Team and Board

Anne began her career in Nigeria, collaborating with local communities to address oil companies’ destruction of the Niger Delta. She returned to Louisiana in 2000 and collaborated with women along Cancer Alley to found the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. Anne was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, where many people made their fortunes from the oil industry. She has seen the wealth and the poverty created by oil production and seeks a phase-out of fossil fuels in her lifetime. She has a Master of Science from Tulane and has twice testified before Congress. Her work has been recognized by local and national awards, including the Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Public Advocacy and the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader Award.

Hope has more than 25 years of service in the non-profit community in various positions including Program Manager and interim Executive Director. Her experience has been primarily with grants and financial management of small nonprofits, as well as assisting other small businesses to establish and maintain their financial records system. Hope manages the books and works with our community partners to develop their capacity for financial management. She enjoys working behind the scenes in order to ensure that the vision and purpose of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade is fulfilled. She has been with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade for 15 years.

Lenora uses her many years of conducting family history research in south Louisiana to assist River Road community members in building out their ancestral ties to the parishes along the Mississippi River. Historically, African American families have been pushed aside in the name of progress and economic growth. To this end, former plantations along the Mississippi River in St. James and other parishes which encompass African American communities and burial sites of former enslaved people have been bought out, plowed under, built upon or ignored by the purchasers of the land. African American families with deep ties to these former plantations are fighting to reclaim the history of their ancestors. This requires historical documentation to recreate families and their connections to the land, which can be a daunting task for most African Americans with formerly enslaved ancestors. We recognize this history will be a powerful tool in taking on the petrochemical industry. To help community members uncover this documentation and reconstruct their families, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade is proud to put Lenora’s skills to work as our in-house expert in genealogy and family history research.

Lou is a native New Orleanian with 20 years’ experience as a CPA and valuation/forensic accountant with a firm in the Washington DC area, and then with her own company, Hobson Analytical LLC. She graduated from the M.B.A. program at Rice University in Houston, Texas and received a Masters in Accounting at American University in Washington DC. Lou returned to New Orleans in 2015 and learned about the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and the important work being done to stand up against petrochemical companies that are polluting our air and water. She was delighted to join the Bucket Brigade to align her education and experience with her lifelong personal goal to help protect and save the environment.

Proud to be from the New Orleans West Bank, Rene brings 15 years of experience working in faith-based and secular non-profit administration with the last 10 years focused on fundraising and development. After spending the first part of her career in corporate sales, she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where through her Jesuit parish, she immersed herself in immigrant justice work and volunteered with the Catholic Worker that serviced immigrant families and the unhoused community. From there, Rene completed a Masters of Theology degree which further inspired her interest in the connection of faith and justice with a thesis project entitled, Coming to Terms with Racism: the Call to Conversion for White Christians. She holds a BA in Communications from Loyola University where she also holds the free-throw shooting percentage record as a former member of the Women’s Basketball team. Rene returned to New Orleans in 2017 where she is now raising her son to be socially conscious, anti-racist, and West Bank proud. Her ideas of fun are cooking for her family, gardening, and reading up on her passion for the intersectionality of spirituality and social justice.

Kathryn joins the Louisiana Bucket Brigade with ten years of experience managing educational programming and securing grant funds for museums, universities, and humanities organizations in Louisiana. Kathryn’s community-centered approach to non-profit administration is informed by her passion for public history and interest in the centuries-long history that shapes today’s social justice movements. She holds a MA in history from the University of New Orleans and a BA in history and art history from American University.

Maya Evans, a Louisiana native, brings over 10 years of experience in administration, operations, and volunteer coordination to her role as Operations Coordinator for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. With a strong academic background in Fine Arts, including a focus on photography, ceramics, and film studies, Maya is deeply passionate about the power of art to connect communities and foster meaningful engagement. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys photography, movie reviewing, volleyball, and antique collecting, always seeking new ways to inspire others through her creative endeavors.

Matt spent the first half of his life in a rock and roll band, recording multiple albums, and touring the country extensively. He has devoted the second half of his life to working with nonprofits whose missions align with his worldview. He spent 15 years at Aljira, a Center for Contemporary Art, a not-for-profit art space in downtown Newark, NJ, serving under-represented artists and diverse communities. There he maintained the donor database, co-wrote grant proposals with the executive director, and worked with a team to create the organization’s website. He spent another 4 years working with The Cancer Institute of New Jersey Foundation as a development associate, where he also designed and maintained the organization’s website. He has enthusiastically worked with Louisiana Bucket Brigade for 10 years, managing web content and providing database support to the development team. He is a lover of all things creative and celebrates diversity and inclusion. He firmly believes that injustice is to be countered on a daily basis.

Mia grew up in northern New Jersey before moving to New Orleans in 2023, drawn to the vibrancy and warmth of life in the South. She comes to Louisiana Bucket Brigade with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Connecticut College, as well as a background in trauma-informed practices, human development, and gender studies. Mia joins the LABB team as the Volunteer Coordinator, responsible for creating a robust volunteer program that helps to support existing programs and deepen our connection to the communities we serve. With previous non-profit work in prison reentry, food insecurity, and services for the unhoused, Mia is looking forward to engaging the New Orleans community with the LABB work. Outside of work, you can find Mia organizing with NOLA to Angola, knitting a new project, or continuing the search for gluten-free beignets!

Corinne was born in Brittany, France and her studies in chemistry took her first to Scotland and then to British Columbia, Canada, where she earned a Masters in Chemistry. After a two-year adventure in New York, working in a biochemistry research lab at NYU, she moved south to New Orleans. Over the last twenty-eight years, she has worked as a chemistry researcher and lab manager at the University of New Orleans and more recently, Tulane University. She is now following her passion of environmental chemistry by working with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, where she adds her science knowledge to the team. When not working, Corinne enjoys time with her two daughters and her husband, tends to her garden, and grows gourmet mushrooms. Most importantly, she enjoys nice home-cooked meals prepared by her (gourmet) husband.

Cathy (she/her) is a Tulane alum, Chicagoland native, and proud New Orleans resident for over 25 years. A passionate tour guide for over a decade, she specializes in centering Black history within the broader narrative of American history, ensuring untold stories are heard. When not leading tours, she’s a dedicated bicycle enthusiast, exploring the city on two wheels. Cathy also volunteers regularly for WRBH FM, New Orleans’ reading radio service, lending her voice to make literature accessible to all. Deeply rooted in her community, she combines her love for storytelling, history, and activism to educate and inspire. Whether on a tour, behind a microphone, or pedaling through the Crescent City, Cathy is committed to celebrating the rich, diverse legacy of Louisiana.

Samille (she/her/we) has been working between Land, Education and Social Justice for the last 8 years. She’s enamored with the eco-system of Louisiana and devastated by the constant extraction of materials and resources. She considers herself a community worker that sees the interconnectedness of our beauty and shortcomings. She’s glad to be a part of Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s programs.

Pastor Harry Joseph leads our Down by the River bike ride and provides technical assistance to our economic development program. Pastor Joseph is a native of Donaldsonville, Louisiana and has lived in St. James Parish for eight years. For the last decade, he has been the pastor of Mt. Triumph Baptist Church. He cares for his community by giving out masks, taking care of the elderly and families in need. Pastor Joseph is the proud father of four children and raised two others. He is retired from his work as a heavy equipment operator. Pastor Joseph loves chocolate.

Julia Gentner brings over eight years of experience in climate justice organizing and non-profit work to her role as Social Media Coordinator for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. She holds a BA in International Studies with a focus on Sustainable Development from the University of Washington. Julia’s passion for human rights and climate justice fuels her dedication to driving meaningful change through effective digital storytelling and outreach.

Firdaous Ningbinnin is a native of Thibodaux, Louisiana. She is currently completing her undergraduate studies in Biology and Chemistry at Xavier University. Firdaous supports our Genealogy Team by using her problem-solving and data analysis skills to uncover the histories and burial sites of enslaved people who worked and died on plantations in St. James Parish. She enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling and is excited to contribute to the accomplishment of the LA Bucket Brigade’s goals.

Laurette Compass is a New Orleans native and Research Associate whose work blends environmental justice, public policy, and community-driven research. Her commitment to environmental, administrative, and human-rights–focused advocacy is shaped by her experiences living and conducting fieldwork in the Galápagos Islands and the Amazon Rainforest. Laurette graduated from Tulane University and is applying to law schools to pursue a career in environmental and public-interest law.