ABOUT US

Hello, my name is Jakira Jones-Ford, and I am excited to join the team as an Outreach Specialist with Reconnect to Opportunity. My role will primarily be based out of the Kent School District helping youth and young adults reconnect with school and/or job opportunities. I worked in pharmacy for quite some time but started to realize how many youth and young adults were disengaging from school and/or homeless and wanted to do more to help my community. I left the pharmacy and started working as a youth outreach specialist for a couple of years and then started working as a youth peer counselor in family behavioral health. In my free time, I spend a lot of time with my 3 children. I have a 12-year-old daughter, a 9-year-old son, and a 5-year-old daughter and they are heavily into sports so I’m usually attending practice or games. I look forward to supporting the community!

Driven by a desire to uplift community, Korey actively engages in various initiatives and programs aimed at improving educational opportunities for all. As an advocate for public education, he tirelessly works towards ensuring that every student has equal access to a quality education regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. He firmly believes that education is the key to empowering individuals and strengthening communities. Korey earned his associate degree from Pierce College, Bachelors degree in interdisciplinary studies from Central Washington University, Masters Degree in Leadership from City of Seattle, and is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Education in Leadership also from City University. In his free time, he loves spending intentional time with his daughters.

Hi there, my name is Jhordyn Duell! I am currently a twenty-three-year-old trying to navigate through life. I’ve been working in the community for the past three (nearly four) years, and I’ve really grown to love it, which is exactly why I chose to join the ReOpp team as an Outreach Specialist. As someone who didn’t have knowledge of resources like Reconnect to Opportunity before, and even after I graduated high school, I found myself feeling lost. I graduated in 2017, and I didn’t have a real game plan for what was next. Now that I’m here in 2022, I’ve done so much work within the community, and I’ve been exposed to some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. I want to be part of the reason a young adult can successfully make their way into the world after high school doing what they want to do, regardless of where they come from, and what trials they’ve experienced. Nobody should feel lost or limited to anything, so with all that said, let’s get started!

Since graduating college, I have worked in the non-profit sector and really enjoy collaborating with youth and their families. I would like to one day retire in a small coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico and have a little corner store. In my free time I like to go on adventures with my family and take my son, Nazario, to cool places that he will not remember because he is eight months old.

I was born and raised in Seattle. I went to Washington State University and received my degree in Human Development. Ever since then I have been working for non-profits supporting youth in the greater Seattle area. I’m excited to join this team and work to support all the amazing work that’s already being done. In my free time I enjoy traveling anywhere with lots of sun, going to concerts and paddle boarding during the summers.

Panome Thilaphanh was born in Thailand and she and her family immigrated to the United States when she was 1-years-old and has lived in Washington for most of her life. She has always had a calling to the social work profession and has been in the social service field for approximately ten years. More specifically she is dedicated to working with children, youth, and families. She received her Bachelor of Social Welfare and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Washington. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

I am a highly motivated individual who has had diverse experiences working with youth, and I’m excited that it’s led me to be part of a team with such dedicated work. I am a born and raised Seattleite who attended O’dea High School, and Washington State University (Go Cougs!). In my free time I enjoy hiking, traveling, and I’m an avid Seattle sports fan.