Greenway Members, please mark your calendars for our Annual Membership Meeting on Wednesday, January 20th, 5:30-6:45 PM. This meeting will be held on Zoom due to COVID-19 safety precautions.

A Zoom meeting registration link has been emailed out to all Greenway members. For assistance registering, please email [email protected].

At this meeting, we will elect new members to our Board of Directors, review accomplishments from 2020, and set the stage for 2021. There will be an opportunity to ask questions of the Greenway team.

Join or Renew Your Membership

Please join or renew your membership to vote in our board elections.

All current members that attend the Annual Membership Meeting are eligible to vote.

Agenda

5:30 – 5:35    Welcome & Introductions

Kevin Centanni, Board Chair

5:35 – 5:50    2020 Highlights & 2021 Priorities: Annual Report

Sophie Harris Vorhoff, Executive Director & Nellie Catzen, Program Director

5:50 – 6:00    New Orleans Recreation Development Commission Remarks

6:00 – 6:05    Recognition of Members Completing Board Service: Foster Duncan, Ellen Frischhertz, Stosh Kozlowski, Seth Levine, Larissa Muetzel, Charles Stewart, & John Hopper

Kevin Centanni, Board Chair

6:05 – 6:20    2021-2024 Board of Directors Elections

Darby Shields, Secretary

6:20 – 6:30    Q & A

Please submit questions via the chat function.

6:30    Adjourn Membership Meeting

6:30 - 6:35     Board Business   

Vote to authorize John Hopper as Interim Director during Sophie Vorhoff's maternity leave, and authorized signer on contracts and bank accounts including IBERIABANK/First Horizon, Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Co., Paypal, and U.S. Small Business Association loans.

6:35  Adjourn Board Meeting

2021-2024 Board Nominees - 

In November of 2020, Friends of Lafitte Greenway published an open Call for Board Members. The Board Recruitment Committee has interviewed applicants, and recommends the following slate of candidates to the membership for election.

Board Seats Available: 7 

1. Essence Banks - Essence Banks celebrates sixteen years as a heart disease survivor and Founder/ President of Heart N Hands, Inc., founded in 2014, a nonprofit focused on increasing awareness and educating girls aged 10-18 about heart health and heart disease prevention in the community.  Essence is a native of New Orleans, graduated from McDonogh 35 High School, received her BA from Loyola University New Orleans and her MBA from the University of New Orleans. Essence has a background in human resources/talent management, certified Six Sigma Black Belt, training & development and experience in the hospitality and tourism industry. Essence enjoys spending time with husband Nick Banks and 2 sons, Jaden and Connor. 

2. Andy Dale - Originally from North Carolina, Andy Dale found his way to New Orleans via Ole Miss. He currently works as the Manager & Business Development Officer of IberiaBank, a Division of First Horizon at their Lakeview office. Andy and his fiancé live in Mid City with their Olde English Bulldog, Bootie. She is the biggest fan of the Greenway and can’t wait to be a part of the future growth.

3. Laura Carleton Doody - Laura Doody is currently serving as Assistant Vice President of Ochsner Health, where she is responsible for strategic planning, modeling, and overall accountability for the finances of the Northshore West Region. Originally from Lake Charles, LA, Laura graduated from Louisiana State University with a Masters of Business Administration. While at LSU, Laura competed for the track and field and cross country teams and holds the school records for the 5k and 10k. Still an avid runner and regular user of the Lafitte Greenway, Laura lives in Gentilly with her husband, Cullen, New Orleans based contractor and developer with Reynolds Developments. They enjoy traveling, exploring New Orleans with their goldendoodle, Maddox, and volunteering as assistant coaches for the Jesuit High School XC team.

4. Vann Joines - Vann has over 15 years of experience in affordable housing, renewable energy and commercial real estate development. His company, JOIN Development, specializes in utilizing public private partnerships and tax credit financing to build more sustainable communities. Vann has also held positions at the City of New Orleans, on their Infrastructure Development Team, and at Gulf Coast Housing Partnership. He holds a master's degree in Sustainable Real Estate Development from Tulane University and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from Haverford College. Vann has lived in New Orleans since 2006 and prefers biking as his primary form of transportation.  

5. Brian Knighten - Brian is an almost lifelong resident of New Orleans who currently lives in Bayou St John. His interest in the Greenway date back to pre-Katrina days when the concept of a rails-to-trails passage within the city was just beginning to take hold. Professionally Brian is a former high school teacher and university administrator, turned residential and commercial real estate developer. He currently owns two businesses along the Greenway - The Broad Theater and newly opened, outdoor venue Broadside. He is a former board member of Broad Community Connections, New Orleans Film Society, among others. Personally, Brian is a husband and father of four (three under one roof!), who spends his time coaching football, listening to live music, biking, golfing and fishing when his buddy's boat is working. 

6. Sally Lindsay - Sally Lindsay spent years in New York City studying the evolving landscape as an Urban Studies major at Columbia University, specialized in Social Psychology. Her award-winning research explored how social media was altering the way humans imagined, built, and navigated the city. Sally moved to New Orleans with the startup-oriented Venture for America fellowship, where she landed at the New Orleans Business Alliance. Sally launched Big Easel Collective to connect local New Orleans artists to place-based businesses to design memorable art installations. She has been recognized for her community and economic development expertise by Columbia University, Venture for America, the International Economic Development Council, the City of New Orleans, and the Emerge Summit Millennial Awards. Most recently, she began as Director or Business Development for an affordable housing design-build startup, Shibusa Systems. When not working, she serves on the board of several nonprofits, bikes, listens to podcasts, and decorates elaborate costumes.

7. Reed Wiley - Reed Wiley is currently a commercial associate broker with Latter and Blum, Inc. and has called New Orleans home for the last 7 years after spending the previous 11 years in Los Angeles.  As a commercial associate broker, Reed has worked in a multitude of real estate sectors and has experience working alongside State and City economic agencies in showcasing our remarkable City.  Reed is also a passionate advocate for the current/future development of the Greenway and, through his occupation, is exceedingly knowledgeable of the Greenway and the surrounding neighborhoods/communities it connects.  Having previously enjoyed wonderful experiences working alongside members of the Friends in a volunteer capacity including the Greenway Hikefest and a few mural/art projects along the Greenway, Reed looks forward to having the opportunity to work with his fellow board members to continue championing/building upon the growth of the Greenway and focusing on the long-term goals/plans needed to ensure this vital public asset further establishes itself as the central conduit bringing together family, friends, neighbors, tourists, and experiential explorers alike. Reed thanks you for your time and consideration!