Our Team

Jo Pamphile

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 Giannakopoulos

Sarah is honored and excited to join the T. Howard Foundation as the Vice President of Operations and Development. 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. 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 joing 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.

Marco Calderón

With over 15 years in non-profit management and education, Marco brings a fresh perspective and professionalism to his position as Director of the Diversity-TECH program.

Marco’s family immigrated from Guatemala in the early 1980s and settled in Los Angeles. He became the first in his family’s history to be accepted to a four-year university. He graduated from California State University, Northridge and earned a Master of Arts degree from Loyola Marymount University in School Administration.

After six years teaching high school, he led the education department in a children’s museum in Pasadena, California. Marco spent a few years managing the Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles after which he became the Executive Director of a local non-profit which provided scholarships to local high school students from underserved communities in the San Fernando Valley.

Christopher Young

Chris joins T. Howard Foundation as the head of the Foundation’s Career and Alumni Services. He is a nonprofit professional with experience working in education, program development, and partnerships in various roles. 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.

Janice Wilkins

Janice Wilkins is a Career & Program Management professional with five years of experience working alongside educational nonprofits. Janice specializes in delivering quality programming, professional development, working with diverse populations in workforce development, employment advising, recruiting, career coaching, data management and partner engagement. Janice is excited to leverage her experience and passion for program and data management as she engages with THF Alum and THF Partners.

Janice earned her BA in Writing and Rhetoric, with a concentration in community engagement and digital communications, from Syracuse University, and her MS in Youth Development Leadership, from Clemson University.

Shlyneice Davis

Shlyneice is a native of the DMV and is completing her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Having worked in operations and program support across several industries, she has a knack for managing details while keeping the bigger picture in mind and being the link to help connect people and processes to achieve aligned synergies. Shlyneice is excited to join the Foundation as a Program Assistant and to be a part of enhancing the student experience through the execution of THF’s mission.

Sahara Selby

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 Sahara’s 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.

Dezanae Boston-Bernier

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.

Douglas Vo

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.

Jarí Watson

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 Asamoah

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.

Edina Varsa

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.