Jo combined her undergraduate major in psychology and minor in business to earn a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology...
Sarah has always had a passion for the non-profit and higher education fields and has subsequently spent the majority...
With over 15 years of experience in professional office executive assistant positions and a track record of strong performance...
Sahara is excited to bring her unique background and experience to the Foundation, THF interns, and THF partners. She...
Rich is determined to build opportunities for folks to create and share their own story. Greatly benefiting from supportive...
Chris is a nonprofit professional with experience working in education, program development, and partnerships in various roles. As Program...
Dezanae (She, her) is a Boston native with a background in higher education administration through her work at the...
In his role as a Senior Coordinator, Douglas connects with THF’s diverse body of students and works to provide...
A graduate of Cornell University’s Interdisciplinary Studies program, Jarí Watson explored several colleges to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit and...
Nicole is thrilled to join the team at T. Howard as Internship Program Coordinator. She received her B.A. in...
Michael’s professional background includes ten years of experience in journalism, business development, and project management, making him the right...
As Program Associate with the Diversity-TECH Internship Program and as a first-generation Mexican-American, Ana understands how essential diversity and...
Jo combined her undergraduate major in psychology and minor in business to earn a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology & Development from Columbia University. Her career objective was to help non-profit, youth-serving organizations fulfill their missions. When asked what her ideal job would be, Jo said working for a foundation.
She ultimately found that ideal job when, in 2006, she joined the T. Howard Foundation where she is President & CEO. She brought her special event fundraising knowledge, program development experience, organizational and leadership skills and love of young people to the Foundation.
Along with a committed Board of Directors and a dedicated team, Jo has been able to develop a mission-driven organization that raises nearly $1.5 million per year to provide paid internships, professional development, career opportunities and an alumni network to hundreds of diverse and underrepresented college students eager to enter the world of media and entertainment.
She believes that the Foundation’s success is measured by the students and alumni who are achieving their career goals as a result of their relationship with THF and its partner companies.
Sarah has always had a passion for the non-profit and higher education fields and has subsequently spent the majority of her career in these areas and is excited to join the T. Howard Foundation.. Most notably, Sarah was the Director of Operations at a non-profit in Washington, D.C. that specialized in the accreditation of human research protection programs.
Prior to joining THF, Sarah spent 4 1/2 years at CNN in Washington, D.C. While she loved the pace and intensity that came with working in the media, her heart was pulling her back to non-profit work. Sarah is ready to contribute to the continued success and evolution of the T. Howard Foundation using her operations skills and the media industry experience she gained while at CNN.
Sarah holds a double bachelor’s degree in Political Science and French from Susquehanna University and a Master’s Degree in Humanities from Towson University. Her greatest loves are her family, books and traveling.
With over 15 years of experience in professional office executive assistant positions and a track record of strong performance in high-volume, high-pressure environments, Tamara skillfully manages a wide range of administrative and operational duties as well as other projects for her colleagues at the T. Howard Foundation.
As Executive Assistant, she ensures the smooth operation of the Foundation with her robust knowledge of executive management, efficient handling of constituent inquiries, positivity, can-do attitude, passion for people, and her infectious energy.
Tamara is active in the community and volunteers her time at a local church as a Community Outreach Worker for a Reentry Program for ex-felons. She also works PT at a NE DC Community Center as a Peer Leader and Advisor.
Sahara is excited to bring her unique background and experience to the Foundation, THF interns, and THF partners. She began her career at Bank of America in Charlotte, NC, where she took part in diversity recruiting efforts for undergraduate programs and internships.
Sahara’s mentorship and professional immersion with local colleges and universities only heightened her growing passion to work directly with students. This personal commitment to supporting diversity efforts and mentorship programs, both in and out of the workplace, drew her to the T. Howard Foundation. Sahara earned a B.S. in Marketing from North Carolina A&T State University.
Rich is determined to build opportunities for folks to create and share their own story. Greatly benefiting from supportive student affairs professionals while studying at Shepherd University, Rich is an advocate for invested mentorship, and has built a career in college administration since 2015.
Inspired by incredible women supporting him as a TRiO student at Shepherd, Rich eagerly joined the TRiO staff as a grad student to help other first-generation students, low-income students, and students with disabilities. Rich began his post-graduate career building communities in residence life, and soon found his love for career advising and employer relations in 2019. Rich has since advised thousands of students and built relationships with hundreds of community partners to create impactful and equitable career opportunities.
Rich holds a B.A. in Psych, B.S. in Bio, M.A. in Teaching, and M.A. in College Student Development and Administration from Shepherd University in the beautiful town of Shepherdstown, WV. Rich is an unapologetic nerd, traveler, food lover, WV-enthusiast, and he’ll talk to you all day about all of the above.
Chris is a nonprofit professional with experience working in education, program development, and partnerships in various roles. As Program Manager of the Career and Alumni Services, Chris is an invaluable resource for the many services THF provides to our alumni. Prior to working at T. Howard, Chris worked at Urban Alliance to provide internships for under-resourced high school students in the Washington, DC area.
In his free time, Chris enjoys traveling, sports, and trying new foods.
Dezanae (She, her) is a Boston native with a background in higher education administration through her work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Georgetown University. Dezanae received her BA in Psychology and M.Ed in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She then grew her career in various student-facing roles, where she honed her skills in student development, leadership development, and student employment.
Dezanae is excited to bring her skills and knowledge to the THF Internship Program, as the Associate Program Manager. Dezanae approaches her work with a person-centered lens, recognizing that a truly transformational experience is carefully curated to support and grow each student. She is very excited to assist in the management of the impactful T. Howard Foundation internship program.
In his role as a Senior Coordinator, Douglas connects with THF’s diverse body of students and works to provide them with opportunities to further their career goals. As an alumnus of the University of Maryland, College Park, Douglas graduated in 2015 with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Entrepreneurship Technology. During his undergraduate career, he was a Hillman Entrepreneurship Scholar, where he gained firsthand experience with business development and leadership. He was able to apply his leadership expertise to a 10-year career in retail management and a period of working in government contracting. Douglas believes in the value of paying it forward and helping younger generations become leaders in their own right, so he is excited to apply his skills and passions to the work of the T. Howard Foundation.
A graduate of Cornell University’s Interdisciplinary Studies program, Jarí Watson explored several colleges to unlock the entrepreneurial spirit and organizational potential of under-served, under-utilized, and under-sourced groups. He is excited to bring his talents and awareness to the team at the T. Howard Foundation as Senior Coordinator, Internship Program.
As a coordinator of summer college programs, assistant to university directors, manager of residential buildings, and leader of multiple community-centered organizations, Jarí developed his passion for community enrichment.
He is happy to advance his passion – servicing the initiatives of the T. Howard Foundation, and seeks to help realize the aspirations of interns, and empower the passions of his colleagues in the process.
The T. Howard Foundation signals an important step in creating unity and fair representation, in addition to the improvement of diversity in media and entertainment. Jarí is honored to serve, improve, and represent.
Nicole is thrilled to join the team at T. Howard as Internship Program Coordinator. She received her B.A. in Applied Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and her M.S. in Counseling with a concentration in College Student Personnel from the University of Bridgeport. In addition to her educational background, Nicole has had the opportunity to serve diverse students from their transition into college to the moment they cross the graduation stage. Her passion, warmth, and empathy have helped her guide students on their journeys to their personal and professional goals. As a former academic advisor, she understands the significance that one meaningful internship opportunity or connection can have on the trajectory of a student’s life. She brings her unique perspective, knowledge of higher education, and skills to support the Foundation’s ongoing mission and commitment to the success of their students and internship program.
Michael’s professional background includes ten years of experience in journalism, business development, and project management, making him the right person to further the services and activities of the Internship Program and Career and Alumni Services.
Michael hails from Chicago, Illinois, and began his career after earning his Bachelor of Science in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. After developing his career in Chicago, an unexpected opportunity prompted him to move to Washington, D.C. in 2020. Michael looks forward to growing as a leader in Nonprofit Management and hopes his work will effect long-lasting social change.
His extracurricular activities include appreciating the arts and traveling the world. So far, he has visited 11 countries and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
As Program Associate with the Diversity-TECH Internship Program and as a first-generation Mexican-American, Ana understands how essential diversity and inclusivity are in education and the workplace.
Born and raised in Southern California, Ana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language and Literature from the University of California, Davis. She spent the last five years at the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, working behind the scenes in project and facilities management, supporting their mission of comfort and care to families with critically-ill children. Ana believes her education, experience, and interpersonal skills will contribute to the success of THF students and THF’s mission.
Ana can be found hiking mountains in her free time, visiting state and national parks with her friends, and spending time with her family.
In her role in Administration, Edina supports the Foundation’s president and vice president in industry outreach efforts, the Annual Diversity Awards Dinner, and Board of Directors matters, and works with departments as needed.
With early experience in the for-profit world, Edina happened into the non-profit sector and has not looked back.
Her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland underscores her commitment to people She is thrilled to work for an organization whose members are as passionate about the mission as she is.