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.

LaShika Howard

With a deep understanding of the skills and experiences required to succeed in today’s workforce, LaShika is committed to equipping young professionals with key tools and resources.

LaShika holds a Master’s in Human Resources and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She’s spent most of her career helping professionals evaluate and achieve their career aspirations, as well as helping business leaders attract and secure the best talent for their hiring needs.

LaShika joined THF as a certified HR professional with more than 14 years of expertise in executive recruitment, talent pipeline development and building relationships with senior leaders. She has been instrumental in expanding the alumni network, increasing the number of full-time hires in the media industry and developing and managing three new initiatives.

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.

Jenisse Bouret

Jenisse is a proud THF alum, New Yorker, and Latina. Her professional experiences range from multiplatform writing and production to student development. She began her career working for media brands such as Nickelodeon, BET Networks, and NY1 News/Noticias, and in early 2019, she made a career shift into the human services field. In her current role, she enjoys empowering diverse students through professional development. Her academic background includes a BA in Journalism and Spanish from SUNY New Paltz and she is pursuing her MA in Speech-Language Pathology at CUNY Lehman College–where she is learning to clinically support individuals with communication disorders.

Natashia Dorsey

Natashia has always been a girl about the community. She was born in Chicago and raised in Baltimore, and graduated from the University of Baltimore in 2018. Natashia has worked as a media consultant for local and east coast-based fashion companies. She brings years of corporate relations and luxury hospitality experience to her new role. She looks forward to working to help implement diversity within media and executing the T. Howard Foundation’s missions and goals with precision and expertise.

Ashley McDonald

In her role as Assistant Manager of Career and Alumni Services, Ashley will help connect the Foundation’s pool of emerging and diverse professionals to a network of resources and services designed to help them accomplish their career goals. She plans to leverage her existing project management experience as she joins THF’s Career & Alumni Services team.

Armed with several years of relationship management, marketing and event-planning experience as a membership professional for various non-profit associations in the higher education and arts and culture sectors, Ashley is excited to be a part of T. Howard Foundation’s Career & Alumni Services team.

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.

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 Program 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.

Janice Wilkins

Janice has gained experience in the nonprofit sector through program and data management. She is excited to leverage that experience with her training and recruitment position with the Foundation. Janice received her BA in Writing and Rhetoric, with a concentration in community engagement and digital communications, from Syracuse University, and is now pursuing her MS in Youth Development Leadership.