Board of Directors
Board members of Rise Scholarship Foundation, Inc.:
Jena Young- Co-Founder
Jena is a mother of two children, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from Mt. Vernon College in Washington D.C. She worked as an interior designer and in the design business in California and Georgia. Since having children, she has actively volunteered and is a patron to many civic and non- profit organizations, such as The Atlanta Speech School, Sophia Academy, Fernbank Museum, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, The Atlanta Ballet, Parent to Parent of Georgia, Garden Club of America, and The Children’s museum of Atlanta. As founder of Rise Scholarship Foundation, Inc. her professional involvements include membership in the Member of Learning Disabilities Association of America and Member of SmartKids with Learning Disabilities. Her passion lies with researching alternative and nutritional therapies for the treatment of ADHD.
Stephen T. Young- Co- Founder
Steve attended Georgia Southern College and is currently the Vice President of General Wholesale Company in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served and/or is currently on the board of directors at the Madison- Morgan Cultural Center, Christ School in Asheville, North Carolina, South Carolina Beer Wholesalers Association and National Beer Wholesalers Association. Steve and his two brothers (Bill and Howard) established an endowment athletic and Neel Reid Memorial scholarship at the University of Georgia in honor of their parents. In 2009, he and his family were honored as the family of the year, at University of Georgia, for their outstanding loyalty and service to the community, the University and the Alumni Association. He is actively supportive of research for pancreatic cancer through Translational Genomics Research Institute (Tgen), and is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Tanya Thomas
Tanya lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her husband and three children. She holds a Bachelors of Art degree with a concentration in accounting and finance from Mount Vernon College and a Masters of Taxation from The American University. In addition, Tanya is a licensed CPA and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Tanya’s professional career has been in the accounting and taxation area, both in private industry with a large hotel corporation, and in the public accounting industry. Tanya currently volunteers for various positions at her children’s school, and as athletic volunteers for the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). She and her husband are actively involved in the charitable organizations of the Wounded Warrior Project and The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Jessica DeHart
Jessica is the mother of three teenage sons and the founder of A Brilliant Life Foundation. She graduated from the University of West Georgia with Bachelors of Business Administration in Marketing. After years of working in marketing, sales and teaching ice skating to school age children, in 2007, Jessica found her niche with A Brilliant Life Foundation. She is dedicated to teaching America’s youth how to be all they were created to be. She teaches in public and private schools, the home school community, nonprofits, community centers, and writes curriculum for nonprofits such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. In 2007, Jessica was selected #76 out of 1000 “People who are making a difference in America’s schools.”