Hopebound Staff

Dr. Michael Stevens is a nonprofit executive with 18 years of experience in youth development. Dr. Stevens currently serves as the Executive Director of Hopebound, a nonprofit organization that exists to ensure that every young person aged 10-18, especially those who hold marginalized identities, has access to therapy. Hopebound takes care of the youth of today while training the therapists of tomorrow to provide quality mental health care that is radically inclusive and norm-defying in its centering of BIPOC, queer, and low income communities.

Prior to Hopebound, Dr. Stevens had an extensive career with City Year. He started his career in service as a founding AmeriCorps member with City Year in Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Stevens would later hold various leadership roles with City Year across multiple locations nationally. These locations include Washington D.C., Jacksonville, FL, Buffalo, NY and the national office in Boston, MA. During his tenure, he achieved a number of critical milestones in service to students and communities around the country. Some of those include securing a $1.5M grant from the Health Equity Fund to support the economic mobility of AmeriCorps Members who are parents and/or caregivers over the next three years in partnership with LIFT-DC. Dr. Stevens was recognized in the Buffalo Business Journal as a 2021 C-Level Executive for Excellence for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Stevens has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Keuka College, a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from the University of the District of Columbia, a Master’s in Education from Northeastern University, and completed his Ed.D in Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY.

As Chief Community Officer, Tenijah Hamilton stewards the growth and development of the Hopebound community through relationship building and partnership cultivation. A seasoned strategist and storyteller, Tenijah is also charged with building out the narrative framework of the organization to further evangelize the important work Hopebound undertakes.

Since earning her Bachelors in Mass Communications, Creative Writing and Film and Media studies from the University of West Georgia, Tenijah has worked at the intersection of youth and social impact. Most recently she led the very first youth facing program for NOVA on PBS, the longest running primetime science documentary series, further cementing her dedication to empowering the next generation.

In addition to her work at Hopebound, Tenijah hosts and produces a podcast called Bring Birds Back about conservation efforts by formal and citizen scientists that are impacting birds, through the lens of intersectionality and environmental justice. In her spare time she can be found hanging out with her partner Ryan and their very chatty cat Aotearoa, in Atlanta where they live.

Ian brings over a decade of experience in education and nonprofit management with a strong focus on operations, team culture, project and event management, and executive support. Ian began their career in the classroom, working as an English teacher at the high school and college level (and briefly at the early childhood and elementary level), but they fell in love with all things operations during their tenure as Chief of Staff for Teach For America Memphis, where they did everything from leading an office move and design project to revamping and designing all-team engagements like staff meetings and retreats. Outside of that work, Ian helped raise Teach For America Nashville’s alumni engagement efforts to the second highest in the network during their tenure as Manager of Alumni Engagement, acted as founding Director of College Counseling at Carver Collegiate in New Orleans, and taught for City University of New York’s CUNY Start program. Most recently, Ian has served as a chief of staff consultant through vChief, working with nonprofit clients like Jeremiah Program and Teach For America on drafting and communicating COVID-19 policies and return to office plans, designing and managing each stage of the hiring and onboarding processes, and project managing multimillion-dollar grants.

Ian is motivated by creating a work culture where everyone feels joyful and open to bringing their whole selves to the table, where humor and fun thrive, and where folks feel known and loved within operational systems, which is why they are so excited to join the Hopebound team. Hopebound’s mission and vision immediately inspired Ian; growing up queer in the South, strong mental health supports would have been revolutionary, and Ian dreams of a world where all kids– especially those most marginalized– have the tools to best love and care for themselves.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Ian is passionate about our empowerment and advocacy; one of Ian’s proudest accomplishments (pun intended) was starting two first-in-the-district Gay Straight Alliances in Georgia (as a student) and Tennessee (as a teacher). Ian also enjoys cooking, horror films, food and wine, drag queens and drag scenes, and writing everything from poetry to screenplays to their first novel.

During her career, Araya has supported the operations of various small businesses and nonprofit organizations. She earned her Masters in Business Administration as well as her Masters of Public Administration with a focus on nonprofit management. Araya went on to work with programs supporting people living with HIV/AIDS, those dealing with various mental health issues, as well as folks from underserved communities.