo Village. Most recently, she served as executive director of the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative. A Denver native and University of Colorado Boulder alumna, Terrell is deeply embedded in the local social impact ecosystem and is a dedicated advocate for equitable housing systems.
Operations Director Terrell Curtis
Our Board
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Lloyd Lewis, Chair
President/CEO, Arc Thrift Stores
Lloyd Lewis is a dedicated public servant and the CEO of Arc Thrift Stores, one of Colorado’s largest nonprofits. Inspired by his son Kennedy, born with Down Syndrome, Lloyd became a prominent advocate for disability research and rights. Under his leadership, Arc Thrift has become a major funder of advocacy and one of the largest employers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state. Lloyd chairs several key disability-focused boards, including the Atlantis Community Foundation, the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, Adams Camp, and Best Buddies Colorado. He also serves as treasurer for the Arc of the US Foundation and Inclusion International. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of Oklahoma.
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Don Carver, Vice Chair
Owner/Principal, Carver & Associates
Don W. Carver is a veteran insurance professional with nearly five decades of experience in property and casualty insurance. After 39 years as the owner and principal of Carver and Associates, he now serves as an insurance advisor with CCIG. Don brings extensive nonprofit leadership to the board, having previously served as president of Colorado Confidential Intermediary Services. He is currently the president of Personal Affordable Living, a nonprofit providing housing for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and serves as vice chair of the Atlantis Community Foundation. Don attended Baylor University.
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Robin Glasener, Treasurer
Realtor, RE/MAX
Robin Glasener is an experienced Colorado REALTOR® with a career spanning over two decades. A passionate advocate for accessibility, Robin, who uses a wheelchair, is dedicated to helping all individuals achieve their homeownership goals. She believes homeownership is fundamental to building stability, wealth, and community. Robin is committed to upholding the highest service standards and ensuring that homeownership is available to everyone, particularly those in the community who may have diverse buying and selling needs. She is also fluent in Spanish.
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Tim McEntee
Founder/Managing Principal, Hibernia Housing
Tim McEntee is the managing principal of Hibernia Housing, a developer specializing in mixed-income, neurodiverse-supportive housing in the Denver Metro area. With a 30-year career at firms like Wood Partners, JPI, and Trammell Crow Residential, Tim has developed over 14,000 multifamily units. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as an officer in the Infantry and Special Forces. Tim’s commitment to the disability community is also demonstrated through his role as cofounder of the Firefly Center for Autism, which has been thriving for over 22 years. He holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and a BA from the University of Utah.
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Kevin Mann
CFO, Arc Thrift Stores
Kevin Mann serves as the chief financial officer for Arc Thrift Stores, one of Colorado’s largest social enterprises supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has over 30 years of experience as a CFO for significant Colorado nonprofits, including the Denver Rescue Mission and the American Water Works Association. Kevin brings further financial expertise from his experience with investments and pension plan administration. He is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified in Strategy & Competitive Analysis (CSCA), and a Leadership Denver graduate. Kevin was also named a CFO of the Year by the Denver Business Journal.
History
Advocacy & Accessibility
in the Foundation
Atlantis Community Housing (ACH) emerged from the groundbreaking disability rights movement in 1975 when Wade Blank, a visionary activist who led a changemaking campaign for disability adaptations on public transportation, founded the independent living center Atlantis Community, Inc. (ACI). Blank’s work helped liberate people with severe disabilities from institutionalization, championing their right to live with autonomy and dignity.
In 1998, Atlantis Community Housing (ACH) was established as a sister organization to ACI. Atlantis Community Housing addresses the critical need for accessible, affordable, and integrated housing for people with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
In the last 28 years, ACH has brought over 200 units to market, creating permanent supportive housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Our mission is to develop and design community-driven properties where individuals with disabilities live dignified lives with access to every needed support and resource.
Atlantis Community Housing is a registered trade name of Atlantis Community Foundation (ACF).
The Roots of Atlantis
Community Housing
The roots of Atlantis Community Housing reach back to Denver’s pivotal role in the disability rights movement. In 1978, Wade Blank and a group of activists known as the “Gang of 19” surrounded inaccessible RTD buses at Colfax and Broadway, demanding equal access to public transportation. Their rallying cry—“We will ride!”—helped compel RTD to make its buses accessible and demonstrated the power of direct action led by people with disabilities.
That campaign helped give rise to ADAPT, a national grassroots movement that fought for accessible transportation, independent living and the right of people with disabilities to receive support in their own communities rather than institutions. The movement’s work contributed to a nationwide transformation in accessibility and helped build momentum for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
ACH carries that legacy forward through housing. By creating affordable, accessible and integrated communities, we continue the movement’s foundational belief: people with disabilities deserve the freedom, resources and opportunity to determine where and how they live.
