The Pod with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation

Following a unanimous vote from the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) Commission in January 2019, Corey Wilson accepted its offer to become the 6th Superintendent in the agency's 75-year history. Prior to that Wilson served as the in-house attorney and administrative executive for BREC. In his role as Chief of Management and Business Services, he oversaw the administrative departments of Human Resources, Finance, Internal Audit, Communications, and Information Technology as well as handled all legal matters for the organization which has approximately 1,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $150 million.Corey Wilson currently serves as an instructor at National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Directors School training future agency leaders from around the country. He has also presented at conferences such as NRPA, Louisiana Recreation and Park Association (LRPA), and Southwest Parks and Recreation Training Institute. Wilson is a member of the NRPA Ethnic Minority Society and is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP). In 2019, Wilson became a Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) Visitor, serving in the capacity of visiting agencies and evaluating compliance with standards. In 2021, Corey became a City Parks Alliance Board Member.Prior to starting work with BREC in December 2012, Wilson worked as an entrepreneur for 10 years in New Orleans as an owner and managing member of a financial consulting and real estate development firm. Wilson served as the lead consultant with FEMA on several significant projects in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and was a co-developer in the $20 million development of St. Bakhita Apartment Homes in Marrero. Wilson attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he graduated as the top accounting major in 1996. Following a brief stint as a staff accountant for a major public accounting firm, Wilson obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2001.Corey Wilson is a board member of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, a member of 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge, a 2014 graduate of Baton Rouge Area Chamber's Leadership Program and a 2020 graduate of the Council for a Better Louisiana Leadership Program. Wilson also volunteered as a court appointed special advocate for CASA of Baton Rouge which helps foster children find permanent homes. Corey Wilson resides in Baton Rouge with his loving wife Kay, their beautiful daughter Naima and a mixed Labrador, Cookie. He still enjoys sports as much as he did in high school and dabbles in photography in his spare time.To learn more about the work of BRAF, please visit our website at braf.org.

Dr. Chantelle Varnado, Executive Director of Launch, has been working with children with disabilities and their families for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. She worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for 14 years in Livingston Parish Public Schools and at Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2015, She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University. She founded Launch, a non-profit organization that serves children with disabilities and their families, in June of 2015. She has served as adjunct faculty, guest lecturer, and clinical supervisor for local universities since the time. She is a member of American Speech, Language and Hearing Association, Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She also works with Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, BREC's Inclusive Activities, Different Abilities, Incredible Kids of Denham Springs, STARS Soccer Club and numerous community organizations that promote extracurricular and inclusive activities for children with disabilities. Dr. Varnado lives in Denham Springs with her husband, Brad Varnado, of 21 years and two children Braden and Addison. To learn more about Launch, please visit www.launchpeds.com or Facebook @launchpeds. To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org.

Sara joined the Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana as the CEO in December 2013.   A fourth-generation resident of Lake Charles, she enjoys continuing the family tradition of being an active community member. She volunteers with the Junior League of Lake Charles, where she was named the 2013 Sustainer of the Year, and as a second-grade reading tutor at Oak Park Elementary School. With her husband, Mark, and 22-year-old daughter, Rachel, Sara enjoys participating in their church, First Presbyterian, and many community projects.To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org.

Adam was named president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber in April 2008. A native of Lake Charles, LA, he previously served as the deputy director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). Knapp was a key figure in the creation of the entity, which is designed to facilitate the state's recovery efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Prior to his LRA tenure, he served as economic development advisor to two governors and the policy director for Louisiana Economic Development (LED). At LED, he managed the department's economic policy initiatives, such as workforce development reform, entrepreneurial development, and risk capital accessibility. He directed the development and advancement of state legislative priorities, including the creation and refinement of important economic incentives, such as the Angel Investor Incentive, the Research and Development Tax Credit, the Film Investor Tax Credits, and the Quality Jobs Program. Under Governors Foster and Blanco, Knapp worked on economic policy and was also a vital part of the team that successfully recruited or retained such companies as Union Tank Car, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, and Albemarle Corporation, among others. Prior to state government, he worked for Accenture, one of the world's premier technology and management consultancy firms, as an emerging technology consultant. Knapp graduated from Davidson College in 1996 and also studied at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Susan Bonnett Bourgeois is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Northshore Community Foundation, having served in that role since its founding. The Foundation works to elevate philanthropy in the Northshore Region of Louisiana, including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and St. Helena Parishes.In 2006, Susan was chosen to execute a strategic vision and planning process for the developing Foundation because of her history in fundraising, community service and public policy. While living in Baton Rouge, her volunteer efforts with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, including serving as a Founding Board member of Forum 35, well positioned her lead the new Foundation with a firm understanding of the potential it held to impact the rapidly growing region. Before launching the Foundation, Susan owned Bonnett & Co., a governmental and public affairs consulting firm with clients across Louisiana. In addition to her work with candidates, she also represented insurance advocacy issues, local governments, and organized and managed political action committees.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Combining his 30 plus year history of public service with her 15 years of nonprofit leadership, Raymond A. Jetson and Sherreta R. Harrison form the dynamic, intergenerational co- leadership team at  MetroMorphosis, a Baton Rouge- based social enterprise focused on transforming communities. After completing a two-year fellowship on advanced leadership towards social impact at Harvard University, Raymond set about the business of creating a different approach to community change, one with a decidedly asset- based framing and focused on systems and structures. Informed by 15 years as a State Representative, 23 years as pastor of Star Hill Church, and as the deputy secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), Raymond founded MetroMorphosis with the understanding that lasting change had to emerge from and be sustained by those who stood to benefit most from it. As a result, one of MetroMorphosis' earliest strategies, the Urban Leadership Development Initiative (ULDI), involved mobilizing young and emerging leaders and equipping them to lead change that was meaningful to them.It was during the second cohort of ULDI that Raymond first encountered Sherreta. Driven by the desire to create access for those who have been historically denied it, Sherreta began teaching basic reading, writing and math skills to low- skilled adults before earning her Masters degree in Counselor Education. After working with families to improve the outcomes of adjudicated youth, Sherreta realized her passion lies in working with adults to help build stable families and communities. In 2013, she returned to her teaching and training roots providing capacity building services to nonprofit organizations before landing with MetroMorphosis in 2018, where she currently explores the intersection of organizational leadership, legacy building and community change.Together, Raymond and Sherreta have led the repurposing of barbershops into community hubs, the increasing of private spending with black and woman owned businesses and the cultivation of the next generation of change makers.Raymond is a leading voice on community change strategies, social innovation and the resurgence of elders in African American life, an Encore Public Voices Fellow, and along with his wife Tammy, is the proud parent of J'Erica Nicole and Jeremy Louis. Sherreta, an emerging authority on organizational leadership and member of the inaugural cohort of Encore's Gen2Gen Innovation Fellowship, is a loving aunt to 9 amazing people. Both Raymond and Sherreta reside in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Jacinda Townsend is the author of Mother Country (Graywolf, 2022), winner of the 2022 Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and Saint Monkey (Norton, 2014), which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Emily Chatelain is the Founder and Executive Director of local non-profit, Three O'Clock Project. Emily started her professional consulting company, School Food and Wellness Group in 2015 growing it to serve over 300 clients across 25 states today. Emily regularly volunteers in the nonprofit space as a speaker to discuss healthy eating or read books to elementary students. She has served nearly 6 million meals to school-age children throughout Louisiana.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Jennifer Armand was named Executive Director of the Bayou Community Foundation in December 2012, shortly after the Foundation was established.  In this role, Jennifer is responsible for managing and implementing the Foundation's operations, including BCF's nonprofit grant programs, nonprofit workshops and conferences, fund development, communications, community needs assessments and advocacy.A resident of Houma and native of Lafayette, Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from LSU.  Earlier in her career, she worked as a radio news director in Lake Charles, Press Secretary for the LA Dept. of Environmental Quality, and Public Affairs Coordinator for the Georgia Gulf manufacturing facility in Plaquemine, LA. In 1997, Jennifer and husband Matthew moved to Houma and founded the advertising and public relations firm Armand Creative.  Leading Bayou Community Foundation over the past decade, Jennifer's love for the special people, places and culture of the Bayou Region grows stronger every day.  While not a native of the bayou, she is now one of the region's biggest champions.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Sam Heisman is the Founding Head of School at Great Hearts Harveston, the first Great Hearts Academy to break ground in Louisiana.  The newly constructed campus will be opening in Baton Rouge for the 2023-2024 school year.His last name may sound familiar to you and for good reason.  The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college sports and named after John Heisman, the great great grand uncle of Sam Heisman.  John Heisman was the athletic director of the Downtown Athletic Club, the organization that created the award in 1935 to recognize “the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi.”  The award was named in his honor after his death in 1936 and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi.  John Heisman had a rich career in college athletics as a football player, a head coach, and an athletic director.Sam Heisman grew up the only boy in a family of six.  Although football was in his namesake, Heisman's favorite sport in high school was basketball.  He wasn't a naturally academic or gifted student.  “I didn't really know what hard work looked like in an academic context until college.  I realized that I had a lot of catching up to do.”He has a great love for poetry. Among his favorite poems are the Aeneid, Paradise Lost, and Sonnet 73. Heisman specified that it is not so much because of their content, but for the transformational experience he had while reading them, writing about them, or teaching them.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Susie Anders, owner of Anders Art Conservation, LLC has been conserving three-dimensional objects and sculpture for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and a Master of Arts degree with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Art Conservation from Buffalo State College.Prior to opening Anders Art Conservation, Susie worked in the conservation departments of The American Museum of Natural History, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, among others. Over the past 15 years, Anders Art Conservation has served many regional clients, including The Louisiana State Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Mobile Museum of Art, The Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. She holds a Professional Associate status within the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Artifacts (AIC). Ms. Anders lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her husband David, and their two girls.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Laura Tuggle has been the Executive Director of Southeast Louisiana Legal Services(SLLS) since May 2014 after beginning her career at SLLS in 1993. She previously managed SLLS' Housing Law Unit during the years immediately following Hurricane Katrina from 2005-2010. Over her public interest career, she has excelled in many areas including direct services, systemic work, and policy advocacy resulting in increased access to housing for special populations including the homeless, peopleliving disabilities, and disaster survivors. Impact litigation filed by Laura resulted in significant legal victories for low-income tenants including millions of dollars in federal relocation assistance and establishing a private right of action for voucher assisted tenants to challenge utility allowances in federal court. She is an author of the Federally Subsidized Housing Program portion of the Louisiana Legal Services Desk Manual and coauthor of the housing portion of the Brookings Institute New Orleans Index at 5.Laura has received national, state, and local awards for her work in the interest of housing justice. Laura graduated from LSU in 1984 and received her Juris Doctorate degree from Tulane Law School in 1987. She currently serves on the Board of the New Orleans Family Justice Center, Shared Housing, as Co-Chair of the Legal Services Corporation's National Disaster Task Force Relationship-Building and Integration ofLegal Services into the Nation's Emergency Management Infrastructure Committee, on the Louisiana Access to Justice Commission's Funding, Technology, Disaster, and Building Brides Committees and on the Louisiana State Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee. She was recently appointed to the Legal Services Corporation's Housing Task Force. She also serves on several task forces to improve civillegal services and housing opportunities for vulnerable people.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Dianna R. Payton is the CEO of the YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge. Dianna previously served as the Director of Community Investment for Capital Area United Way (CAUW). In this position, she oversaw the allocation of funds for 46 Community Partnership Agencies and 104 programs in the Capital Region. She also led the strategic development and execution of CAUW's first open-competitive Community Investment process in its 90-year history. ​Ms. Payton has managed non-profit programs and served as a grant writer for more than a decade at the local, state and national levels including serving as a Grants Consultant for Hanover Research an international research and grant writing firm in Washington, D.C. Prior to this, she gained extensive knowledge with the Louisiana Association for Community Action Partnerships (LACAP) as a Leveraging/Research Analyst where she was responsible for research, development and submittal of grant proposals for the association and its 42 membership Community Action Agencies. Ms. Payton also served as the Grants Administrator for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC), where she assisted eighteen Workforce Investment Boards with fostering strategic community relationships and identifying national practices to support individuals and companies impacted by massive layoffs such as the Deepwater Horizon/BP Oil spill, General Motors plant closure and Hurricane Gustav. Ms. Payton currently serves on the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, Partners for Progress and Capital City Family Health Center Board of Directors and is a newly appointed member of LSU Libraries Advisory Committee. She is also an active member of Capital Area Network, the Mayor's My Brother's Keeper Steering Committee and participated as a 2015 MetroMorphosis Urban Leadership Development Initiative Fellow. Ms. Payton is also a 2008 graduate of Leadership Baton Rouge. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Justin R. Ehrenwerth was appointed the second President and CEO of The Water Institute of the Gulf in January 2017. Prior to joining the Institute, Ehrenwerth served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council). The Council was created in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and charged with using billions of dollars in penalties to restore the Gulf Coast's economy and environment, and adapt in the face of climate change. Ehrenwerth successfully established the Council as an independent federal agency and oversaw all aspects of its programmatic, technical, and operational activities.Ehrenwerth previously served as Chief of Staff to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce where he assisted in overseeing issues of policy, budgeting, and strategic planning. He focused on matters impacting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) including complex regulatory and management challenges.Ehrenwerth has held leadership positions on a number of national political campaigns and has been active in the non-profit sector. He served as a Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Teaching Fellow as well as a Coro Fellow in Public Affairs. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Touro Synagogue as well as the Anti-Defamation League's South Central Region, and is a member of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development.To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org.

Meet the Board Chair and Vice Chair for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.Jennifer Eplett Reilly serves as the Board Chair of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and previously, the founding chair of New Schools for Baton Rouge. She has been engaged in civic leadership as co-founder of City Year Inc., founding executive director and president of Echoing Green Foundation, and leader of numerous innovative public-private partnerships in Louisiana. She also served as a strategic advisor to Mitchell Landrieu in his first term as lieutenant governor.Jeff Koonce serves as the Board Vice Chair of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and is a Partner of Bernhard Capital Partners. He serves as a member of the Investment Committee and is involved in all areas of the Firm's investment activities. Before joining Bernhard Capital Partners, he was a partner at Phelps Dunbar, LLP where he focused on federal and state taxation, business formations and business transactions. Jeff has been recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and Louisiana Super Lawyers and was recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” in tax law by The Best Lawyers in America.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

At Youth City Lab, the young are encouraged to find their own voices; to unite and harmonize them to get louder and clearer; to be heard by the people and policymakers who are shaping their future.Dustin LaFont is the Executive Director of Front Yard Bikes. When he was a public school teacher, Dustin began repairing bikes with a few neighborhood kids on his front yard in the summer of 2010. Demand grew and people rallied behind the project. Since then, FYB has served more than 2,000 children, who have fixed bikes to earn one of their own. With two after school sites and a full-service bike shop in Mid City, the nonprofit has become the largest community bike shop in the state and hopes to do even more with the amazing teens that champion the good work.Dr. Anna West is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Humanities Amped. For over 22 years, Anna has co-created multiple community youth organizations that focus on the intersection of humanities and social change. Humanities Amped is among them. She earned a PhD in English Education from Louisiana State University and a master's in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Christopher Csonka is the Executive Director of the East Baton Rouge Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (EBRCJCC). Chris Csonka will collaborate with local justice officials to reduce the local jail population. The goal is to create a framework where justice system officials can partner to implement reforms across the system, such as measures to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of case processing. The Foundation won a $350,000 Safety + Justice Challenge grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to work in this area.  Chris is a proud graduate from the University of Akron with his Bacherlor of Arts (B.A) of Philosophy.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Camille Manning-Broome is the President and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence, a  nonprofit that delivers visionary plans, model land use tools, and policy guidance to the state of  Louisiana and its local governments. Camille's leadership on issues around climate adaptation,  climate-induced migration, people-first infrastructure, and resident-led community planning has  contributed to the transformation of cities, towns and parishes throughout Louisiana, and her  expertise is sought out by peers across the globe. She has been instrumental in developing a  whole-of-government framework for integrating climate data and risk management into state  decision making. Her collaborations with international partners have placed Louisiana in the  center of the conversation around climate change issues, promoting a bold, inclusive, and  sustainable vision for the future while ensuring Louisiana maintains its unique strengths. Through  her work, Camille prioritizes resilience, equity, and preservation of cultural and social ties for all  residents, with emphasis on populations facing challenges associated with historical  disinvestment, land loss, and changing climate conditions. Camille works with CPEX's multidisciplinary team to provide data-driven, community-informed  assistance to actors seeking to make thoughtful decisions about future development. Under her  leadership, CPEX has leveraged significant federal, state and local resources and produced  comprehensive plans, model land-use tools, and implementation strategies for more than 50  Louisiana communities, advancing CPEX's ultimate mission: to bring people and planning  together to make great places. For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Dr. John Kirwan is Executive Director of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and holds the George A. Bray, Jr. Endowed Super Chair in Nutrition.  He also leads the Integrated Physiology and Molecular Metabolism Laboratory at Pennington Biomedical and is the Director/Principal Investigator of the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center.Dr. Kirwan's professional expertise includes over 30 years of research, teaching, and service in the obesity and diabetes fields. He received his clinical physiology training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, his PhD in Human Bioenergetics at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, his MSc in Exercise Biochemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, and his BA (Hons) from the University of Limerick, Ireland.Among his most important research contributions is the discovery that for a significant number of patients, diabetes can be cured by surgically altering the physiology of the intestine and stomach.   For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Elizabeth Hutchison is director of business development for the Employees 1st program. Previously, she worked for five years in philanthropic services for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Employees 1st is a program of the Employee Assistance Foundation—a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, public, non-profit organization. The program was started in 2005 by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Employees 1st allows companies to establish emergency assistance funds that are in place to award grants when employees are in need. For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Sage is a Baton Rouge native and a graduate of University High School and the University of Georgia.Before assuming the role of Executive Director in 2016, Sage served as a member of the Baton Rouge Green Board of Directors for 6 years, including 2 years as Board President. She has a long history working with a variety of non-profit organizations.  Sage lives in the Garden District with her husband, Cullen, and her son, Leland. Her favorite tree is a Baldcypress.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Lynn Clark has been with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Baton Rouge since March of 2004. She was the Development Director for 4 ½ years and has had the responsibility of Executive Director of the affiliate since May of 2008.In both positions, Mrs. Clark has written and successfully managed grants of over several million dollars. She also has extensive experience managing HUD grants used to build a total of 34 Habitat homes and complete 35 critical home repairs and weatherizations on homes owned by individuals under 50% MFI.The affiliate has also experienced exponential growth having completed over 260 homes in the past 16 years, tripling the home inventory of the first 15 years of the affiliate.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Kathleen Stewart Richey became the Director of Louisiana CASA in May, 2015.  She began her career as an attorney representing children in child dependency and delinquency matters.  During this time she served on the Children's Code Project Committee which drafted the Louisiana law regarding children's issues.  In 1991, she became the first Juvenile Judge in East Baton Rouge Parish, where she served until 2015.  During her 24 years on the bench she was instrumental in establishing Capital Area CASA and was named Louisiana CASA Judge of the year in 1997.  Additionally, she was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Court Improvement Program Advisory Committee at its inception in 1994 and has remained active with the Court Improvement Program to the present time.  Judge Richey is a member of the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, serving as president of the Council in 2001, and chairman of the Liaison Committee with the Department of Children and Family Services from 2001-2008.  Judge Richey has been appointed to numerous legislative task forces, most notably the Legislative Task Force on Legal Representation in CINC Matters, which created the Child Advocacy Program in Louisiana.  She served on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, the Juvenile Underage Drinking Enforcement (J.U.D.E.) Task Force, the Audubon Girl Scout Council Board of Directors, the Baton Rouge Bar Association Teen Court Committee and the Baton Rouge Bar Association Pro Bono Committee.  Additionally, she has been a trainer for1) the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2) the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 3) the Louisiana Judicial College, 4) the Pelican Center for Children and Families 5) the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and 6) the Louisiana and Baton Rouge Bar Associations.  Judge Richey has been honored by receiving the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award, the Louisiana CASA Judge of the Year Award, the LSBA Children's Law Award, the Baton Rouge Children's Coalition For the Love of Children Award, and the Catherine D. Kimball Award for Advancement of the Administration of Justice.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Darlene Adams Rowland has dedicated her professional career to sustaining a vibrant local food system by supporting Louisiana's small family specialty crop farmers.  As the Executive Director of Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance (BREADA), she oversees four locations of the Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge that provide direct sales opportunities for Louisiana's small family farmers. She serves on the Flagship Market's Community of Practice Group for the Farmers Market Coalition to collaborate and share best practices for farmers' markets nationwide. Darlene has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for over a decade and has served on the Board of Directors in numerous capacities including Secretary, Vice President of Communications, and Governmental Relations Chair. She is also an accomplished writer as a contributor to Country Roads Magazine, curating compelling stories that highlight local foodways and travel.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

James “Big Brown” Joseph is a former Harlem Globetrotter and a current UPS driver who pours his time and heart into helping communities across south Louisiana. Big Brown helps kids and families whenever and however is needed, often by rallying coworkers and community members. Together, they provide AC units and fans to those who don't have them, collect school supplies, paint and beautify civic spaces and so much more. In 2020, Big Brown and his fund "Big Brown Reaching Out Fund" at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation stepped up for families and kids in Lafayette and Lake Charles after devastating hurricanes and floods, providing supplies, shelter, and toys.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Kenneth Campbell became New Schools for Baton Rouge's CEO in 2022, bringing decades of experience in creating exceptional education opportunities for students in the south. Most recently, Campbell served as Executive Director for IDEA Public Schools of Southern Louisiana, one of the nation's leading charter management organizations, where he was responsible for launching IDEA's first school outside of the state of Texas and building a network of high-performing college-preparatory charter schools across south Louisiana. Prior to his role with IDEA, Campbell served as the President of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). As a founding member, his leadership helped protect and strengthen parental choice programs across the country and helped spearhead efforts to launch new parental choice efforts in some of America's most underserved communities.Kenneth Campbell was also a founding Director of Charter Schools for the Louisiana Department of Education, where, in the years following Hurricane Katrina, he was responsible for rebuilding New Orleans's education infrastructure through high-quality charter schools and implemented systems, policies, and practices to transform failing schools across the state into higher-performing charter schools. The Mississippi native is the founding board member of various education organizations, such as 4.0 Schools, Building Excellent Schools, and D.C. Charter School Resource Center. Campbell routinely advises the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers on standards, practices, and policies.For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Jillian Sergio is the Executive Director for the Companion Animal Alliance and has been in this role since April 2019. Previously, Jillian was CAA's Outreach Manager overseeing the Communications, Adoptions, Foster, Rescue, and Volunteer departments. Her work depended on coordination with our veterinary, intake, and kennel teams. During her time away, she was Manager of the Steamboat Springs, CO public shelter, including all aspects of shelter operations. Prior to working in animal welfare, Jillian's background included nonprofit program management.Thanks to the work of the CAA, our parish's animal save rate has gone from just 20% of abandoned animals to 89% annually. For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.

Charlotte Claiborne is the Executive Director of the Bridge Center for Hope. Charlotte spent 17 years working for Entergy, managing several multimillion-dollar contracts and serving as a budget analyst and manager on some projects until she left in 2016. The Bridge Center became operational in 2021 and has served over 2,200+ patients since opening its doors.The Bridge Center for Hope, an independent nonprofit, is the first-ever adult crisis receiving facility in East Baton Rouge Parish and the State of Louisiana designed as a short-term crisis stabilization center to treat individuals 18 years or older who are experiencing a mental health crisis and/or substance use challenges who reside in East Baton Rouge Parish.For more information about the work at The Bridge Center for Hope , don't forget to visit https://brbridge.org/.

Trey Godfrey is the Senior Vice President of Policy at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. In this role, he drives regional and state-level initiatives to create a more competitive region for business growth and talent development, particularly through the organization's public policy and government affairs activity. Additionally, Trey leads strategic coalition building for regional initiatives, including those related to education, workforce, transportation, quality of place, entrepreneurship and small businesses, criminal justice, and others. Prior to his current role at BRAC, Trey served as the executive director of 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge. At the 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge, Trey expanded its membership and mission, including launching programs related to economic development, mentoring, entrepreneurship, and education. For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.