Our Leadership

Dr. Tyfahra “Wakanda” Milele

Interim Executive Director

Tyfahra got her first taste of outdoor adventure on her Extra-Day Trips while attending the Thacher School, in Ojai California. There she fumbled asthmatically though switchbacks, bugs and even moderate hypothermia eagerly waiting to get back to civilization. It took a lot of practice to get comfortable backpacking in the outdoors when she had grown up in South Central, Los Angeles and had never been camping before. It wasn’t until her month long trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) that Tyfahra found her stride in the backcountry. She attended Oberlin College and the graduate program in Comparative Literature at University of California, Berkeley. While at Cal, Tyfahra discovered her love of teaching as an award-winning instructor and lecturer in undergraduate literature and composition courses for eight years.

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Mike Calhoun

Program Support

A native of Oakland, Mike comes to Camp Phoenix with more than 25 years of experience engaging and empowering youth. Mike’s career began early at the Boys & Girls Club, where he served as a teen member of the club’s junior staff and later as the social recreation director. After attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, Mike returned home to continue his pursuit to help engage, inspire and motivate young people. He served as the site director for the after-school program at West Oakland Middle School and as both a program director and camp director at the YMCA. When not “on-duty,” Mike can be found spending time with his daughter Brooklyn, fully immersed in a graphic design project, or watching horrible yet entertaining reality TV. He’s also an avid fan of WWE (Triple H is king!), the Dallas Cowboys, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Yankees.

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Phelena "Big Sister Almighty" Napper

Development Support

Phelena Napper is a fourth-generation educator and fundraising strategist from South Central Los Angeles. As a global education professional, Phelena has worked as both a teacher and administrator across four continents. As a fundraiser, Phelena has authored over $5 million in social impact grants in her consulting practice. As Camp Phoenix’s development director, her goal is to use her extensive background to create more experiential learning opportunities for Black and Brown children that lack access to year-round and summer enrichment activities.

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Meet Our Board of Directors

Camp Phoenix is a nonprofit organization that relies on our Board of Directors to provide strategic guidance and support throughout the year so all our programs remain top-notch. The Board also runs our committees, which include dedicated volunteers and help us tackle challenging and exciting tasks year-round to keep us growing strong. The Board meets frequently from January to July to make sure our organization stays full of joy, love and opportunity.