Andrea oversees the Propeller team, operations and strategic direction.

Andrea began her career as a high school English teacher at John McDonogh Sr. High School and subsequently trained teachers at the University of New Orleans and The New Teacher Project. She has worked at the Louisiana Association of Charter Schools where she oversaw grantmaking for over $5 million in charter school startup funds and launched a $1.5 million below-market rate Bridge Loan Fund. She was named “40 Under 40” by Gambit Magazine, 2010 City Business Women of the Year, World Economic Forum Young Global Shaper, and is an appointed board member of the New Orleans Business Alliance, the official economic development arm of the City of New Orleans. She graduated from Stanford University, attended Harvard Graduate School of Education and the University of New Orleans, and was trained in business at Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business.

Jessica is Propeller’s Chief of Staff with previous experience as Propeller’s Senior Health Program Manager.

Throughout her over ten year career in the nonprofit sector, Jessica has focused on championing cross-team collaboration to scale impact and achieve organizational goals. As Propeller’s Chief of Staff, she leads key initiatives in support of operational and strategic priorities to advance the organization’s mission and vision. Jessica also serves as a liaison with the Executive Director to provide management oversight and coordination of programs and special projects.

Prior to this role, Jessica served as Propeller’s Senior Health Program Manager. She continues to support those ventures who deliver healthcare services and address social determinants of health through the Impact Accelerator. Since 2017, she has provided technical assistance and coaching to over 25 business owners who have created 20+ jobs and reached over $700,000 in revenue and investment in New Orleans.

Jessica is the Chair of the Advisory Board of the New Orleans Chapter of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with a focus in Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Bryn Mawr College.

Kristine began working at Propeller in 2015 where she managed the food accelerator programming and food sector special projects. She successfully launched the Healthy Corner Store Collaborative’s Good2Go Program and the Farm to Institution Initiative. Kristine has enjoyed supporting hundreds of food entrepreneurs during her time at Propeller. In 2020, Kristine transitioned to the Director of Strategic Initiatives role where she now manages Propeller’s Policy and Advocacy work, supports with fund development, Propeller’s access to capital strategy, and partnership development.

Prior to Propeller, Kristine worked on various nutrition research projects in Malawi and Ethiopia. Here in New Orleans, she has worked on research studies related to food access, obesity prevention, and nutritious foods in schools. Kristine is the Public Policy Coordinator for the Louisiana Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition from California Polytechnic State University, a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Tulane University, and she is also a Registered Dietitian. In her free time she loves to garden, spend time with her daughter, travel, and cook. Kristine is excited to work with Propeller where her strong passion for local food systems and food equity can be realized.

Erik grew up on the West Bank of New Orleans and attended Tulane University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management in 2013. After graduation, Erik served with a variety of socially minded organizations in New Orleans while working towards earning a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University in 2016. Passion for both entrepreneurship and for helping to spark positive change in his community led Erik to joining the Propeller team. Erik is excited to use his experience to help others build strong, sustainable organizations.

Adele London is co-founder and Director of Business Development for enmasse Media with over 23 years in the field of small business and economic development. As an honors graduate of Loyola University of New Orleans, LA, London holds both a B.A. in Political Science and JD and for her outstanding leadership and dedication, she received the coveted Loyola Spirit Award, the highest recognition of a student’s demonstration of service to others at the prestigious institution. Adele is a very creative thinker, with innovative approaches and cutting edge concepts and her marketing acumen is highly regarded and has been noted by many of the small businesses and nonprofit organizations. She is highly trained business coach and has been recognized by the SBA and FDIC for efforts to bring small businesses to the next level. Adele is a very creative thinker, with innovative approaches and cutting edge concepts. She is accomplished in many aspects of the marketing process including conceptualization, planning, writing, design, placement and distribution, production management and client relations. For more than 20 years, she has trained and mentored hundreds of small business enterprises. As a past Director of Business Development for Good Work Network, the Exec Director of the SE Louisiana Women’s Business Center and the Business Affairs Manager at The Housing Authority of New Orleans Small Business Program. Throughout her career, Adele has assisted some of the most under-resourced entrepreneurs to incorporate sustainable business practices and launch successful ventures.

Born and raised in East Cleveland, Ohio, Carly fell in love with the nonprofit sector as an undergraduate freshman. Inspired by her challenging experience as she transitioned from high school to college, she sought to support younger students who would face similar situations as they began matriculation. That journey led her to passionately leading, studying, and supporting nonprofit organizations for the past ten years. In all areas of her career, she has been notorious for influencing optimal levels of success and impact through transformational leadership. Prior to joining Propeller, she served in various roles at a federally qualified health center in Cleveland, Ohio where she led the organization’s community engagement efforts, development, external affairs, and marketing. Carly also had the pleasure of serving as the fourth Executive Director of Trinity Community Center in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from Howard University with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. She also earned her Master of Education degree from Cleveland State University with a concentration in Community Health Promotion and her Master of Nonprofit Organizations degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Elizabeth was born and raised in New Orleans. She attended the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Business Administration. Following her time in Charleston, she moved back home to New Orleans to obtain her Master of Science in Accounting at the University of New Orleans. While studying for her Masters, she started work at Postlethwaite & Netterville as an audit intern. During Elizabeth’s four years at P&N, she worked on Propeller’s financial statement audit as well as the audits of other non-profit organizations in the Greater New Orleans area. Through working with non-profit organizations, she decided that she wanted to pursue a career in the non-profit sector outside of public accounting. Following her four years at P&N, Elizabeth worked as the Assistant Controller for the Archdiocese of New Orleans before joining the Propeller team.

Patrick serves as the Senior Capital Access Manager, working to deploy Propeller’s Social Venture Fund, oversee its portfolio of borrowers, lead strategic planning efforts for access to capital programming, and connect entrepreneurs to capital sources to grow their businesses and impact.

A native of south Louisiana, Patrick left the state to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance. He began his career on the Allianz Capital Partners private equity fund investment team in New York City before moving back to Louisiana to co-found Roulaison Distilling Co. As an entrepreneur himself, Patrick understands the importance of access to capital.

Outside of work, Patrick spends his time volunteering with and serving on the Board of Directors of Young Leadership Council.

Biruk oversees Propeller’s data collection, analysis, monitoring, and evaluation. Before joining Propeller’s team, Biruk was a full-time Associate Professor in the College of Business and Public Administration at Southern University in New Orleans for the last twelve years and an Adjunct Professor in the online Masters in Public Administration program at Grand Canyon University. She has studied in the Czech Republic for ten years and worked in Luanda, Angola for six years. Before coming to the United States, she worked for the United Nations Development Program and other international nonprofit organizations such as Africare Angola.

She received her Ph.D. in Public Policy with a concentration in public finance, a Masters of Professional Accountancy from Southern University in Baton Rouge, and an Engineering Degree in Agricultural Economics and Management from Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic.

She loves cooking, traveling, reading, and exploring new cultures, food, and places in her free time. That love led her to open Addis NOLA, a family-owned restaurant serving traditional Ethiopian meals and sharing Ethiopian culture. She is also a 2020 Propeller Impact Accelerator Alumnus with Addis NOLA. She is fluent in five languages including Amharic, Czech, Spanish, Portuguese and English.

Sean manages the Propeller Coworking space, focusing on business development, member and community relations, facilities management, and financial management. Reach out to him if you are interested in becoming a co-working member or renting out event space.

Sean was born and raised outside of Cincinnati, OH in the small town of Miamisburg. He has spent the majority of his career working for the YMCA as a program manager, primarily focused on working with Youth and Families in the immediate and surrounding communities. Coming from a small, Midwestern town, Sean looks forward to integrating himself into New Orleans culture, and working with Propeller to fight the inequalities faced within the community every day.

When he’s not working, Sean enjoys running, spending time with his dog Leo, cheering on the Pelicans, and exploring everything New Orleans has to offer.

Cierra Chenier works to maximize Propeller’s brand reputation and reach through communications logistics, processes, timelines, and events as Propeller’s Senior Communications Coordinator. Her role includes leading and assisting on communications strategy, organizational racial equity initiatives, website/social media management, program marketing materials, and more.

She was born and raised in New Orleans and is also a writer and historian of Black New Orleans history and culture. Cierra’s projects focus on preserving local Black histories and narratives while advocating for more equitable futures. Her work has been published and recognized both locally and nationally and serves as a resource for written, historical, and creative Black New Orleans content. In 2018, Cierra earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and African American Studies at Louisiana State University, where she served as President of both the Black Student Union and Black Leadership Council. At LSU, Chenier was awarded the President’s Award by LSU President F. King Alexander at the NAACP at LSU Image Awards and the Dr. Troy Allen Service Award by the Black Scholars Program.

Cierra strives towards Propeller’s mission of “growing and supporting entrepreneurs to tackle social and economic disparities” and is passionate in helping to create positive change in her hometown.

As the Propeller Food Program Manager, Anjali is the program coordinator for the Healthy Corner Store Collaborative’s Good 2 Go program and supports the Food Sector accelerator, special programs and policy initiatives. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Film Production from the University of Southern California and a Tulane University Master of Public Health degree in Nutrition. Prior to pursuing her graduate studies, she was an editor for the award-winning cooking website, The Kitchn, and her articles and recipes have appeared in The Chicago Tribune, TIME.com, and other publications across the country. A native of Los Angeles, she has lived in New Orleans since 2014. While in school, she was a research assistant at Tulane’s Center for Healthy Food Access and an intern with the Healthy Corner Store Collaborative during its pilot year.

Amber Tucker is a place-based public health advocate. She previously worked as a research coordinator for The Healthy Neighborhoods Project and the Program Director of Hagar’s House, a home for women and children in New Orleans. Amber has her master’s degree in Public Health from Louisiana State University, where her research focused on the impact of transportation and housing access on health outcomes. She has completed coursework in Clinical Mental Health at Xavier University and earned her bachelor’s degree at Smith College with a self-designed major in Social Movements and Activism. Amber’s engagement with housing equity work in New Orleans includes employment at Tulane University’s School of Medicine, the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center, as board member of the Tulane Canal Neighborhood Association, and the Tulane Canal Development Corporation.

Born and raised on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Sophia Scarano developed a passion for the arts and community serving enterprises at a young age. They studied Music Education at Florida State University and have continued to perform as a professional classical bassist with ensembles across the U.S. Sophia moved to New Orleans in 2014 where they earned their MA in Arts Administration. During this time, Sophia worked with arts organizations such as the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Uptown Music Exchange, the Louisiana Philharmonic, and Girls Rock New Orleans. Their dedication to mutual aid, uplifting marginalized people, and serving their community in New Orleans led them to Propeller, where they work to support water and education ventures in New Orleans as Program Manager.

Andreanecia M. Morris serves as the Executive Director for HousingNOLA, is a 10-year partnership between the community leaders, and dozens of public, private, and nonprofit organizations working to solve New Orleans’ affordable housing crisis.

A native of Edgard, Louisiana, began working to support creation of affordable housing opportunities in the Greater New Orleans Area in both the public and private sector after graduation from Loyola University New Orleans. Morris has created opportunities for approximately 500 families to become first time homebuyers after Hurricane Katrina, and she was lead organizer for Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA) when it started in 2007 as collaborative coalition of non-profit housing builders and community development corporations who work to rebuild the City of New Orleans.

Peggy Welsh is a member of Gordon Arata Montgomery Barnett’s New Orleans office who focuses her practice in the areas of corporate, real estate, oil and gas, financing and securities transactions as well as handling regulatory issues before Federal agencies. Her experience encompasses participating in every stage of many high-profile and challenging corporate transactions including the representation of several U.S. and foreign companies in international and domestic, private and public transactions and joint ventures. She advises numerous companies and organizations on general corporate matters, including entity formation, contract negotiations, corporate restructurings and general corporate governance matters. She also has experience in other related transactional practices, including cross-border acquisitions, high-yield debt issuances, real estate, bankruptcies and restructurings, financing arrangements and securitizations. Peggy serves as the Assistant Chair of the Commercial Transactions section of the Firm.

Before joining Gordon Arata Montgomery Barnett, Peggy worked as a corporate associate in New York at a London-based firm where she represented high-profile Fortune 500 corporations and pharmaceutical companies. She routinely handled the negotiation and drafting of restructuring, shareholders, license, merger, joint venture and asset and share purchase and sale agreements. She advised on New York law matters for the purchase and sale agreement of Mitsubishi Corporation in its multi-billion dollar investment in a new partnership. This transaction won the Global M&A Deal of the Year, Chile (The American Lawyer’s Global Legal Awards, 2013).

Prior to law school, Peggy taught math and science for three years at a local high school in New Orleans. Upon graduating law school, she founded the education advocacy arm of the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and training for public defenders who work with children and advocates for law and policy reform to build a juvenile justice system that is fair, compassionate and supportive of positive youth development.

Peggy earned her J.D. from Tulane University Law School, magna cum laude, in 2009, where she served as a Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review. She was also inducted into the Order of the Coif and received a Dean’s Scholarship. She earned her B.S., with honors, in Geology-Physics/Mathematics from Brown University in 2002.

Kathy R. Hebert, CPA began her career as an audit professional at Ernst & Young, LLP where she was an Audit Manager. She also held positions as the Vice President of Finance & Administration for The Greater New Orleans Foundation and Chief Operating Officer for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. She began her own accounting and consulting practice in 2008 where she provides accounting and consulting services primarily to not-for-profits.

Kathy graduated from Louisiana State University in 1994 with a B.S. in Accounting. She is a member of the AICPA and LCPA. She served on the LCPA Not-for-Profit Task Force and has served as a board member of American Society of Women Accountants. In addition, she has served on various boards including KidSmart, Nonprofit Knowledge Works, Dress for Success, Greater New Orleans Development Foundation, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, Project Lazarus, Notre Dame Health Systems, American Diabetes Association Advisory Board and Young Leadership Council which she served as Treasurer in 2000 and President in 2004,.

Kathy received the City Business 2002 Power Generation Award (Top 40 Under 40 Award) in 2000, the YLC 2000 President’s Award, the YLC 2001 Finance Committee Volunteer of the Year, the ASWA 2001-2002 Member of the Year Award, the City Business 2010 Women of the Year Award and the City Business 2015 Money Maker Award. She was also a member of the 2006-2007 New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute Class.

Dr. Calvin Mackie is one of the nation’s most prolific young STEM and Educational Motivational Speakers and Leaders. He is an award winning mentor, an international renowned motivational speaker, and a successful entrepreneur. His message as a mentor, speaker, entrepreneur and former engineering professor continues to transcend race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and time. His passion and talent is totally devoted to helping people unleash their greatness and transcend personal and societal barriers. Operating under the premise that exposure and experience are two important parameters of success, he utilizes unique strategies and methodologies to motivate and inspire. Calvin Mackie has lectured widely throughout the United States, helping people change the way they think about achieving their lifelong dreams through education in general, and STEM specifically.

A professional speaker, in 1992 he co-founded Channel ZerO, an educational and motivational consulting company and has presented to numerous civic, educational institutions and Fortune 500 corporations. Over the last 16 years, Dr. Mackie has presented to numerous school districts, educators, universities and corporations across the America. In 2004, Dr. Mackie received the 2003 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in a White House Ceremony. In 2005, he was the featured speaker for the six regional forums for The College Board and the opening speaker for the 50th Anniversary of Advanced Placement (AP) Conference. Mackie has addressed the National School Board Association, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) , National Science Foundation (NSF) and is a frequent speaker at national teacher trainings, school districts, mentoring and technical development conferences. Most recently, Mackie has been lecturing internationally in Kuwait, Nova Scotia and Quebec Provinces of Canada. More at calvinmackie.com.

Ava Rogers is the founding Director of Strategic Partnerships at New Pathways New Orleans. Ava is a values-driven leader who has successfully mobilized governments and institutions to better serve communities. She has an extensive achievement record in breaking down silos and integrating the work of entire systems to get results. Prior to joining NPNO, Ava worked as an independent consultant, serving international and domestic constituents. She was the lead consultant for the “Global Resilience Partnership,” an innovative partnership of public and private organizations that launched with an initial capitalization of $150 million, dedicated to helping vulnerable peoples better adapt to chronic and acute shocks.

Domestically, she supported a New Orleans-based non-profit to retool its HIV/AIDS strategy to better target groups at highest risk. From 2013-2016, Ava served as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans, directing city-wide operations and providing essential services for a municipality of 400,000 full-time residents and 10 million+ annual tourists. Ava took pride in leveraging city operations to achieve broader strategic goals. For example, she developed a workforce initiative that employed over 1,000 previously incarcerated individuals seasonally on city projects. She also spearheaded a neighborhood stabilization project that employed homeless and opportunity youth to combat blight, while also providing them with wrap-around social services. Ava spent the vast majority of her career – 20 years – as a U.S. diplomat. She specialized in conflict and emergency settings, serving primarily in Africa and the Middle East.

While with the U.S. State Department, Ava earned numerous awards for her negotiation skills and advancement of humanitarian principles. She earned the Department’s highest honor for her efforts to rescue American citizens following the outbreak of civil war in Congo-Brazzaville, which included her being taken hostage. Ava also earned an “Innovation in Government” award from the independent think tank, the Bureau of Governmental Research, for her work with the City of New Orleans. She currently serves on the boards of the Institute for Women and Ethnic Studies, Propeller, and the New Orleans Arts Education Alliance. Ava was raised in New Orleans and is a proud alumni of New Orleans public schools. She holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Jonas Chartock is an Independent Consultant at Chartock Strategies LLC. Jonas’ previous tenure as the first CEO of Leading Educators including overseeing the organization’s operations, strategy, outreach, and grown. Leading Educators became a key resource to school districts, charter networks, and policy makers in their efforts to maximize the leadership development of highly effective teachers.

Jonas came from the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York where he served as Executive Director of the nation’s largest university-based charter school authorizer. Previously, he served as the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Charter School Policy Institute (CSPI) in Austin, Texas, and as Executive Director of Teach For America in Houston, Texas. Jonas began his career as a teacher with Teach For America in the Compton Unified School District. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University, M.A. from Chapman University, Ed.M from Harvard University, and earned his Ed.D. in educational leadership at the University of Texas at Austin. Jonas is an amateur musician, and resides in New Orleans, LA, with his wife and daughter.

Paula Estrada de Martin is a life sciences and biotechnology patent attorney at Baker Donelson’s New Orleans office and a member of their Intellectual Property Group and the Global Business Team.

Dr. Estrada de Martin focuses her practice on U.S. and foreign patent prosecution in the life science, biotechnology and plant fields, patent
interferences, patent portfolio growth and management, patentability assessments, biosimilar assessments and strategy, non-infringement and invalidity opinions, IP due diligence, pre-suit investigation and litigation support for life sciences and plant matters. In addition, she represents small to mid-size businesses, educational institutions and nonprofits in intellectual property transactional and licensing matters.

Dr. Estrada de Martin was formerly with WilmerHale in New York and was adjunct faculty at New York Law School, where she served as the patent law mentor in the IP Jobtrack at the Institute for Information Law and Policy. Prior to joining WilmerHale, Dr. Estrada de Martin was a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, where she investigated the sorting and targeting of apical membrane proteins in RPE and MDCK cells in the laboratory of Dr. Enrique Rodriguez-Boulan.

She graduated as a Harlan Scholar of New York Law School and also holds a PhD from Yale University in Cell Biology. She received her MS and BS at California State University in San Bernardino.

Deirdre serves as Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of OPEN (Orleans Public Education Network). Under her leadership at OPEN, the organization has launched programmatic anchors like the Parent Leadership Training Institute, engaged more than 3,000 New Orleanians, and successfully advocated for development of the ONE APP and increased transparency in the charter application process. A native New Orleanian and product of the city’s public schools, Deirdre Johnson Burel recognizes the importance of investing in public education.

Johnson Burel attended Eleanor McMain Magnet Secondary School and went on to attend U.C. Berkeley for undergraduate study and New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service where she earned a Master of Public Administration in public policy and non-profit management. She brings a career deeply rooted in social justice via educational programming (founding staff member for New Orleans’ first Americorps program, former Director of Franklin Summerbridge, Director of Programs at Urban League of Greater New Orleans) and education policy (Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget Policy Analyst, and Policy Director for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education) to OPEN.

Shelina Davis, MPH, MSW serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) where she oversees the LPHI team and offers strategic direction to ensure health and racial equity; and champion health for people, within systems, and throughout communities. Shelina brings over 15 years of experience in public health, health care systems, leadership development, and health equity. Shelina serves on the Boards of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship – New Orleans, Propeller and CARE: Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity. She was selected as Aspen Ideas Festival Health Scholar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office on Smoking and Health Leadership and Sustainability School Fellow, and National Council for Behavioral Health Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Program Participant. In April 2020, Shelina was appointed to Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, Louisiana Prisons Sub-Committee and Louisiana Resilient Commission, Manufacturers Sub-Committee.

Prior to joining LPHI, Shelina served as Assistant Vice President of Practice Improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health based in Washington, DC, where she led the strategic oversight and development of public health initiatives — supporting community-based organizations as well as federal, state, local and tribal governmental agencies and their workforce in achieving health and racial equity.

Reuben Teague is a Director in the Impact Investments group in the Corporate Social Responsibility Department at Prudential. He is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and managing investments that meet Prudential’s social value criteria while providing risk-adjusted financial returns. Prudential Impact Investments manages a portfolio of more than $450 million in investments and typically originates between $150 million and $250million in transactions annually. The group has a goal of reaching a $1 billion portfolio by 2020. Prior to joining Prudential in 2013, Teague was co-founder and principal of Green Coast Enterprises, a triple bottom line real estate development and project management firm based in New Orleans. He participated in the development of over 1,000 units of sustainable, hazard-resilient affordable housing and over 50,000 square feet of commercial space aimed at restoring needed community resources to the greater New Orleans area.

He previously was an adjunct professor in Tulane University’s Masters of Sustainable Real Estate Development program. Teague has an AB degree in economics from Princeton University and a JD from New York University School of Law. He was an Echoing Green Fellow in 2008. Teague is a board member of Advocates for Arts Based Education.