Following a unanimous vote from the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC) Commission in January 2019, Corey Wilson accepted its offer to become the 6th Superintendent in the agency’s 75-year history. Prior to that Wilson served as the in-house attorney and administrative executive for BREC. In his role as Chief of Management and Business Services, he oversaw the administrative departments of Human Resources, Finance, Internal Audit, Communications, and Information Technology as well as handled all legal matters for the organization which has approximately 1,0 ..read more

Dr. Chantelle Varnado, Executive Director of Launch, has been working with children with disabilities and their families for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. She worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for 14 years in Livingston Parish Public Schools and at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2015, She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University ..read more

Sara joined the Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana as the CEO in December 2013.    A fourth-generation resident of Lake Charles, she enjoys continuing the family tradition of being an active community member. She volunteers with the Junior League of Lake Charles, where she was named the 2013 Sustainer of the Year, and as a second-grade reading tutor at Oak Park Elementary School. With her husband, Mark, and 22-year-old daughter, Rachel, Sara enjoys participating in their church, First Presbyterian, and many community projects. To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org ..read more

Adam was named president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber in April 2008. A native of Lake Charles, LA, he previously served as the deputy director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). Knapp was a key figure in the creation of the entity, which is designed to facilitate the state’s recovery efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Prior to his LRA tenure, he served as economic development advisor to two governors and the policy director for Louisiana Economic Development (LED). At LED, he managed the department’s economic policy initiatives, such as workforce developme ..read more

Susan Bonnett Bourgeois is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Northshore Community Foundation, having served in that role since its founding. The Foundation works to elevate philanthropy in the Northshore Region of Louisiana, including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and St. Helena Parishes. In 2006, Susan was chosen to execute a strategic vision and planning process for the developing Foundation because of her history in fundraising, community service and public policy. While living in Baton Rouge, her volunteer efforts with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, including servin ..read more

Combining his 30 plus year history of public service with her 15 years of nonprofit leadership, Raymond A. Jetson and Sherreta R. Harrison form the dynamic, intergenerational co- leadership team at  MetroMorphosis, a Baton Rouge- based social enterprise focused on transforming communities.  After completing a two-year fellowship on advanced leadership towards social impact at Harvard University, Raymond set about the business of creating a different approach to community change, one with a decidedly asset- based framing and focused on systems and structures. Informed by 15 years as a ..read more

Jacinda Townsend is the author of Mother Country (Graywolf, 2022), winner of the 2022 Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and Saint Monkey (Norton, 2014), which won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org ..read more

Jennifer Armand was named Executive Director of the Bayou Community Foundation in December 2012, shortly after the Foundation was established.  In this role, Jennifer is responsible for managing and implementing the Foundation’s operations, including BCF’s nonprofit grant programs, nonprofit workshops and conferences, fund development, communications, community needs assessments and advocacy. A resident of Houma and native of Lafayette, Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from LSU.  Earlier in her career, she worked as a radio news director in Lake Charles, Press Secreta ..read more

Sam Heisman is the Founding Head of School at Great Hearts Harveston, the first Great Hearts Academy to break ground in Louisiana.  The newly constructed campus will be opening in Baton Rouge for the 2023-2024 school year. His last name may sound familiar to you and for good reason.  The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious award in college sports and named after John Heisman, the great great grand uncle of Sam Heisman.  John Heisman was the athletic director of the Downtown Athletic Club, the organization that created the award in 1935 to recognize “the most valuable college ..read more

Susie Anders, owner of Anders Art Conservation, LLC has been conserving three-dimensional objects and sculpture for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, and a Master of Arts degree with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Art Conservation from Buffalo State College. Prior to opening Anders Art Conservation, Susie worked in the conservation departments of The American Museum of Natural History, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art, among others. Over the past 15 years, Anders Art Conser ..read more