• 8313 Telegraph Rd. #448 • Odenton, MD 21113
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We are Helping Ourselves to Transform

Helping Ourselves to Transform (HOTT) is a community-based, trauma-informed nonprofit organization and Social Justice & Research Institute dedicated to empowering youth, young adults, families, and justice-impacted individuals through prevention, education, leadership development, workforce readiness, mentoring, advocacy, reentry support, research, and collaborative community partnerships. Through evidence-informed services, policy advocacy, and data-driven solutions, HOTT works to strengthen families, advance justice, reduce violence and justice system involvement, and build safer, healthier, and more resilient communities.

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Our Expert Team

We are grounded in the lived experiences of those most impacted, leading with purpose, strength, and unwavering commitment.

Dedication and Focus

An unwavering commitment to building a more just, equitable, and liberated society by dismantling systemic barriers, advancing policy change, and empowering communities.

Empowering Voices      ✦
Strengthening Families      ✦
Transforming Communities      ✦
Empowering Voices      ✦
Strengthening Families      ✦
Transforming Communities
Empowering Voices      ✦
Strengthening Families      ✦
Transforming Communities      ✦
Empowering Voices      ✦
Strengthening Families      ✦
Transforming Communities
Who We Are

Vision Statement

HOTT envisions a future where every youth, family, and justice-impacted individual has equitable access to opportunity, healing, education, justice, and hope. Through innovation, research, advocacy, and community collaboration, we strive to transform systems, strengthen communities, and create a society where every person has the opportunity to thrive and reach their fullest potential.

RECENT NEWS

OUR INTERNS

University Student Engagement, Professional Development, and Community Leadership Initiative.

HOTT welcomes students pursuing studies in criminal justice, sociology, psychology, social work, human services, case management, law, and related disciplines, including students from Bowie State University and the University of Maryland, College Park, both located in Prince George’s County.

 

We are developing future professionals who understand the importance of family, community responsibility, service, and never forgetting where they come from.

We teach students that success carries a responsibility to reach back, uplift others, and become positive role models and mentors for the next generation.

How Students Support HOTT’s Mission

Under appropriate supervision, students may participate in:

  • Youth and young adult mentoring and leadership development.
  • Trauma-informed community outreach and family engagement.
  • Case management assistance, participant follow-up, and resource referrals.
  • Program coordination, documentation, and data collection.
  • Social justice advocacy, legislative research, and community education.
  • Violence prevention, educational enrichment, and workforce readiness activities.

Through these opportunities, students gain valuable professional experience while strengthening HOTT’s ability to support youth, young adults, and families throughout Prince George’s County.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Veda Chadalavada

Interning at HOTT has helped me improve my policy research and writing skills, bringing me closer to my future career goals! My work has largely focused on researching policies across the east coast, tracking policies in Maryland, and researching academic studies.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Michael Distler

I learned the importance of networking and making good connections within the area of your work. I learned the ins and outs of state government and how to build a coalition around a project.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Kelci Dansie

Interning here has taught me a lot about how important consistency and confidence are when working in the legislative world. Having consistent contact and meetings made a difference in helping us get this project in front of so many different people and build the support we needed to keep things moving forward. Getting to be on the ground, actively pushing this work, has been an invaluable experience.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Jaylen Dillard

During my internship with Helping Ourselves To Transform (HOTT) organization, I’ve gained insight into how organizations evaluate their strengths and challenges, use data and feedback to guide decisions, and implement structured change initiatives.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Adeysha Crowder

Through my internship with Helping Ourselves Transform (HOTT), I have gained valuable exposure to community advocacy, youth empowerment initiatives, and the inner workings of nonprofit organizations focused on justice reform and community development.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Jaida Mosley

During my internship, I learned the importance of communication and teamwork when working toward a shared goal.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Herman Williams IV

Through interning with HOTT, I learned how communities advocate for change, increase policy awareness, and promote social justice concepts.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Leslie Dunn

At Helping Ourselves to Transform, I’ve learned the value of advocacy and the importance of persistence.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Nailah Killingsworth

Interning at Helping Ourselves To Transform has allowed me to reach a deeper understanding of mass incarceration and the advocacy and legislative efforts working to challenge it.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Ana Ramirez

Through my internship with Helping Ourselves to Transform (HOTT), I’ve gained a deeper understanding of how advocacy, policy work, and community programs come together to create meaningful change.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Gerald Hatchett III

As a member of the Research and Survey Team at Helping Ourselves to Transform, I gained firsthand insight into the inner workings of policy development and legislative research.

Intern Profiles

Profile on Past Interns: Jala Harris

During my time at Helping Ourselves to Transform, I learned the importance of using lived experience and trauma-informed approaches to support vulnerable communities.

Building the Next Generation of Community Leaders

HOTT’s student engagement model creates a continuous cycle of learning, service, and leadership. Today’s students become tomorrow’s social workers, advocates, mentors, case managers, legal professionals, and community leaders.

Core Focus Areas

We advocate for policies that benefit the community, with a focus on social justice and equity. We work to eliminate disparities and barriers, promoting inclusivity and opportunity for all.

Our Services

Affiliations & Partnerships

Congressman Glenn Ivey's Advisory Board for Re-Entry
Maryland Equitable Justice Collaborative (MEJC) Committee(s) & Sub-committee(s)
The National Congress of Black Women Inc. Lifetime Board Member
Member of The Ladies of HOPE Ministries, Inc.
Member of the Women Over Dinner
Director of Court Watch & Judicial Accountability-LAR of Prince George's County
Member of DPSCS - Lived Experience Committee and MCI-Women's Subcommittee
Partner with The George Washington University Law Center Pro Bono program
Member of the Maryland Agriculture Council, Inc.
Partner with The Court Services and Offenders Supervision Agency (CSOSA)
Board Member of CCE Council for Court of Excellence
Member of Progressive Prison Ministries
Board Member of The Uplift - "Together We Rise"
Member of Progressive Maryland- REWG
Speaker's Bureau, Member of First Alliance Consulting, LLC
Member of the National Criminal Justice Association
Member of ACTCP - ADA Legal Advocate Trainee
Endorsed by Maryland Alliance Justice Reform, Montgomery County High School Volunteer Center -Montgomery County School System
Our Team

We’ve assembled a team of dedicated experts, advocates, and lived-experience leaders who combine professional expertise with personal commitment to advancing justice, healing, and systemic transformation. We are equally committed to mentoring and capacity-building, fostering emotional intelligence, and strengthening stakeholder relationships to ensure sustainable impact and lasting change.

Executive Board

Dr. Carmen Johnson

CEO

Sonja Owens

President

Crystal Combs

Vice President

Sonja Robertson

Secretary

Roland Carter

Senior Board Member

Alyima Williams

Board Member

Zormarah Lyda

Board Member

Kimberly Morton-Brown

Board Member

Marylin Pierre

General Counsel

Nasyr Chambers-Mathis

Junior Board Member

Eugene Stevenson

Treasurer/Accountant (Finance Director/CFO)

Armand Dávila

Web Developer

Helping Ourselves To Transform exists to make marked progress in Criminal Justice Reform.

Call to connect with us! (202) 674-6300
How We Deploy

Our Approach

We believe lasting change begins with community. Our approach connects people, resources, and institutions, aligning grassroots leadership with research and policy to strengthen equity, accountability, and opportunity. Through our programs and services on advocacy, education, mediation, and leadership development, we turn lived experience into action, building pathways for healing and systemic transformation.

01




Community-Based Participatory Research

We engage directly impacted communities to help with our researchers to produce knowledge that reflects lived realities and drives change from the ground up.
02




Survivor and System-Impacted Led Storytelling & Data Collection

We center the voices of those most affected, using narrative and qualitative data to expose systemic harm and inform transformative solutions.
03




Policy Briefs, Academic Publications & Public Campaigns

We translate community knowledge into powerful tools that influence legislation, shift public discourse, and inform institutional reform.
04




Leadership Training for Justice-Impacted Scholars & Advocates

Our national internship program partners with universities to equip justice-impacted individuals and students to combine lived experience with education, skills, and confidence to lead systemic change. By connecting grassroots leadership with research and policy, we advance equity, accountability, and opportunity. Through advocacy, education, mediation, and leadership development, we turn lived experience into action and build the next generation of changemakers.