Josh serves as senior advisor and director for strategic initiatives for New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. A teacher before earning his law degree, Josh realized that poverty, and the problems that accompany it, are the biggest barriers to reducing inequality in the city. Since that time, he’s become obsessed with using capital to remove systemic barriers and to create access to justice and economic opportunity for children and families in New Orleans. Josh is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Community Revitalizer
Troy Glover
New Orleans, Louisiana
Troy is using his expertise in leadership development, community revitalization and criminal justice reform to create a more equitable New Orleans for people of color. Currently, Troy serves as the New Orleans director the Center for Employment Opportunities, which provides employment and career support to individuals returning home from incarceration. He is the capital campaign manager for Change TEP with the Leona Tate Foundation, where he is raising funds to turn the first integrated elementary school, McDonogh 19, into a civil rights museum, educational space and affordable housing for seniors. He is also a coach and external assessor for New Orleans Youth Alliance and Youth Program Quality Initiative, and serves as a board member for Crescent City Community Land Trust, The Living School and EMPLOY Collaborative. Troy is a graduate of University of New Orleans, and is completing an executive master’s degree in public administration at Southern University and A&M College.
First Responder
Brent Godfrey
New Orleans, Louisiana
Brent has dedicated his life to public service and is deeply passionate about helping others find their own call to serve. As a firefighter and executive director of the Crescent City Corps, he aims to bring young people into first responder careers and prepare them for lives of meaning and impact. Also a veteran, Brent served as an intelligence officer, developed and taught curriculum to future naval leaders and was a strategist for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brent is a graduate of Yale University.
Community Developer
Kristyna Jones
New Orleans, Louisiana
Kristyna cares deeply about education and community development to foster equitable opportunity. She is principal of K. Jones Advisors, a strategic consulting firm focused on building community-oriented business capacity. She is also chief operating officer and co-founder of Brothers Empowered to Teach Initiative, which focuses on exposing young men of color to the teaching profession. She believes in being a good citizen of New Orleans and acts as president of Crescent Community Land Trust, as well as a business advisor supporting women running for office. Kristyna is a graduate of New York University and The New School.
Lifelong Educator
Myrialis King
New Orleans, Louisiana
Myrialis believes children – regardless of race, family income level or home language – not only deserve, but need a solid educational foundation to create transformational, generational impact. As founder and head of school, Myrialis works to equip students of Foundation Preparatory Charter School with the academic knowledge and character necessary to advocate for themselves, their families and community in pursuit of a better New Orleans and world. She is a champion for English language learner (ELL) students and their families. Originally from Puerto Rico, Myrialis is a graduate of Amherst College and Howard University.
Child Advocate and Reconciler
Kahlida Nicole Lloyd
New Orleans, Louisiana
Kahlida is an attorney, child advocate and teacher who believes her most important role is that of reconciler. She is the founder of Mission Reconcile, a faith-based racial reconciliation nonprofit that seeks to create organic relationships through facilitated conversations about race and racism. She has made several presentations on topics surrounding race, privilege and racial reconciliation, and hopes to inspire this generation of children, and the adults who empower them, to dismantle the “isms” of our nation to create an equitable America. Kahlida is a graduate of Florida State University and North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Public Servant
Judy Reese Morse
New Orleans, Louisiana
Judy has dedicated her career to serving the public. As chief executive officer of the Urban League of Louisiana, Judy leads the work of three Centers of Excellence focused on equity, social justice and advocacy; economic and workforce development; and education and youth development. Before joining the Urban League, Judy served as deputy mayor for the City of New Orleans for eight years and as chief of staff for the Louisiana Office of the Lieutenant Governor for four years. She also spent 13 years working in Washington, D.C., including time on Capitol Hill and at two federal agencies. Judy is a graduate of Loyola University and American University.
Education Justice Advocate
Lisa María Rhodes
New Orleans, Louisiana
Known affectionately by her students as Señorita Rhodes, Lisa María is devoted to increasing access to education and mental health supports for high school students and graduates in New Orleans. She currently serves as director of Alumni Mental Health Services for Collegiate Academies Next. Inspired by her past work with Orleans Public Defenders, Evangelical Immigration Table and Christian Community Development Association, Lisa María developed a system of support for students who are in criminal justice or immigration court systems at George Washington Carver High School. She is launching ALAS, a nonprofit organization that trains educators to create access to rigorous post secondary opportunities for youth involved in either immigration or criminal justice systems. Lisa María is a graduate of Tulane University and the University of Miami.
Social Justice Chaplain
The Very Rev. William H. Terry
New Orleans, Louisiana
Deeply committed to the community, The Very Rev. Bill serves as dean of New Orleans Downtown Deanery, a group of seven parishes including St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, where he is the rector. Under his leadership, the church has gained local and national attention for its social justice approach. He also is the Episcopal chaplain and adjunct faculty to Tulane University School of Medicine. A veteran and FEMA chaplain, The Very Rev. Bill has published numerous articles, primarily on urban violence, post-disaster relief efforts and sanctuary programs for migrants. He’s working to restore the historic Marsaudet-Dodwell House as a safe place for the community, establish an endowed chair for community wellness and peace, and fund an art installation to recognize murder victims in the city. The Very Rev. Bill is a graduate of Tulane University and Loyola University.
Socially-Motivated Leader
Mike Woodward
New Orleans, Louisiana
From an early age, Mike has been compelled to help people help themselves, and is particularly passionate about working with youth. As director of College Track New Orleans, Mike leads a team to ensure that first-generation, low-income students have increased opportunity to break out of intergenerational poverty, beginning with the acquisition of a college degree. He is the co-founder of Project Skill Build, a service initiative focused on empowering New Orleans residents who historically have been marginalized to rebuild the city, one home at a time. A socially-motivated leader, Mike has been recognized by numerous organizations for academic achievement and community engagement. He is a first-generation graduate of Stanford University and Tulane University.
Community Connector
Patrick Young
New Orleans, Louisiana
Patrick is an educator, businessman, organizer and advocate who is dedicated to serving his community. As training manager for the New Orleans Business Alliance, Patrick oversees logistics and operations related to planning, training and technical assistance opportunities at the Alliance and five Opportunity Centers throughout the city. Patrick has helped men and women regain their voting privileges, re-establish themselves in the community and connect to jobs earning a living wage. A member of the Urban League of Young Professionals and recent graduate of the New Orleans Business Alliance Economic Development Ambassadors Program, Patrick is a graduate of Northshore Technical Community College.
