Executive Director, Alex Owens (he/him/his) is a dedicated educator with over ten years of classroom experience. Before founding Be Loud, Alex led the Innovation Program at Bricolage Academy in New Orleans, creating the space for elementary students to design and create through different media. Alex has built his career on steering creative schools and learning environments. Whether a maker-space, construction site, or a radio station, Alex encourages hands-on learning and collaborative problem-solving. Alex founded and has led Be Loud Studios for the last two years. He is most proud of starting a student call-in hotline during COVID, creating a fellowship for teachers to collaborate around radio, and, of course, building a community of kids who find belonging at Be Loud programs.

Diana Turner (she/her/hers) is an educator who has worked in New Orleans public schools as classroom teacher, an intervention specialist, and teacher coach for the last thirteen years. She was a founding teacher at both Bricolage Academy and Firstline Schools. As a coach, Diana has helped teachers find ways to connect innovative and artistic projects to their classrooms. This experience brought her and Alex together to find a new way to engage students through radio, which led to Be Loud Studios. At Be Loud, Diana acts as a “Jill of all trades,” coaching kids on their radio segments, grant writing, and leading fundraising campaigns.