Our Team

Dr. Kanika Tomalin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. In this role, she leads, directs, and integrates all aspects of the Foundation’s internal and external activities and initiatives. Working closely with the Foundation team, Dr. Tomalin creates and executes the Foundation’s strategic plan—overseeing grantmaking, strategic initiatives, and the Center for Health Equity. She guides the organization as a steward of the community’s resources, consistently reporting back to the community and ensuring decisions and plans of action are mission-aligned and based in equity.

Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Strategy at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. In this role she oversaw the college’s operations, planning and emergency management; strategic planning; institutional effectiveness; external affairs; technology services; sustainability and resilience; and the St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact.

Before that, she served eight years as Deputy Mayor and City Administrator of the City of St. Petersburg, working in partnership with former Mayor Rick Kriseman to strategically advance one of Florida’s largest cities toward its goals. Defining initiatives were developed under Dr. Tomalin’s visionary leadership. She was the Founder or Executive Lead on signature advancements such as: the City’s vision, Healthy St. Pete, the Innovation District, integrated water master plan, the For All, From All Housing Affordability plan, the St. Pete Pier, Fire Cadet training program, Youth Development Grants, Citywide diversity training and scholarships, Deuces Rising redevelopment plan, Community Benefits Agreement, Youth Intervention programs, and much more.

Before Dr. Tomalin’s time in City Hall she served as the Regional Vice President of External Affairs for the seven hospital, five-county Bayfront Health Network and Director of Strategy for Health Management Associates’ 23-hospital Florida Group. For more than 13 years as a C-suite executive in various leadership roles for Bayfront Health System, she guided the organization’s strategic planning; government relations; marketing; media; community affairs; external and internal communications and patient experience.

She has also worked at the St. Petersburg Times, the Palm Beach Post, WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY and WRXB radio in St. Petersburg.

Dr. Tomalin received a Journalism degree from Florida A&M University, an MBA from the University of Miami and a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University. Her commitment to community is evident in her outreach and service-driven outcomes. She serves on the Boards of The Dali Museum; Academy Prep St. Petersburg; Bayfront Health Foundation; Celma Mastry Ovarian Cancer Foundation; and the Eckerd College National Advisory Council. Previous board and executive leadership positions include: American Heart Association; St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors; Vice-Chair of the St. Petersburg College Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions; St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership; Bayfront Health, Education and Research Organization; Pinellas County Urban League; YWCA of Tampa Bay; Canterbury School of Florida; Great Explorations Children’s Museum; Pinellas Enrichment for Mental Health Services Advisory Board; USF St. Pete Celebrates! Host Committee; American Heart Association Go Red for Women Executive Cabinet and American Stage.

She has received numerous honors and appointments, including being named: the ACLU’s Gardner Beckett Civil Liberties honoree; St. Petersburg Chamber’s Businesswoman of the Year, inaugural “Iconic Woman to Watch” and Young Business Leader of the Year; Gwen Reese Lifetime Achievement Award; YWCA of Tampa Bay’s Woman of Distinction; one of Florida Business Observer’s 40 Under 40; one of Florida’s Most Powerful and Influential Women; recipient of the Florida Diversity Council’s Glass Ceiling Award; Metro Health Robert Page Distinguished Leadership Award; Studio@620 Honors Community Leadership Award; Pinellas County Urban League Whitney Young Empowerment Award; one of Academy Prep’s Inaugural “Five Fabulous Females”; one of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 30 Under 30; PEMHS’ PACE Award for Community Service; Association of Healthcare Philanthropists fellow; and a Kaiser Family Foundation urban public health reporting fellowship.

Dr. Tomalin was married for 17 years to well-known adventure journalist Terry Tomalin, until his passing in 2016. She is the fifth generation of her family to call St. Petersburg home and enjoys life here with her children Kai and Nia. Kai recently graduated from American University in Washington D.C. Nia is a second-year student at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York.

Joshua is a dedicated leader in the DEI field and brings more than 10 years of racial equity work to his position as Impact Manager. 

In this role, Joshua builds relationships, guides idea development and innovation, identifies and deploys necessary resources, and magnifies and scales Foundation priorities.  Joshua oversees partnerships and works to co-create opportunities that align with the organizational mission of the Foundation, leaning on his background as a professional trainer and facilitator, as well as his long-standing involvement in community. 

Before joining the team, Joshua worked in the Pinellas County school system and focused his efforts on addressing and eliminating barriers for Black children and LGBTQ+ youth. He is the co-founder of Green Book of Tampa Bay, Inc., a non-profit organization that increases Black economic vitality in Tampa Bay by connecting Black-owned businesses to new consumers, development resources, and a network of collaboration opportunities. He is also an active member of Temple Beth El, where he currently serves as a board member and Social Justice Committee member.

Originally from Oklahoma City, Joshua has been a Tampa Bay resident for more than 20 years. He is a graduate of the University of South Florida and a certified Courageous Conversations About Race affiliate practitioner. Outside of work, Joshua enjoys camping with his family, collecting vinyl, going to concerts, and watching college football.

Raena Boston is the Foundation’s HR Administrator. In this role, she supports our workforce and amplifies the power of our people in achieving our mission. In addition, she will support the Foundation’s DEI initiatives.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Raena worked as an HR Generalist for a global professional services firm. She also co-founded the national nonprofit Chamber of Mothers, which advocates for paid family and medical leave, universal childcare, and improved maternal health.

A journalist by trade, Raena holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a minor in Africana studies from the University of South Florida. She is also a thought leader on the intersection of care and work. Her insights have been featured on PBS Newshour, NPR, and Good Morning America. In 2023, she was awarded the Care Catalyst award by the nonprofit Caring Across Generations for her work as a care influencer.

When she’s not working, Raena enjoys spending time with her family, lifting heavy weights, and finding her next read at Tombolo Books.

Lisa L. Brody, Esquire, is the Chief Operations Officer and General Counsel for the Foundation. She serves as a senior executive on the Foundation’s Leadership Team and leads the strategic deployment of the Foundation’s resources to maximize our impact, directly overseeing the Foundation’s grantmaking, strategic initiatives portfolio, communications, and research and evaluation activities. Ms. Brody also serves as in-house general counsel and leads the work 

Before joining the Foundation team, she served as the Assistant Deputy Director and Managing Attorney for the St. Petersburg Office of Bay Area Legal Services, Inc., the largest nonprofit public-interest law firm in the Tampa Bay Area. Since 2013, Ms. Brody has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Paralegal Studies Program at St. Petersburg College. Ms. Brody is a licensed Florida Attorney (1995) and a member of the Florida Bar, St. Petersburg Bar and Fred G. Minnis Bar Associations.  She has held numerous Bar positions and presently serves on the Bar’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. 

As a graduate of Leadership Tampa Bay, she has a long history of board service and community involvement. She currently serves as the vice chair of the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and as a member of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board. She has also served on the Pinellas Opportunity Council, the Youth Development Foundation of Pinellas Inc., the Bayfront Hospital Board of Trustees, Pinellas Community Foundation, and Clothes to Kids. She also was a member and board member of the Junior League of St. Petersburg and presently serves as the International Trends and Services Facet Chair for the St. Petersburg Chapter of the Links, Inc. 

In addition to board service, Ms. Brody has a long history of active involvement in multiple organizations within the community. She has served as Girl Scout Leader, a member of the City of St. Petersburg Nuisance Abatement Board, Mayoral Appointment to City of St. Petersburg Affordable Housing Oversight Committee (2018) and presently is a member of the Bay Pines VA Community Engagement Board. She has also held many roles as a parent in Pinellas County Schools. 

Ms. Brody is a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the oldest Black Greek Letter organization founded by African American college-educated women. She has held numerous positions within the organization and presently serves as the immediate past president of the Zeta Upsilon Omega Chapter in St. Petersburg, Florida and the South Atlantic Region Undergraduate Chapter Interest Liaison. Her personal motto is “…to whom much is given much is required.” 

Ms. Brody has received several community recognitions for her professional and civic service to our community. She has received Power Broker Magazine’s Silk Recognition for Service (2018), the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African-American History Museum’s First Lady in African-American History Recognition (2015), the Heroes Among Us Award from the St. Petersburg Bar Association (2010), the St. Petersburg Housing Authority Community Partner Award and the 2023 Florida Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance Legacy Award. She was also a finalist for the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Community Service Woman of The Year (2010). 

Ms. Brody received her B.A. Degree in political science from the University of Oregon and her J.D. from the University of Oregon in 1995.  She has also earned a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Tampa.  She is a life member of the University of Oregon Alumni Association and a charter board member and has served as the board secretary of the University of Oregon Black Alumni Network.   

She is married to Carl E. Brody, Jr, Esq., and the proud mother of daughter Mara and a son, Clayton. 

“Whatever gifts you are believed to have, are not yours. They were gifted to you for a finite amount of time, to be passed on and used in service of others.” These words are a daily affirmation for Marcus A. Brooks, and he takes them to heart in his role as Chief Impact Officer for the Foundation

In this role, Marcus serves as a senior executive of the Foundation’s Leadership Team who works to determine and oversee the ways the Foundation activates its mission via engagement and with the community. He manages the engagement and impact staff, oversees relationships with community partners and other consultants, engineers strategic partnerships, and also leads operations in the Foundation’s Center for Health Equity.

Marcus is a fourth-generation St. Petersburg resident who split his youth between Clearwater and South St. Petersburg. His upbringing was a contrasting racial experience that ultimately gave him the perspective and insight that shapes who he is today.

A passionate advocate for this work, Marcus brings over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit world to this position, along with a wide range of skills—from racial equity facilitation and partnership cultivation to fundraising and board development.

Marcus is a graduate of Florida State University and resides in St. Petersburg with his family.

He is the recipient of the St. Petersburg NAACP’s Next-Gen Trailblazer award and currently serves on the boards of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and Allegany Franciscan Ministries.

Tristin Brown serves as the Foundation’s Advocacy Manager. In this role, she shapes and executes the Foundation’s policy and advocacy plan, initiatives and strategies pertaining to systems change and health equity.

Before joining the team, Tristin served as Policy & Advocacy Director at the National Black Worker Center. Her other previous roles include Policy & Program Director at the People’s Parity Project and Associate Counsel at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. She first joined the Committee as the Small, Webber, Spencer Litigation Fellow through the Georgetown Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellowship Program.

Tristin earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. During law school, she held several leadership and service roles—including President of the Black Law Students Association, Public Interest Fellow, Student Ambassador, and Online Editor and Special Projects Chair of the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. She also represented clients in D.C. Superior Court as a student attorney in the Domestic Violence Clinic and was honored as both a Pro Bono Pledge Honoree and Dean’s Certificate recipient. Her peers elected her to serve as their commencement speaker.

Her legal and policy experience includes externships with the Federal Election Commission, the Advancement Project, and Perkins Coie LLP’s former Political Law Group. Before law school, Tristin worked as a staffer for former U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Graham and interned with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

Tristin’s writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, The American Prospect, The Grio, and Bloomberg Law. She has also taught as an adjunct professor at Florida State University College of Law. She currently serves on the boards of the Peer Defense Project and Ms. JD, and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In her free time, she enjoys movie marathons with her partner, Berry, and long walks with their dogs, Whiskey and Finn.

Harold “Scamp” Bryant Jr. brings more than 15 years of community programming and events management experience to his role as Senior Impact Associate, in which he helps build relationships, develop ideas, and deploy resources to magnify and scale our work. His background in political campaign marketing and grassroots organizing, coupled with his long-standing community relationships, makes Harold an asset to the daily operations and strategic mission of the Foundation. 

Harold is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident from a family with deep community ties. He’s been helping co-create bold ideas here for more than 20 years—as a business owner and consultant, as well as on behalf of other organizations. Prior to his role at the Center, he was the Florida Statewide and Southeast Regional Director of Community Grassroots for H. Strategies, and the Facilities Manager and Event Coordinator for the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. Harold is a graduate of St. Petersburg College, the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, and the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. 

When he’s not making moves in our community, Harold enjoys cooking, spending time with his kids, and taking in his part of paradise in our city. #cantbeatstpete

Belinda Childs is the Foundation’s Director of Finance where she serves in the leading staff role for financial operations and reporting. She also supports the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer in financial analysis, contract execution, and administrative functions.

Belinda has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and nonprofit organizations. Previously, she was the Accounting Manager at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Assistant Controller at Largo Medical Center, Financial Analyst at St. Anthony’s Healthcare, and Financial Analyst and Senior Financial Analyst at Bayfront Health St. Petersburg. She also worked at the Foundation for 5 years—from its inception in 2013 through 2018—in the roles of Lead Accountant, Director of Finance, and Consultant before returning in 2021 as the Controller.

Belinda holds a Bachelor of Science and Fifth Year in Accounting from the University of South Florida.

Gaylynn has been with the Foundation since 2012 in various administrative roles and loves the challenges of learning and growing with the team.

In her role, Blanca Catalina helps build relationships, develop ideas, and deploy resources to magnify and scale the Foundation’s work. She has almost 20 years of experience as an educator for equity, an ecosystem builder, a program leader, and an innovation champion serving emerging leaders, focused on underrepresented and minoritized communities both nationally and internationally. She is known for her ability to implement specialized and sustainable learning and mentorship programs to support the success of diverse communities across divides.

For the last 15 years, Blanca has been building and leading innovative programs and initiatives to support underserved emerging leaders and innovators, such as Black, Indigenous and People of the Global Majority, folks from the LGBTQIA2S+ community, folks with disabilities, with a focus on women and non-binary people. She recently was supporting Eckerd College’s goals for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, serving as Assistant Director for Inclusive Excellence and the Associate Director for Diverse and Inclusive Admissions during her tenure. Blanca is an entrepreneurship educator, coach, and ecosystem builder, as well as an expert instructional designer. Prior to her work at Eckerd, she was embedded in this endeavor in the Greater Atlanta Area. After leading the award-winning BIG Incubator in Atlanta for Black and Latina women-led tech companies at digitalundivided, she designed and led programs for emerging entrepreneurs across the Southeast, including Goodie Nation and Walker’s Legacy PROSPECTUS. Blanca also served as the MBDA@ATDC Startup Catalysts at the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Institute of Technology before moving to Florida. Blanca has been an instructor, public speaker, and mentor for social justice, innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership at organizations across the Southeast, including CARE USA, Women Entrepreneurs Inc, Techstars, Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and Morehouse College. She recently presented, along with the Eckerd College Inclusive Excellence team, at NCORE 2024 on building change agents for equity in higher education.

Blanca Catalina lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with her husband and two daughters. She is a first generation immigrant from Chile. Her husband is from Cuba and they are both actively involved in equity work.  Outside of her work, Blanca Catalina continues to run her business BCG Innovation LLC, which focuses on creating educational programs for underrepresented entrepreneurs and leaders. She is also completing her graduate work towards a doctorate in Educational Leadership. She is actively involved in the community and believes that our most marginalized innovators and creators hold the solutions we need to respond to our rapidly changing world.

As Director of Strategic Communications, Barbara is responsible for driving marketing and communication strategies and their execution. She assists with the communications and campaign needs of internal departments and is responsible for recommending and developing communications channels that inspire people to engage with the Foundation’s mission. In this work, Barbara collaborates closely with project leads as well as Foundation leadership and external partners. With a passion for place-based change, she is driven by a deep belief that racial equity benefits everyone.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Barbara served as a marketing communications officer at the University of South Florida, a publications editor and associate program director at Community Foundation Boulder County, and the development director of Mothers on the Move in the South Bronx. Early in her career, she learned volumes as a daily newspaper reporter and magazine editor. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Geography from Syracuse University.

When she’s not working, Barbara enjoys spending time outside with her husband and daughter and their squirrel-obsessed rescue terrier.

Dean Hendrix brings more than 38 years of experience in hospitality, events management, and audio-visual technologies to his role as Facilities and Events Manager at the Foundation. He is responsible for managing the operations of the facilities and the logistics for events and meetings held at the Foundation, and collaborates closely with Foundation team members as well as external partners and third-party facilities contract personnel.

In his previous positions, Dean served as the Operations Manager for Blumberg Communications and Total Audio Visual Services, and Regional Director for Audio Visual Headquarters, Caribiner International, PSAV, and Video Light & Sound.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Dean is a graduate of the University of South Carolina at Aiken. He has been in St. Petersburg since 1997 and considers the ‘Burg his home.

Ricky Howell serves as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, overseeing the Foundation’s business office with a focus on investments, finance, procurement, facilities, capital improvement, contracts, technology, and human resources. As a key member of the executive leadership team, he contributes to the efficient deployment of strategy, risk management, and efficiency of the Foundation’s support functions.  In addition, he serves as an ex officio member of the Finance and Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees and actively plans and engages in the committee’s activities. He also manages finance, facilities, technology, and administrative staff and oversees relationships with key providers.

Prior to joining the Foundation team, Ricky served as vice president of administration for the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, managing the organization’s finance, human resources, and information technology functions.

Ricky’s earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, where he focused on accounting, and took additional accounting coursework at Southern New Hampshire University. He is a certified public accountant and a licensed SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Dr. Bilan Joseph serves as Senior Impact Manager at the Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for building relationships, guiding idea development and innovation, identifying and deploying resources, and magnifying and scaling the work of the Foundation.

Dr. Joseph has extensive experience in collective impact, strategic planning and implementation, and program and project management. She is also trained in Courageous Conversations About Race Protocol and has a certification in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion from the University of South Florida.  

Prior to joining the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Dr. Joseph served as the Executive Director of Thrive by Five, a network of over 25 partners working across diverse sectors to collectively impact the percentage of Pinellas children entering kindergarten holistically “ready” to be there. 

Dr. Joseph is also a licensed educator with over a decade of experience in secondary and post-secondary education. In her personal time, she facilitates conversations about race locally and nationally through the lens of faith and racial reconciliation. This includes designing and facilitating personalized Whiteness at Work debriefing sessions for business leaders and their staff members.  

Dr. Joseph holds a Doctor of Education degree specializing in Reading and Literacy from Capella University. She also has a Master of Education degree in Teaching and Administration from Jones International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in secondary education from Georgia State University. 

Florida native Olivia London brings ten years of public health experience and community-engaged service to her role at the Foundation. As Senior Grants and Program Associate, Olivia helps capture and ensure the community impact of the Foundation’s grants and programs. Olivia works closely with our funded partners and the Foundation team to make sure our projects and grants run smoothly and are compliant with Foundation policy and IRS regulations. She also helps manage data across platforms and streamlines processes to maximize the potential of our technology solutions.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Olivia served as the director of advocacy and prevention at Eckerd College, where she provided confidential advocacy support to students impacted by abuse, facilitated education on topics related to violence prevention, served as an advisor for students in the Racial Justice Fellowship program, and led an interdisciplinary workgroup advancing best practices in mental health, substance use recovery, wellness, and violence prevention.

She is an experienced grant writer and program administrator, passionate about anti-racism and public health and skilled in data management, technical assistance, and reporting.

Olivia holds a bachelor’s degree in writing from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University.

Dr. Susie Paterson (she/her) is the Director of Research, Evaluation, and Learning at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg. In this role, Dr. Paterson leads the Foundation’s research, data analysis, and organizational learning and evaluation strategies. She is responsible for identifying research priorities, conducting and/or directing research, evaluating the Foundation’s strategic areas, and providing evidence-based recommendations to advance our mission.

Dr. Paterson is a trained community psychologist with over a decade of experience conducting community-based research and program evaluations. She approaches her work through a participatory, justice-centered lens, believing that community members most impacted by social and economic problems, programs, and policies should be leading and designing community solutions. Dr. Paterson has expertise in a variety of methods including mixed-methods research, community-based participatory research, and social network analysis. She has worked with organizations and community groups on a variety of topics including homelessness, arts and music equity, youth leadership, community and civic engagement, and has given presentations both locally and nationally on her work.

Prior to joining the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, Dr. Paterson worked as a Senior Program Evaluator for the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County and cofounded and operated a research and evaluation consulting firm, Collaborators Consulting Group.

Dr. Paterson earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Smith College, her Master’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Community Social Psychology, and her PhD in Community Well-Being from the University of Miami.

 Julie is engaged in a portfolio of initiatives that includes food systems, housing and homelessness, mental health, environmental justice, equitable economic development, workforce development, education ecosystem, equity in journalism, and equity in the arts. Julie helps create collaborative initiatives through the facilitation of convenings and projects, connecting funded partners to resources, and identifying funding opportunities and partners. She describes her work as a balance of community engagement and listening while challenging the traditional status quo of system archetypes to achieve race equity. 

Julie is trained in Courageous Conversation About Race Protocol (sessions 1 and 2) and Facilitation for Social Change Masterclass. She also attended the 2019 Foundation staff tour of civil rights museums and historical sites to advance his understanding of the history of racial equity and social change.

Julie is a seasoned grants writer, special project manager and administrator with an extensive record of service in the Tampa Bay area. Her prior roles include grant writer and STEAM Manager for the Tampa Housing Authority and Vice President of Resource Development and Special Projects at the Corporation to Develop Communities (CDC) of Tampa, Inc. She also worked for the sheriff’s office for ten years.

She holds a B.A. in criminology from the University of South Florida and a master’s in public administration from Hodges University in Fort Myers. She is also a graduate of Leadership Lee County – Class of 1999 and Leadership St. Pete – Class of 2019.  

Julie serves as a Board Member for the Innovation District. She also serves on the Homeless Leadership Alliance Funder’s Council as well as the St Petersburg Food Policy Council. Most recently, Julie was inducted into the Florida Economic Security Cohort, a cohort of Florida and national foundations hosted by Florida Philanthropic Network and Florida Policy Institute that will focus on building capacity for policy and advocacy efforts related to economic security. 

In her downtime, you can find Julie in creative art spaces, kayaking, championing mental wellness, or spending time with family, her partner, friends, and dogs. 

As a member of the Foundation’s Research, Evaluation, and Learning team, Stephanie supports organizational learning through data analysis, literature review, reports, and other research and evaluation activities. She assists with the design and implementation of evaluation frameworks and methodologies, develops and leads learning opportunities for internal and external stakeholders, and provides training and support to Foundation staff and partners on best practices in learning and evaluation.

Stephanie holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida’s (USF) School of Social Work and is a Certified Wellness & Health Coach (CWHC). She started her doctoral journey after diverse professional experiences, including being a professional athlete and working as a licensed social work supervisor at a child welfare agency in Philadelphia.

Stephanie believes in dedicating her time to pressing societal issues. For example, she recently finished serving two consecutive terms as an executive committee member for the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports (ASWIS), which focuses on advocacy for athlete mental health through a social work lens and uses sport as a tool for development. She also volunteers for the Arthritis Foundation nationally and locally through the organization’s Tampa Bay chapter. As a member of the Florida Education Fund’s McKnight Doctoral Fellowship (MDF) program (and the only social work graduate student in her fellowship cohort), Stephanie founded a monthly support group for USF fellows to build a sense of community among this diverse group of Black/Hispanic doctoral students on the USF campus.

Stephanie is passionate about promoting positive health, mental health, and lifestyle outcomes for various populations including minoritized racial and ethnic groups, athletes, and adults. Her research has focused on health and well-being and sport social work; her dissertation research specifically aims to explore social role participation, identity, and satisfaction with life among adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

Stephanie enjoys staying active, spending time with family, the beach and outdoors, traveling, digital art, and going out to eat (Stephanie considers herself a “foodie”).

Acquandist Uy serves as Senior Executive Administrator at the Foundation. In this role, she supports the Foundation’s president and CEO, chief operations officer, and Board of Trustees. Acquandist is a seasoned professional who has served our community in many professional and volunteer capacities. She came to us from the Public Defender’s Office of the Sixth Judicial Court, where she served as an executive assistant and recruiter. Prior to that, Acquandist served as chief operating officer of a law firm and as the executive assistant to the deputy mayor for St. Petersburg for many years.

In her role as Senior Center Operations Associate, Kewa Wright provides administrative and operational support for the Foundation’s Center for Health Equity, including Center logistics and administrative support for the executive director of the Center. She is the first point of contact for Center partnerships, maintains the Center calendar, and helps ensure our events run smoothly and effectively. Kewa brings 20+ years of experience as a Legislative Aide for the City of St. Petersburg City Council’s Office, where she served more than 30 council members during her time there. 

Kewa comes from a family active in the community and passionate about social change. She is a third-generation St. Petersburg resident with a lifetime of local volunteer work with organizations that include Advantage Village Academy, Matters of the Heart Radio Ministry, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Feeding Tampa Bay. Kewa is a graduate of the University of South Florida and an alumna of Gibbs High School.

As Director of Technology and Administration, Lisa Yacso helps support, organize, and manage Foundation-wide priorities spanning multiple departments and team members. She also serves as parliamentarian for the Board of Trustees, coordinates closely with senior administrators, and helps oversee the Foundation’s technology.

Lisa previously served as Online MBA Program Administrator for the USF Muma College of Business. In that role, she curated innovative co-curricular programming, developed and implemented strategic initiatives, advised students, and provided academic administration. While at Muma, she also served as Director of the Women and Leadership Initiative Mentorship program for graduate (primarily female) business students. After the events of 2020, she redesigned the program into the Mentorship Forward program, which supported graduate business female students of color and their allies. She was also an adjunct instructor there.

Before that, she served as federal grant manager and budget supervisor for $6 million in the Carl Perkins IV grant at St. Petersburg College. This grant supported academic workforce education and focused in part on expanding access to diverse populations. She also administered an innovative workforce education program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Her academic experience is complemented by nine years in leadership roles in energy management, working closely with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and public housing authorities. She served as chief operating officer and vice president at two small businesses she co-owned and was a director at Constellation Energy, then a Fortune 125 company.

As a former officer of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area, advocacy, activism, and civic engagement are part of her core values. She also served on the Women United advisory committee and the Investments committee for United Way Suncoast for several years. She is a 2022 graduate of Leadership St. Pete.

Lisa holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Florida. She also has a Master of Education in Counseling and Guidance, specializing in College Student Affairs/Higher Education Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in English – both from Texas State University.