Our Team
PUDS is guided by a leadership team that brings together community-rooted founders, experienced program leaders, credible messengers, and practitioners committed to youth, family, and community transformation.
Partners Uplifting Our Daughters and Sons was co-founded by leaders whose shared vision centered youth empowerment, community healing, and opportunity creation.
Founders
Yandy Smith-Harris
Co-Founder
Entrepreneur, media personality, and community advocate whose leadership and visibility helped shape the founding vision of PUDS. Her commitment to youth empowerment and community engagement played a key role in the organization’s early growth and public presence.
Precious Avorkliyah
Co-Founder
Community leader and licensed clinical social worker whose work in trauma-informed practice and youth development helped ground PUDS in healing-centered, community-based approaches from its inception.
Latoya Bond
Co-Founder
Founding leader instrumental in building PUDS from its earliest stages, contributing to organizational development, program vision, and long-term impact.
Executive Leadership
Latoya Bond
Executive Director
Provides organizational leadership, strategic direction, and oversight of operations, partnerships, and long-term sustainability. Leads organizational growth and ensures alignment with mission, values, and community impact.
Dr. Jamila T. Davis
Director of Operations and Programs
Oversees day-to-day operations and program implementation across all sites, ensuring alignment with organizational goals. Manages curriculum delivery, staff coordination, scheduling, and performance monitoring, and supports evaluation and continuous improvement in collaboration with program leadership.
Program & Grants Leadership
Miyokee Lovell
Regional Programs & Grant Director
Provides regional oversight and leadership, supporting program expansion, partnership development, and localized implementation aligned with community needs. Leads program coordination and grant management, ensuring compliance, reporting, and alignment between funding requirements and on-the-ground implementation.
Talitha Turner
Program Manager
Manages day-to-day program operations, schedules, and implementation across sites. Supports facilitators, tracks participation, and ensures program consistency and quality.
Angela Jordan
Program Manager
Oversees program delivery and participant engagement, with a focus on operational excellence, coordination, and support for youth-facing initiatives.
Coordination & Regional Leadership
Tara Wallace
Program Coordinator
Supports program logistics, participant coordination, events, and on-the-ground execution. Serves as a liaison between program teams and community partners.
Talia Johnson
Program Coordinator
Supports program logistics, participant coordination, events, and on-the-ground execution. Serves as a liaison between program teams and community partners.
Leadership Philosophy
PUDS leadership is collaborative, community-rooted, and accountable.
Our team reflects lived experience, professional expertise, and a shared commitment to youth, families, and long-term community transformation.