Lou Anne White
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Lou Anne White is a graduate of Indiana University and has over 35 years of experience in homeless related areas. She has worked in the supportive housing industry for over 15 years. She has provided technical assistance to private and public agencies, developers, community-based organizations and property managers. Ms. White is an expert in permanent supportive housing, a model that combines affordable housing with flexible services. She is a graduate of the University of New Orleans Community Development Finance Program. Ms. White is the Executive Director and is receiving no compensation.
Gervis Reed
Co-Founder
Gervis has over 20 years of experience in homeless communities. As manager and director, she has led teams that successfully worked with people to move from streets to homes.. Ms. Reed excels in program development and staff training. She is skilled in motivational interviewing, active listening, harm reduction as well as case management, crisis intervention, and engagement. Ms. Reed is Chairperson of the organization and is receiving no compensation.
Deborah Y. Clark
Secretary
Deborah is a graduate of Purdue University and Boston University School of Law. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar, as well as the bars of the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She retired from the Office of Chief Counsel, IRS, in 2013, where her last position was Special Counsel to the Associate Chief Counsel. Among her areas of expertise during 35 years of practice were income tax and accounting, partnerships, corporate tax and tax litigation. Deborah has volunteered with and served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations. Since her retirement, she has accepted pro bono tax cases and continues her volunteer work.
Cherish Van Mullem, CPA, JDLLM
Treasurer
Cherish Van Mullem, CPA, JDLLM, is Director of Tax Services at LaPorte CPAs and Business Advisors where her areas of concentration are nonprofits, transaction advisory services and trusts and estates. She provides tax planning, advisory, and compliance services with a focus on estate, gift, and succession planning, and on state and local, and family business tax planning. Cherish delivers advisory services on tax issues both pre- and post-transaction and consults on compliance and personal wealth issues. She represents clients in proceedings before federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Cherish teaches Income Tax I at LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center. Cherish has a Master of Laws in Tax from New York School of Law, Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University Law Center.
Katie Nguyen
Chairperson
Katie grew up in Fairfax Virginia and received a B.S. in Architecture at the University of Virginia. After her first visit to New Orleans, she fell in love with the city and soon thereafter made it her home. She received her Masters in Architecture from Tulane University and went on to work at Colectivo, a small New Orleans based firm. Her experience at a small firm allowed her to see multiple small projects through from start to finish and gave her a chance to take on a wide variety of responsibilities. Katie is currently an architect with Eskew Dumez Ripple (EDR+). Katie spends most weekends working on her 1970’s Airstream trailer, enjoying walks through the city with her dog, and seeking out tasty food.
Kimberly Woodard
Kimberly Woodard is a seasoned fundraising and development leader currently serving as Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Stillman Foundation at Stillman College. She has held key positions at Bethune-Cookman University, Ronald McDonald House of South Louisiana, Dillard University, and Wiley College, bringing more than 15 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit development. A proud Tuskegee alumna, Kimberly has been honored as the 2017 UNCF Outstanding Alumna of the Year, serves as Executive Director of the Tuskegee National Alumni Association, and is Treasurer of the Tuskegee Housing Foundation.
Raine Dozier
Raine Dozier, PhD, moved to New Orleans (his father’s home) from the Pacific Northwest. He is Professor Emeritus of Human Services at Western Washington University. As a sociologist, Raine has expertise in research methodologies, program planning and evaluation, and teaching research skills to college students and community members. His scholarship has focused on inequality, the labor market, gender theory, and access to healthcare. Before a career in academia, Raine worked as a family support worker in public housing, outreach coordinator for an AIDS organization, and as a sexuality educator for Planned Parenthood. He brings a deep commitment to community-engaged work that addresses social justice issues.
Emma Jasinski
Emma Jasinski is an architectural designer and creative practitioner with over a decade of experience in civic-impact architecture. Their practice is grounded in the belief that design can be a catalyst for community transformation, with a focus on affordable housing, healthcare environments, and social infrastructure. Emma’s cross-disciplinary approach has led them to lead community design initiatives for nonprofits both domestically and internationally, including sanitation infrastructure projects in rural India with SHRI (Sanitation Health Rights in India) and ongoing work with Design Trust Chicago (DTC), a multidisciplinary civic design studio where she also serves on the advisory board. Emma’s work has been recognized by the DELL Social Innovation Challenge, Clinton Global Initiative, and Buckminster Fuller Challenge, among others. A 2022 Fellow of the Association of Community Design, they recently designed trauma-informed mobile tiny homes for a domestic violence shelter in the Bay Area. Emma is also an adjunct professor at the Tulane School of Architecture.
Jeffrey Stolier
With over 30 years of experience, Jeffrey’s career in design and architecture has evolved organically from his roots in fine arts and furniture making to a diverse portfolio spanning residential, commercial, and institutional projects. His expertise encompasses programming, planning, design, and construction of entertainment venues, healthcare facilities, educational spaces, commercial developments, and multifamily residences.
A proud graduate of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Jeffrey holds a bachelor’s degree from Bard College and a Master of Architecture from Tulane University. His multidisciplinary background, his passion for creative problem-solving, and his inclusive approach to design continue to shape his work across a wide range of sectors in the built environment.
Lelund Marzell
Lelund Marzell first moved to New Orleans in 2004 after growing up in Baton Rouge. He is a Louisiana barred attorney and social justice activist who is dedicated to challenging inequality, inequity, and injustice through an interdisciplinary lens. His approach seeks to uproot systems of oppression, repressive policies, and harmful practices, by working at the intersection of organizing, advocacy, and restorative justice. As a recently barred lawyer, Lelund is particularly interested in design justice, housing justice, and advocating for individuals targeted by the criminal justice system.
Stanley Berthaud
Stan, a proud Cajun, is an experienced architect and film maker. Formerly a professor at Tulane University, he has worked in both fields for most of his professional career. He lives between New Orleans and Los Angeles, working as an independent architect and screenwriter/film maker.
