Our Staff
Kandace Thomas, MPP, PhD
Executive Director
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Dr. Kandace Thomas is a changemaker and leader in children’s social emotional development and well-being, diversity-informed practice and mindfulness. Prior to joining First 8 Memphis, Dr. Thomas was a senior program officer at the Irving Harris Foundation. She provided vision and strategic direction for organizations integrating early childhood development and child trauma-informed best practices in order to help improve school and life outcomes for children from birth to age eight. Dr. Thomas led the creation and the current dissemination of the Diversity-Informed Tenets for Work With Infants, Children and Families. She is currently the Chair of the Tenets Advisory Council. Dr. Thomas is also a founder of Camp Sojourner, Girls’ Leadership Camp—an organization that promotes leadership development, creative arts and appreciation of nature for Philadelphia girls. Dr. Thomas has a PhD in Child Development from Erikson Institute/Loyola University of Chicago, a master’s of Public Policy degree from The University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and a BA from Wesleyan University.
Johanna Harrison, MUEd
Pre-K Senior Associate
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Johanna Harrison has spent her professional career as a teacher and instructional coach in Shelby County School’s English as a Second Language Department. Originally from Pennsylvania, Johanna moved to Memphis to join the Memphis Teacher Residency, through which she received a Masters of Education from Union University. Johanna received a B.S. in Secondary English from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2020, Johanna completed a Reading Specialist certification through Christian Brothers University. Passionate about early childhood, she strives to create an equitable educational experience for all children in Memphis and looks forward to leveraging her instructional and community knowledge to support First 8 Memphis’ Pre-K partners. Now a Memphian by choice, Johanna lives in the city with her husband and greyhound.
LeAmber Hill, MS
Contracts & Compliance Manager
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A native of Nashville, TN LeAmber Hill moved to Memphis to attend the University of Memphis in 2005. After graduating from the University of Memphis, LeAmber began her career as a teacher counselor with Youth Villages, a non-profit organization serving at risk-youth. In 2016, LeAmber was able to receive her master’s degree at Capella University for Mental Health Counseling. Prior to her departure with Youth Villages, LeAmber worked in their corporate compliance department managing policies and procedures. She is married with two children.
Maurica Jackson
Director of Finance & Operations
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Prior to joining First 8 Memphis, Maurica Jackson has held various progressive corporate/manufacturing accounting and finance roles for various manufacturing/distribution for-profit companies in the Memphis Metropolitan area including Cargill Inc., KTG, USA and Nike. Originally from North Carolina, Maurica moved to Memphis to work for Cargill while also immersing herself into the Memphis community by volunteering with Feed the Needy and National Association for Black Accountants (NABA) Memphis. Maurica received a B.A. in Accountancy from Winston-Salem State University, a HBCU in North Carolina, and a MBA from Christian Brothers University.
Kenyona Thomas
Marketing & Communications Associate
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Kenyona's dreams are her reality. A Memphis native, Kenyona received her bachelor’s in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Passionate about giving back to her community, following college, she returned to Memphis to further pursue her career and worked with clients such as NAMIC, Ampro Industries, Inc., Encounter Your Potential, and Howard University School of Divinity. Leading up to her role at First 8 Memphis, Kenyona used her spare time to substitute as a Pre-K teacher to gain knowledge on the early childhood learning system. She now uses her expertise and short-but-sweet teaching experience to turn F8M’s mission, vision, and dream into a reality. She is married with two fur babies, Ash and Astro.
LaDora Watkins, CAP
Executive Assistant
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LaDora received a BA in psychology from the University of Memphis and began her career as a counselor with Youth Villages. She spent more than a decade in the corporate sector in various roles with Frito Lay, Inc (a division of PepsiCo). A native Memphian, LaDora’s love for the city of Memphis deepened through Nexus Leaders (c/o 2011). LaDora was well-positioned as a subject matter expert in her role as an HR and Sales Administrator, when she transitioned to the non-profit world in May 2016. LaDora has high regard for the unique ways collaboration and innovation support children and families, cradle to career. Supported with professional development through Seeding Success, LaDora received a designation of Certified Administrative Professional in May 2019. LaDora joined First 8 Memphis in August 2019 and feels favored to contribute to the good future of her hometown, starting with the youngest citizens.