OPEN Staff

DEIRDRE JOHNSON BUREL | Executive Director

Email: [email protected]

Deirdre joined OPEN in January 2010. A native New Orleanian and product of the city’s public schools, Deirdre Johnson Burel recognizes the importance of investing in public education. Citing her career development as the classic model of return on investment for her family, church, and local community, Johnson Burel views OPEN as a personal and moral imperative to institutionalize that which was given her in and by the New Orleans community. Johnson Burel attended Eleanor McMain Magnet Secondary School and went on to attend U.C. Berkeley for undergraduate study and New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service where she earned a Master of Public Administration in public policy and non-profit management.

With more than fifteen years experience working to build viable educational solutions, Johnson Burel understands the importance of informed constituents and the critical role of empowered, engaged communities cultivating the environment for excellence in public education. She brings a career deeply rooted in social justice via educational programming (founding staff member for New Orleans’ first Americorps program, former Director of Franklin Summerbridge, Director of Programs at Urban League of Greater New Orleans) and education policy (Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget Policy Analyst, and Policy Director for the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education) to OPEN.

 

ZAKENYA PERRY NEELY | Deputy Director of Programs and Administration

Email: [email protected]

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]

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]

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.

 

KIRSTAN EVANS | Administrative Assistant

Email: [email protected]

Kirstan Evans is a native New Orleanian with over 12 years of experience in administration and management. She is also a small business owner, providing custom fashion solutions and prom dresses to local high schoolers. She is a proud New Orleans Job Corps alumni and mom to two NOLA students.

 

EVA ROODENRIJS | Program Associate

Email: [email protected]

Eva joined the OPEN team as a Programs Associate in January 2015, following a stint as OPEN’s Summer Intern in 2015, and her graduation from UC Berkeley in December. In her new role, Eva will help to support OPEN’s programs in any and all ways possible – from planning to implementation and beyond. Eva was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and attended public schools her whole life. Due to her interest in education, she has also worked throughout her life in different educational arenas as an after-school leader, camp counselor and director, peer health educator in Title 1 schools in the Bay Area, girls’ soccer coach, and at a preschool in rural India. Other than her interest in education, Eva played collegiate rugby which she has continued to play since moving to New Orleans, loves to travel (making it a point to see at least one new country every year), and loves any time spent in the outdoors.

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Program Support

FLTI NOLA 2016 Faculty