Meet The Team
Collaborative Success, Inc. is comprised of highly experienced individuals who hold a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for helping you achieve the desired outcomes
Melissa Meyer
President & CEO
Melissa believes in the transformative power of life and its challenges. She has experienced first-hand how the circumstances you’d never have chosen can form your life into a joyful, boundless journey you’d never have imagined.
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As a Special Education teacher Melissa walked alongside families as they dealt with challenging children. As a health-care administrator she led organizations through transformational change. As a union mediator she has helped teams discern priorities while finding compromises and as a parenting coach, mediator and parent coordinator, she helps parents discern their personal family priorities while keeping their children wholly in relationship with both parents. And lastly, as a happily married parent of two strong-willed children Melissa has learned that techniques are gold, but forgiveness is priceless.
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For 25 years, Melissa has excelled in training people of all walks of life to use simple, straightforward strategies to build quality relationships, maintain healthy boundaries, effectively handle conflicts, avoid power struggles and equip children of all ages to develop into responsible, resilient adults, prepared to live in the real world with its many choices and consequences.
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Melissa holds a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, Religion & English from Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri and a Masters of Arts in Human Resources & Industrial Relations from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Melissa is a certified Love & Logic Facilitator and Coach and is approved by the Kansas Supreme Court for Mediation, Domestic Mediation, Domestic Conciliation and Parent Coordination.
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Markus Meyer
Chief Operating Officer
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In his thirty-five plus years working internationally with individuals of all walks of life and organizations of all sizes, Markus embraces a philosophy that guides his life, leadership, and relationships. He believes that our thinking, decision-making and actions determine our life experiences. Guided by a clear, inspiring vision, realistic goals and sound strategies, family, business and community endeavors create sustainable worthwhile results. Integrity, honesty and a genuine interest in the success of the people and entities surrounding us will lead to healthy, mutually beneficial relationships and shared trust. Appreciation and mutual respect are the foundation for successful partnerships and teamwork. Knowledge is important, yet it comes second to the above qualities. ​
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​As part of his work with organizations, Markus guided hi-tech CEOs in the Denver, Colorado Front Range area through a three-way corporate merger, helped engineers and senior level management find common language and jointly develop strategies to rebuild a severely damaged Shell oil refinery in Baytown, Texas in record time. He worked with dozens of Exxon leaders and team members to increase team productivity and engaged with a Wichita-based medical clinic by supporting the lead physician in taking his clinic team to the next level of performance. Each opportunity has proven that trust built on healthy relationships led to outstanding results.
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Working as a senior leader in healthcare for 20 years, Markus facilitated the transformation of several long-term care and rehabilitation campuses into thriving communities that allowed residents to have a significant voice in their daily lives while receiving excellent care. When leading a brand-new state-of-the art continuing care retirement community, or developing the plans and creation of a very successful home care agency and the planning and execution of several multimillion-dollar expansion projects in the Midwest that led to beautiful and prosperous communities, the early inclusion of stakeholders in each strategy led to sustainable outcomes and award-winning customer satisfaction and deficiency free health department surveys. Working with countless domestic, inter and intra organizational challenges, Markus has helped to build healthy, productive relationships through mediation, coaching and leadership development. ​
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Markus was raised in Switzerland and worked and travelled internationally. He holds a BBA in business administration, finance and international relations and a MS in marketing management from the Kaufmaenische Handelsschule in Basel, Switzerland. He also holds an MBA in international business management, organizational development & training from the Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas. Markus completed a year of clinical pastoral education (CPE) with Rocky Mountain Pastoral Care and Training Associates while working as chaplain at the Banner Medical Center in Greeley, Colorado and has undergone extensive training for The Way of Council at the Ojai Foundation in Ojai, California and Open Space Technology with its founder Harrison Owen. Markus is a Kansas Supreme Court approved general mediator, domestic mediator, domestic conciliator and parent coordinator. Markus is passionate about helping individuals, couples, co-parents and businesses form and develop relationships capable of achieving extraordinary results.
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Marya McCrae
Parent Coordinator, Domestic Mediator, Domestic Conciliator
Marya has a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University, Nebraska where she majored in education, music, and speech/drama. She taught for several years, then stayed home to raise her three children. Following her divorce when her children were 3, 6 and 10, she re-entered the work force. Those early years were especially difficult, balancing time with her children and trying to keep her financial head above water. Marya would have never anticipated that her co-parent partner would leave the country making their children her complete responsibility.
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Marya became a Love and Logic trainer and has taught others these skills and techniques for forty years. The past 25 years, she has also been a very successful development executive, raising money for the Lutheran church, to build a stand-alone children’s hospital for Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, SD, and in support of the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University.
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Because of her own experience with divorce and child-raising as a single mother, Marya has followed her desire to help others in challenging circumstances. Although her children all became healthy, successful individuals, her belief that fathers and mothers are equally important in the lives of their children has only gained significance over the years.
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Marya excels in working with in-tact families with parenting struggles, divorced or divorcing parents, guiding them towards successful parenting and endeavoring to live their best possible life and raising whole children.
Bridget Schneider
Parent Coordinator, Domestic Mediator, Domestic Conciliator
While holding a successful professional career of over 25 years, Bridget believes that it is the 26-year relationship with her husband and the almost 19 years of parenting, that have been the most valuable in advancing her own learning and in training others in the virtues of temperance and justice. Bridget feels that the precious relationships within our families are fragile and need to be continually watered and maintained. Hands-on experience of establishing boundaries, promoting positive outcomes and solving real world problems have equipped Bridget with skills that are extremely valuable for general and domestic mediation and other related services.
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Earlier in her career as a teacher, Bridget taught 7th and 8th grade Language Arts in underprivileged rural schools and then moved into the insurance industry where she was tasked with repairing her damaged company’s reputation by creating positive relationships with network doctors and hospital administration.
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While working as a teacher, Bridget enjoyed helping students that had fallen significantly behind in their grade levels and enjoyed mentoring students in after school programs as well as coaching volleyball, basketball and track. When working in the insurance industry, Bridget was highly successful in small group mediation and negotiation between brokers, insureds and company representatives. Later, when representing her company in the medical insurance field, Bridget addressed large benefits meetings and business conferences and in her spare time served on boards such as Junior League of Wichita and Dress for Success.
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Bridget earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Friends University in Wichita, was trained by the Omaha School for Boys to use their FAME program. Bridget is a Kansas Supreme Court Certified General Mediator and Domestic Mediator and works with businesses and families on finding solutions that are equitable, livable and have the buy-in of those affected. Bridget enjoys helping families navigate the adventures of family and extended family life with a positive spirit of gratitude, learning from their past, yet focusing their energy on building a better future. In addition to her other credentials, Bridget holds a State of Kansas commercial insurance license with lines of authority in property, casualty, personal and crop insurance.
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For over 25 years Bridget has honed and implemented skills of conflict resolution, reframing, active listening and discernment to help clients successfully navigate the world in which there are ever-changing, dynamic challenges and successfully launch into the next phase of growth.
Rod Lenz
Parent Coordinator, Domestic Mediator, Domestic Conciliator
As a former K-12 educator, principal and superintendent in Sioux Falls, SD, Rod has BA in Elementary Education, Masters of Education in K-12 Leadership, Masters of Arts in K-12 Special Education, Rod brings a variety of educational experiences and facilitation skills to mediation. Rod graduated from Concordia University, in St. Paul, MN in 1979 with a BA in elementary education. He completed classes in January of his senior year and immediately accepted a teaching position teaching 3rd and 4th grade at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Downey, CA. With this experience Rod quickly learned how to teach two classes at once (34 students)while being exposed to children and families from a variety of different cultures. After two and a half years Rod moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he taught 3rd and 4th grades and was Assistant Principal at Sioux Falls Lutheran School. During his tenure there he received a Masters of Arts in K-12 Special Education. In 1991 Rod accepted a position with Grant Wood Area Education in Cedar Rapids, IA. He taught students ages 4-14 in a one room classroom in the Children’s Psychiatric Unit at St. Luke’s Hospital’s in Cedar Rapids, IA. This was an intensive care setting for children who were hospitalized due to social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. During Rod’s six years there he worked closely with psychiatrists, social workers, nursing staff, school staff, parents and children. Rod navigated communication, educational plans, and recommendations with the children’s educational team. Discharge plans included a detailed plan on the return of a child to his home school or to a new school. In 1997 Rod transitioned to the role of an Educational Consultant. During this six year educational period Rod served children ages 4-21 and families in 3 school districts including 15 schools, also students in a prison and a juvenile detention center. Responsibilities included promoting educational needs for students and coordinating special education services for students ages 3-21. Rod assisted students in general and special education. Student learning was Rod’s primary goal as he worked with multiple educational teams, parents, and service agencies to acquire education services for students. Rod was an active member of the child study teams and collaborated with the educational team and administration to provide support to the students and staff of the schools. Throughout the 12 years in eastern Iowa Rod continued to earn a variety of education and special education endorsements. He attended the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa University, and Drake University. In 2003 Rod returned to Lutheran education by accepting the position of principal at Sioux Falls Lutheran School. Sioux Falls Lutheran School serves students in three-year-old preschool through 8th grade with over 350 students. During this educational period Rod facilitated school licensures through public and private certification programs. Rod also began the process to add high school to Sioux Falls Lutheran School. The high school opened in 2010 and continues to thrive today. Rod served as principal at Sioux Falls Lutheran School from 2003-2010. During this time, he earned a Master of Leadership in elementary and high school from the University of Sioux Falls. In 2010 Rod transitioned to Education Director at Children’s Home Society (CHS) in Sioux Falls. Children’s Home Society is a residential treatment facility serving children ages 4-14 who have experienced trauma and or social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. This was a year around school with minimal breaks. Rod worked closely with each child, families, social workers, therapists and the school staff. He facilitated meetings each week which were IEP’s and or quarterly reviews. Rod served in this position for nine years. After taking nine months off Rod transitioned back to Sioux Falls Lutheran School as the Middle School and High School principal. This was a 15 month position as the school was seeking to hire a principal when Covid closed down schools. Rod began in March of 2020 and ended June of 2021. During this time Rod assisted in the process of moving the high school to the current campus, along with multiple tasks of a middle and high school principal. Over the past 40 plus years of education Rod has served in a variety of educational positions. These opportunities have provided countless experiences where student growth and learning occurred. Rod’s facilitation skills were utilized with students, parents, educators, social services, therapists, and other professionals.
