Harry G. Ford is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the President and Founder of Tezet Institute. He is charged with the development of Tezet’s clinical services, community trainings and workshops, and cultural consultation. Mr. Ford is responsible for the development and implementation of program operations and oversees the organization’s annual budgets and contracts. Harry Ford provides direct service to individuals and families as an Individual and Family Therapist. Mr. Ford directly supervises all of the agencies staff and interns, and is accountable for ensuring that all programs are consistent with the mission of the agency.

A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harry Ford holds a baccalaureate degree in Religious Studies from Augsburg College and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He is also a member of the Minnesota and National Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Harry serves as a lecturer at the University Wisconsin-Stout in the department of Human Development and Family Studies. Mr. Ford has also lectured on many current issues related to cultural awareness, work place and family policies, and clinical/helping skills training and development. In addition, Mr. Ford has served on the Board of Directors for Odyssey Charter School in Brooklyn Center.

KayeAnn Mason LICSW, Psychotherapist

KayeAnn Mason is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with a private practice in Saint Paul. She holds an undergraduate degree in Child Development and Psychology from Smith College, in Northampton, MA. She holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Counseling & Psychological Services from Saint Mary’s University Twin Cities. Her mental health practice provides assessment, diagnosis and treatment for children, adults, couples and families with an emphasis on culturally compassionate care for urban populations. She is the clinical consultant for Neighborhood House, Model Cities and Resource Inc. Additionally, she provides license supervision for therapists in training, with an emphasis on cultural competence and effective engagement with diverse populations.

Dr. Jesse L. Mason, Jr., Ph.D.

After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Morris Brown College in 2000, Dr. Mason was accepted into the Cognitive and Biological Psychology Program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Mason received several scholarships, fellowships, and awards which included The Equal Opportunity in Education Fellowship, PharmacoNeuroImmunology Training Grant, Dove Scholarship, and several travel awards. Dr. Mason was also a member of the Community of Scholars and a MacArthur Interdisciplinary Program on Global Change, Sustainability and Justice Scholar. Dr. Mason has spent his professional career engaged in both research and applied programming in the areas of health and educational disparities. Working with Dr. Dorothy Hatsukami and the University of Minnesota Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research Center, he completed and is currently preparing for publication studies investigating ethnic/racial differences in nicotine metabolism, ethnic/racial differences in exposure and detoxification of smoking related carcinogens, and the role of acculturation in smoking behaviors among Blacks, and Exploring and Redefining Masculinities. Dr. Mason presented some of his research findings at such conferences as Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, American Association of Community Colleges, National Council for Black Studies, and the National Institute of Drug Abuse: Frontiers in Addiction Research mini-conference at the Society of Neuroscience Annual meeting. In addition, he has presented his work for several local organization and student association.

Dr. Mason received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Cognitive and Biological Psychology in January 2007 with a specialty in behavioral pharmacology. He has worked as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Programs in Health Disparities Research, several programs and non-profits working with young men with emotional and behavioral disorders and adolescent offenders. Dr. Mason is a former Assistant Professor of Psychology at the College of St. Catherine (where he continues to adjunct). He was a 2010 policy fellow with the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership’s (MMEP) African American Male Advisory. He served as chair of the MMEP’s African American Male Education Advisory 2011-2012. Dr. Mason is currently a Faculty member at Minneapolis Community and Technical College where he is coordinator of the Social Science Division. He is also founder and coordinator of the African American Education Empowerment Program and coordinator of the Student African American Brotherhood. Dr. Mason is also a 2012-2013 Humphrey School of Public Policy Fellow.

Amanda Borde is a Biracial (Trinidadian and European) mental health professional. She is a MN LICSW, with expertise in culturally specific mental health services for African American, Biracial, and Multiracial clients. She has extensive expertise in working with individuals, children, couples and families that have complex trauma clinical presentations. She is also TF-CBT trained and EMDR level two trained and uses these techniques regularly with adult, adolescent, and children clients. Another technique she uses frequently with her clients is play and art therapy, with a culturally-mindful/TF-CBT approach. She provides clinical supervision and training to interns as a field instructor at the University of Minnesota Graduate School of Social Work, and staff who work in school-based, in-home, residential and out-patient settings. She also maintains a small weekly caseload of challenging clients, in addition to consulting with agencies, businesses, and schools about incorporating more culturally-mindful, ethical, and proficient services.

Ms. Borde has a Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Michigan State University. She has also completed 81 credits towards a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Degree, and her area of research is focused on developing biracial (Black/White) racial identity and developing parenting programs that seek to help parents who are parenting a child that does not racially look like them. She is on an advisory board and is a volunteer with Girls Group INC, which is a girls group, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that provides identity development, academic, and social activities to African American and Multi-racial high school and middle school females who are primarily from lower socio-economic backgrounds.


Ms. Borde is currently the Behavioral Health Director at African American Family Services (AAFS); she supervises three different departments within the organization including a Rule 29 outpatient mental health department, a Rule 31 outpatient chemical health department, and a Family Services department. When she is not managing the daily operations of AAFS she is   working on innovative evidenced-based culturally specific program development, which helps AAFS maintain its reputation as a thought leader within the field of behavioral health services. Amanda’s knowledge and clinical skills are highly regarded and respected by her clients, colleagues, and staff; she is experienced as an invaluable team member and thoughtful leader of AAFS Behavioral Health Services.

Marques Armstrong, Executive Director of Imani Youth and Family Services attended Metropolitan State University and has 16 years of experience working with youth and families in the capacities of mental health case manager, mental health practitioner, youth and family advocate, youth counselor and group facilitator.  Mr. Armstrong was a child development technician and behavioral specialist for Minneapolis Public Schools.  He was also the facilitator for the Men of Zion, Young Dad’s Program and a member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Mental Health Collaborative, ensuring service coordination across social service organizations and agencies. Mr. Armstrong is a trained community organizer and public policy advocate and a CPEO (connecting parents to educational opportunities) facilitator for Minneapolis Public Schools. He most recently worked at North Point Health and Wellness Center in the role of family facilitator and has a passion for working with families and youth from disadvantaged circumstances.