Mission and Vision

The Committee for a Better New Orleans works to create equity and opportunity for all New Orleanians by developing community leaders, fostering civic engagement, and advocating for open, effective, accountable government.

CBNO’s vision is that New Orleans is a city where everyone has a voice and every voice is heard.

As a diverse community organization, a catalyst and convener, we will realize that vision by working to bring all voices to the table to effect systemic changes that will build a better future for all New Orleanians.

We believe that systemic change is the most meaningful and enduring.  For example, substantive reform of our public education system will improve economic opportunity, reduce crime and positively impact the quality of life of everyone who lives, works and plays in New Orleans.  At the same time, it will reduce the need for direct educational services such as tutoring or after-school programs.

Change at this level impacts the greatest number of individuals and stakeholders, so a fundamental principle of all CBNO’s work is to engage the greatest possible number of people, organizations and decision-makers in the processes of designing and implementing systemic changes.  While we value all voices, extra effort is made to reach those individuals and communities that typically are least likely to be at the table and to be heard as the decisions are made.

There are many great places on our planet.  But none combine the culture, the history, the joie de vivre, the aromas and flavors, the music and food, the entrepreneurial spirit and welcoming attitude, the sheer humanity of the people, the way we do in New Orleans.  Our opportunity, our responsibility and our privilege is to do everything we can to polish this treasure up to its full measure of beauty.

2017 Board and Staff

Co-Chairs:

Mr. Anthony Carter, Downtown Development District

Ms. Nicole Dillard, trepwise

Board:

  1. Dr. Naressa Cofield, Educator
  2. Mr. Barrett Cooper, ERG Enterprises
  3. Ms. Klassi Duncan, Urban League of Louisiana
  4. Mr. Carl Falstrom, Attorney, Treasurer
  5. Ms. Lucinda Flowers, Nonprofit consultant
  6. Ms. Ana Gershanik, Community Activist
  7. Ms. Ayushi Gupta, Ochsner Health System
  8. Mr. Tim Hemphill, New Orleans Business Alliance
  9. Mr. Joseph Hugg, Breazale Sachse & Wilson
  10. Ms. Annie Irvin, Beauregard Keyes Foundation
  11. Ms. Emily Leitzinger, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization
  12. Mr. Derrick Martin, Algiers Economic Development Foundation
  13. Mr. Shawn McKee, Peoples Health
  14. Ms. Rupa Mohan, The Sweat Social
  15. Ms. Sonya Moore, Eustis Insurance, Secretary
  16. Ms. Lindsey Navarro, LiftFund
  17. Dr. Justin Nystrom, Loyola University Center for the Study of New Orleans
  18. Ms. Victoria Adams Phipps, The Idea Village
  19. Ms. Janel Poche, Juarez & Associates
  20. Mr. Ernesto Posadas, Copa Airlines
  21. Mr. Cedric Scott, New Orleans Performing Arts Society
  22. Ms. Jennifer Terry, JOAB Professional Services
  23. Ms. Reaghan Wainwright, City of New Orleans
  24. Mr. Sean Wilson, International High School of New Orleans

 

Advisory Board:

  1. Ms. Florence Andre
  2. Fr. James Carter, Loyola University
  3. Mr. William Hines, JonesWalker
  4. Ms. Sharon Leader, SWL Inc.
  5. Dr. Susan Krantz, University of New Orleans (retired)
  6. Ms. Diana Lewis
  7. Ms. Yvonne Mitchell-Grubb, Algiers Economic Development Council
  8. Mr. Ashton J. Ryan, Jr., First NBC
  9. Mr. Mtumishi St.Julien, Finance Authority ofNew Orleans
  10. Dr. Vera Triplett, Algiers Charter School Association

 Board Emeritus

  1. Mr. Joseph C. Canizaro
  2. Dr. Norman C. Francis

Key Staff

Keith Twitchell, President

Keith Twitchell served as a consultant for the Committee for a Better New Orleans beginning in July 2000 before accepting a full-time position in March 2002; he became president of the organization in June 2004.  He is responsible for project management, organizational leadership and fundraising/finances, and developed key CBNO programs such as the Community Participation Program and the Asset-Building-Based Employee Benefits Model.  He also played lead roles in establishing the Orleans Public Education Network and the Greater New Orleans Water Collaborative, and oversees the annual Bryan Bell Metropolitan Leadership Forum.  Mr. Twitchell is a former Captain of Krewe du Vieux, a state-ranked tennis player and an award-winning writer, and has served on a variety of organization boards.  He received a YLC Role Model award in 2014 and the Urban Conservancy’s Urban Hero award in 2016.  He earned his B.A. from Washington College and his M.A. from Bowling Green State University, and is a member of the ODK National Leadership Honor Society.  Contact him at info@cbno.org or (504) 267-4666.

Kelsey Foster, Budget Campaign Manager

Kelsey Foster has worked with the Committee for a Better New Orleans since 2013 and previously worked as the communications coordinator for the New Orleans Coalition on Open Governance, of which CBNO was a founding member.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in print and multimedia journalism from Emerson College in Boston, where she also completed a minor in history.  As People’s Budget Campaign Coordinator, she has consulted with colleagues working on similar budgeting campaigns in cities as varied as Boston, Chicago and Vallejo, California.  Kelsey coordinates the New Orleans Campaign with the help of a community council of volunteers, residents and nonprofit leaders from around the city who help inform the decision-making and direction of the Campaign.  She has led the development of key Campaign projects such as the Big Easy Budget Breakdown (a website that provides annual budget to actual information for New Orleans city government going back to 2008) and the Big Easy Budget Game (an interactive website that enables any New Orleans resident to create his/her own version of the New Orleans City Budget).  Contact her at kelsfoster@gmail.com or (504) 267-4696.