MEET THE TEAM

  • Ikimi Dubose-Woodson

    CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • Caprice Howard

    EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR

  • Nikoshie 'Nikki' Handy

    SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR

  • Michelle Michon

    EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Ikimi Dubose-Woodson

Nonprofit executive, hospitality changemaker and DE&I champion, Ikimi Dubose-Woodson is using her two decades of experience in hospitality to change the face of the wine industry. In 2020, she co-founded The Roots Fund, a nonprofit organization committed to helping more people of color gain access to the wine industry. As Chief Executive, Ikimi oversees The Roots Fund’s scholarship program for over 200 people which includes educational programming, enrichment trips, mentoring, career consulting,  mental health support, directs their massive fundraising effort, and advises wineries and other partners on their diversity, equity and inclusion work. 

Raised in Brooklyn, Ikimi got her start through a scholarship opportunity from an organization called C-CAP  in high school that led to her first job at the World Trade Center Marriott as a silver polisher.  She attended Johnson & Wales, fine tuning her culinary and hospitality management skills. Ikimi’s career led her to travel the world. Through these management roles, she found her true passion was mentoring the next generation, which inspired her to pursue Nonprofit Executive Leadership at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.


Since starting The Roots Fund, Ikimi has become an outspoken advocate for social change and has championed equity and inclusion throughout the hospitality and beverage industry. She regularly appears on panels on topics of DE&I within organizations and recruitment and was named a 2022 Wine Enthusiast Future 40 Tastemakers and Innovators and has been quoted by the New York Times on wine industry diversity efforts.

Caprice Howard

Above all things, Caprice Howard is an educator at her core with a true passion for helping people connect to ideas that expand their vision of who they are and all that they have the potential to become. Although new to the world of wine, Caprice has over a decade of experience in educational leadership and program management. She is deeply informed by a belief that education and learning, at any age, are inherently liberatory activities with the power to shift trajectories. She loves all things programming, learning, and curriculum development. 

Caprice attended Emory University and Arizona State University and holds a BS in Urban and Metropolitan Studies and a Master’s of Education in Curriculum Design from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 

When she is not working, Caprice loves to write poetry, travel, study holistic wellness and astrology, and listen to music on vinyl.

The work Caprice gets to do with The Roots Fund Incorporated is an extension of the work she wants to probably do for the rest of my life—connecting people to liberatory educational opportunities and disrupting systems.

Nikoshie “Nikki” Handy

Nikki is originally from Houston, Texas and now resides in Jackson, MS area. She loves to share her wine journey and invite her community to become educated about wine.

As she continues her wine education journey, she’s excited to teach people who look like her how to get into wine education, wine tastings, and show them the different careers they can have in the wine industry.

She is also a wine content creator, Roots Fund scholar & social media engagement coordinator, and brand ambassador for The Wino Shop.

Michelle Michon

Michelle Michon lives in Katy, TX, but grew up in Downingtown, PA. Michelle grew up with a single African American mother who instilled many qualities in her but most importantly to speak up for those that don’t have a voice. She received her BS at Immaculata University and Masters at the University of Texas. She has been an executive assistant for over ten years and has enjoyed and learned much from each experience. During COVID, she decided to learn the Korean language. She is able to read, write, and speak the language. Shortly after, she got a job in Seoul, Korea as an executive assistant. She felt that being able to learn and experience a different culture was truly an incredible and eye-opening experience. She is married with two puppies, Buddy and DJ. During her spare time she plays slow-pitch softball, tennis, and golf.

Fun Fact: If you’re a baseball fan, she used to be a ballgirl for the Philadelphia Phillies.