Monday, March 22: Opening Plenary Speakers
LaToya Cantrell is a resident of the Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans and holds a standing seat as Board President of both the Broadmoor Improvement Association and Broadmoor Community Development Corporation. Before dedicating herself full-time to Broadmoor’s recovery, LaToya served as manager of Greater New Orleans Education, where she oversaw an annual budget of more than 1.3 million dollars. Her responsibilities also included acting as lead research assistant in the development of a five-year strategic plan for reform in New Orleans public schools, working with media to develop print and radio ads, instituting a volunteer recruitment strategy and database for the New Orleans Public School District, and coordinating community forums and fundraising. LaToya holds a B.A. in sociology and political justice from Xavier University.
Kristen Lewis is co-director and co-founder of the American Human Development Project of the Social Science Research Council, which in 2008 released a first-ever human development report for the U.S., The Measure of America. Kristen previously worked in international development for 15 years, primarily in gender and development, environment, and water. Beginning her development career with UNIFEM (the UN fund for women), she moved to the United Nations Development Programme as a policy advisor in the Bureau for Development Policy. She was senior policy advisor for the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation under the leadership of Dr. Jeffery Sachs, and is co-author of its 2005 final report, Health, Dignity and Development: What will it take? Kristen holds a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.
Introduction by Tim Walter, president & CEO of the Association of Small Foundations
Tuesday, March 23: Breakfast Roundtables
Donald R. Phoenix, NeighborWorks America®, Southern District Director, is responsible for the administration of financial and technical services to nonprofit community development corporations throughout the Southeast. These organizations deliver numerous services that include foreclosure intervention, prevention counseling, and new homeownership lending. Don also leads the corporation’s Katrina/Rita Gulf rebuilding efforts and has been instrumental in delivering needed resources to assist communities still challenged by these devastating storms. Previously, Don was the executive director of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Savannah, a member of the national NeighborWorks network. He is a founding member and board member of the Georgia State Trade Association of Nonprofit Developers, and a member of the Equity Atlanta Network steering committee, Emory’s Board of Visitors and several other community development organizations.
Tuesday, March 23: Lunch Plenary Speaker
Wendy Lewis Jackson is a senior program officer with the Kresge Foundation, working with the Detroit and Community Development Team. Prior to her arrival at Kresge, Wendy was a program director and the executive director for education initiatives at The Grand Rapids Community Foundation. An active participant on several local, state, and national boards and committees, Wendy is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who among American Women, and is an American Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Recently named the 2008 Emerging Leader by the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Wendy earned both a B.A. and M.S.W. from the University of Michigan, the latter with a concentration in community organization and social policy and planning.
Introduction by Dr. Albert Ruesga, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation
Wednesday, March 24: Closing Plenary Speaker
Wendell Pierce is hailed for his portrayal of Detective Bunk Moreland on five seasons of The Wire. His next series, Treme, is set in post-Katrina New Orleans and chronicles the rebuilding of the city through the eyes of local musicians. Wendell is a New Orleans native and has worked to rebuild the neighborhood in which he was raised. He formed Ponchartrain Park Neighborhood Association to rebuild 350 affordable and environmentally friendly homes which will preserve the community character and help longtime residents come back to their neighborhood. Wendell is a three-time NAACP Image Award Nominee for Best Actor in a television drama for his work on The Wire and won the 2008 Image Award for best actor in a television movie for HBO’s Life Support.
Click here for a list of speaker bios as of March 12. Confirmed speakers are also listed on each individual session in the program schedule.
