YOUTH
EMPOWERMENT
PERFORMANCE
PROJECT
Director of Services
Theo Alexander Sullivan
Theo (they/he) is a facilitator, poet, editor, and educator who grew up in Tampa, Fl, and received his master's degree from New York University, having graduated in 2019 with a master of arts in digital anthropology. He serves as the Director of Services at YEPP! His work days are spent managing the Resource and Health Advocacy team, and improving the larger Youth Services department.
Theo holds expertise in meditating sensitive discussions, and managing interpersonal relationships. Part of this comes from his background as a polyamory and sex educator, as well as a consultant for IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) values in nonprofit and academic settings. They started working with Black and Indigenous youth at the age of 17, serving on a youth board in Hillsborough Country, FL as part of Community Tampa Bay, and later on, volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Spring Hill. Theo also has a long history of working in interfaith spaces, stemming from their academic study of religion and spirituality as an undergraduate and master’s student. Notably, he worked with NYU’s Of Many Interfaith center as a liaison between students and all 51 chaplains from different faiths, including Sikhism, Buddhism, Catholicism, Judaism, and more.
Growing up with a twin sibling, and as one of 5 kids in his family, has taught Theo the importance of co-regulation, and also the importance of healthy boundaries/avoiding emotional projection. When you’re grouped together with someone for the majority of your life, it teaches you a lot about conflict resolution, but also highlights the importance of human dignity in the process– which he brings into every interpersonal space with him. One thing Theo is immensely proud of recently accomplishing is having his creative work published for the first time in 2020, as well as prioritizing his mental health during the pandemic by beginning trauma therapy.
Theo is passionate about many things! A self-proclaimed nerd, he loves writing speculative fiction and poetry, storytelling in all mediums (including movies and TV), fandom culture, self expression through creative adornment, as well as creating and enjoying music. In the future, his goals are to continue living for pleasure and peace first, and to always provide spaces for loved ones to feel safe and secure (himself included).