“There comes a point when we must stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
“There comes a point when we must stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they are falling in.”
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
StellaNova Foundation is a Houston-based 501(c)3 organization whose mission is to provide funding for local organizations which support responsible mental health care to those in need. Such groups provide services to Houstonians who may not have access to, or resources for, care and treatment.
The Foundation and its mission are funded by donations from the public and private sector, as well as the proceeds of special events staged for that purpose.
Founded in 2020, the Foundation is currently making distributions to Guitars 4 Vets, The Purple Heart Project, AHEPA Service Dogs for Warriors, the Montrose Center, and Healthcare for the Homeless - Houston, among others.
Meet the team leading the way for the StellaNova Foundation!
Doug Harris
Executive Director
Doug Harris’ career as a broadcast marketing professional spanned forty years and connected him to projects in 27 countries on 5 continents. A former Billboard Magazine Marketing Director of the Year and the recipient of dozens of industry accolades, this native Houstonian has a proven track record of generating awareness and revenue for dozens of charitable causes.
As he now turns his attention to the needs of those with mental health issues in his hometown, Harris calls on his experience as a branding specialist and event producer to connect those in need with available resources. A 2011 inductee of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame who now serves as its Executive Director, Harris is a member of the Critics’ Choice Association and a past-president of the Houston Film Critics Society.
Tom Richards
Treasurer
Tom Richards has been a member of the Houston media community since 1981, when he joined the KLEF-FM air staff. Since then, he has demonstrated his on-air versatility, working in a variety of formats: classical, adult contemporary, classic rock, jazz, and blues. In addition to his on-air work, Richards has served in a variety of broadcast management roles, including General Manager, Station Manager, Operations Manager, and Program Director.
For over a decade, Richards was the Executive Director of Houston Media Source, a nonprofit corporation that operates the city’s public access radio and television stations and provides media production classes to members of the community. Prior to that, he was General Manager of KRTS-FM, Houston’s classical radio station. Currently, Richards is working toward a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Houston Christian University.
In his role as a member of the Stella Nova Executive Board, Richards serves as Coordinator of Music Initiatives, combining his passions for music and mental health. As part of this endeavor, the Stella Nova Foundation has recently helped to relaunch the Houston chapter of Guitars 4 Vets, a program which provides instruments and lessons to military veterans who are being treated for PTSD and other mental health issues related to their service.
Richards was born in Houston and grew up in Nassau Bay, right across the street from NASA, during the Apollo moon mission era. He is a graduate of Rice University and a devotee of most styles of music, from the Rolling Stones to Rachmaninov.
Caroline Devine
Secretary
The journey from the classroom to the boardroom is an unusual career path but one which served former schoolteacher Caroline Devine well on her way to becoming one of the most respected women in broadcasting. An inductee of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, Mrs. Devine has led successful sales and programming teams at several Texas radio stations and now lends her considerable skills to furthering the mission of the StellaNova Foundation.
A retired grandmother of 6, Caroline and her family split their time between homes in Houston and Kerrville.