OPEN Staff

NAHLIAH WEBBER | Executive Director

Email: [email protected] | Extension: 6

Nahliah Webber has a passion for leveraging the talent of teams, strong programs and business solutions to provide long-term support to underserved communities. With more than 10 years experience building and executing programs for education businesses and youth and community based non- profits in the U.S. (Baltimore, Washington, DC, New York City) and abroad (Shanghai, Beijing) Nahliah understands first hand how important values-based planning and program execution is in keeping organizations on track towards meeting their social change objectives.

Nahliah has developed expertise working in private and non-profit organizations with operating budgets ranging from $50,000- $18 million working across the organization continuum from service provision, team recruitment, management and leadership, operations, program development, training & professional development, strategic planning, assessment & evaluation and customer relations.

Nahliah holds a double B.A, Magna Cum Laude, from Sweet Briar College and a M.A from Teacher’s College, Columbia University where she focused on policies and practices in shaping institutions to be responsive to underserved communities. Nahliah currently resides in New Orleans and when not participating in discussions on race and education she can be found engaging in online documentary binges or practicing the violin.

 

ZAKENYA PERRY NEELY | Deputy Director of Programs and Administration

Email: [email protected] | Extension: 5

Zakenya Perry Neely joined OPEN as the Director of Programs in 2013. She is a native New Orleanian and a product of the city’s public schools. She is a high performing, executive-level business professional with over 10 years of solid experience in the non-profit sector, particularly in the arenas of youth development, project-program design and execution, community relations, human resources management and partnership development. From developing strategic program management plans, systems processing and effective marketing strategies to community partnership building and managing out-of-school time programs for college students and youth, Zakenya has a broad range of top-notch managerial skills in non-profit leadership.

Ms. Neely holds a Master’s Degree of Arts in Organizational Management, which has afforded her the opportunity to work with local and national non-profit organizations and foundations, including Operation Reach, Inc; Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation; Communities In Schools of New Orleans and the NFL Boys and Girls Club. Ms. Neely prides herself as a community educator and has an undying passion to help people enhance their personal growth by working with organizations that are committed to providing needed resources to children, youth and families. In September 2012, Ms. Neely was named Community Trailblazer of the Year by Data News Weekly of New Orleans.

 

JULIA RAMSEY | Communications Coordinator

Email: [email protected] | Extension: 5

New Orleans native and proud product of the Orleans Parish public school system, Julia Ramsey joined OPEN in May 2013. In her position as Communications Coordinator, she handles OPEN’s internal and external communications efforts, providing communication strategy and content creation to ensure that OPEN’s community and media presence fully articulates its mission. She developed her communication and management skills by co-founding and editing Interrobang?! Magazine, and continued by moving on to a wide range of new media organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Rhode Island and is an anthologized poet.

 

DR. FREDDYE HILL | Family Leadership Training Institute Coordinator

Email: [email protected] | Extension: 4

Freddye L. Hill, PhD joined OPEN to serve as coordinator of the Family Leadership Training Institute in Fall 2015. Previously, she had a distinguished career as an educator and higher education administrator at Haverford College, Spelman College, Wesleyan University, and Dillard University, where she served as a senior administrator and associate professor of sociology. She is active in the New Orleans community. She is a mentor, volunteer, and a documentary photographer.

 

 

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Program Support

FLTI NOLA 2016 Faculty