Who We Are

Growing up in Houston's Kashmere Gardens and Sunnyside neighborhoods, Jarvis Taylor was surrounded by men and women that used their wisdom and creativity to make these communities home for all. Their commitment to these historical African-American neighborhoods left an indelible impression on him and inspired him to choose community development as his life's work.

In 1999, at the age of 17, he led efforts to bring community and brotherhood to formerly incarcerated men living in a transitional home in Kashmere Gardens and a Back-to-School Drive for families in Acres Homes. He is forever indebted to the New Life Tabernacle Church for allowing him to develop his community outreach skills at such an early age.

After his discharge from the Navy, Jarvis continued his service to the community through youth leadership development and providing supportive services to our homeless neighbors in Southeast Houston. In 2015 he founded Project College Counseling, now Project Canvas. This organization equips underserved youth with the tools and support to participate in social action projects and continue their development at their best-fit college. In 2017, Jarvis became the Executive Director of Crossroads at Park Place a homeless services provider to more than 1000 people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty in Southeast Houston.

Jarvis received a Bachelor of Science in Christian Leadership from the College of Biblical Studies-Houston. He earned an MBA from Texas A&M University-Commerce, where his capstone project focused on competition among Texas public university systems. In 2018, Jarvis earned the Rice University Leadership Institute for Nonprofit Executives (LINE) certificate at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

Jarvis is a member of and affiliated with the following organizations:

• American Association of Service Coordinators (AASC) and the Texas Chapter
• Texas Association of Community Development Corporations (TACDC)
• Houston Housing Collaborative

Jarvis enjoys having a stimulating conversation over a good cup of coffee.

Naomi J. Hardy brings over 25 years in HR Management and Employee/Leadership
Development which includes strategic and tactical human resources, domestic and international
human resources in marine geosciences, geotechnical engineering, oil and gas, subsea
technology, and manufacturing. She brings over 10 years’ experience and education in the
effective Change Management arena. Add to her list non-profits and small to medium sized
businesses, working with executives to keep employees engaged and reduce liability through
providing structured process.

Certifications include: Certified John Maxwell Coach and Facilitator, Certified in Change
Management (PROSCI), Certified DISC Assessment Facilitator; Qualifying MBTI; Certified
Career and Life Coach and Certified Relationship Coach.

Naomi has served on the local board of the Society for Human Resource Management
Association (SHRM) - HRHouston, the board of the Houston Chapter National Black MBA
Association , a member of the National Black MBAs Conference Ops Team for 14 years, board
member and founder of the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources
(NAAAHR-Houston Chapter) and served as Regional VP for NAAAHR on the National Board.
She is a Leadership Houston Class of XXV graduate and a graduate of the Project Blueprint
Houston programs.

Naomi uses her education, experience and knowledge to provide solutions that enhance the
effectiveness of small and medium businesses.

Madison Narges was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and graduated in 2019 from The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire with a bachelor's degree in environmental politics. She moved to Houston in 2020 and has enjoyed learning more about the community and history of the area. Madison has previously served two AmeriCorps terms in Utah and Nevada, focusing on environmental restoration and education. She is excited to be working with a non-profit that focuses on community outreach and development as the social media development vista. In her free time, she enjoys being a new mother to her daughter Reign, and finding places to hike and camp.
 

La'Shundria Penny Small is a Houston Native from Sunnyside of the South Park community. She graduated from the University of Houston-Downtown with her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Associates in Arts from Houston Community College in 2017. “It’s the ART side of me that has my passion blooming to keep working and helping communities reach their full potential.”

She has assisted the College of Public Service Department in supporting 70 UHD/H.E.A.R.T Students with Intellectual Disabilities to graduate with their Continuing Education Certificate at UHD since 2017. Mrs. Small has mentored and volunteered with many nonprofit organizations over the years. 
 

I am a Houston native growing up on the westside, known today as the Energy Corridor. My
adventurous spirit led me to becoming an avid scuba driver and jumping out of airplanes. My
international travels opened my eyes to needs of the world. Being a single parent and not being able to
travel extensively, I found ways to give my time and talents by working in accounting and human
resources for multiple Houston non-profits. The work was rewarding and allowed me to grow my talents
and knowledge of the non-profit world. I have come to appreciate the complexities of missionary versus
administration.

In 2013, I relocated to Brookshire, TX and became active in the church. The Associate Pastor began a
summer reading program which led to reading to the students in the elementary school each Friday.
This experience taught me the staggering statistics of 1 in 4 children do not learn how to read. A
discussion took place in October 2017 on how best to address the lack of reading. God placed his calling
and vision on my heart. Take an old, dilapidated school bus and transform it into a state of art mobile
library to restore hope by eliminating the barriers created by poverty, limited opportunities, limited
English, and a lack of transportation by taking library services, tutoring, reading programs, and other
resources directly into the community.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, road trips, my dogs, gardening, and gathering around the table with
friends, family, and strangers for engaging conversations and a good cup of coffee.

Daniel Brown is native of a small town in the state of Louisiana.  He's been a resident of Houston, TX since 2006  and is proud to call Houston his home. Daniel is a leader amongst many and spends a great deal of time serving the community with a smile. With a Business Management background, Daniel expresses and lives the ideal of "People First" and continuously strives to have intentional interactions daily. Daniel is a speaker for the youth and a small business owner. 

In his downtime, Daniel plays tennis, loves to cook, and is a lover of nature. 

Sonya Gooden is a proud native of Houston, Texas. She has an extensive background in Customer Service and Billing which has allowed her to be in various roles and leadership positions. She has also been able to use her skills from the hotel industry to do community activities such as planning and decorating for events and helping to build working relationships with organizations. Sonya also worked on her team as part of the morale committee to keep employees abreast of always winning as a team and reminding everyone of their importance to each other. In her spare time, Sonya is an actress and model who loves arts and crafts and traveling.

Theotis Williams is a Houston native from the Third Ward community. Working to make the community a better place is my passion, so I've spent the last few years working or volunteering with different nonprofits, like United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat For Humanity, and the St. Bernard Project. I've also spent time mentoring at-risk youth in San Antonio and Houston areas. 

Outside of work, I usually spend most of my time cooking, tutoring, volunteering with the youth department at my church, or binge-watching anything Superhero related.