Nivia is a Youth Specialist at the Center for Urban Transformation. Originally hailing from Santa Fe Colon, Honduras, she is proudly Garifuna, which is Afro-Latina. She is pleased to serve the Fifth Ward community, which is closely linked to her Afro-Latin culture and traditions. In her position as Youth Specialist, Nivia brings her expertise and experience to benefit the community.

Tafara (Fara) Cameron is a native Houstonian born and raised on the Southwest side of the city. She uprooted her life and took her heritage, culture, morals, values, gifts and talents to the University of Oklahoma as a first- generation college student on a full academic scholarship funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations in 2009 and a Masters of Education in Adult and Higher Education with a concentration in Student Personnel Services in 2011. She has had over 10 years of professional experience in several capacities including admissions/ recruitment, diversity and inclusion efforts, K-12 education, consulting, project management and the non-profit sector. She is elated to offer her experiences in the ever-growing and thriving historic Fifth Ward community on the programming team as a Programs Coordinator. She is a firm believer of possessing a growth mindset and validating all efforts related to equity, access and opportunity for youth and young adults

Anna Fondren was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She received her Bachelor of Science (2017) and Master of Science (2019) both in Criminal Justice at Illinois State University. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Prairie View A&M University studying Juvenile Justice and is anticipating graduating August 2023. Anna is passionate about the unequal treatment of minority youth in the juvenile justice system, the social inequities that negatively effect minority youth, and social buffers that deter youth from engaging in delinquency. Anna is thrilled to work at a place where she can make a difference in the lives of the residents of Houston’s historic Fifth Ward. (Youth Specialist)