Karen Mayer Dwyer CPA was born and raised in New Orleans, currently resides in Jefferson, LA. A Mother of 3 children and grandmother of 4, Karen has also hosted over the years 4 foreign exchanges students who still lovingly call her Mom. Karen has 46 years’ experience in public accounting and owns her own business located in Metairie, LA. Karen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University. She has been an active community volunteer for over 31 years and in 2009 received both the AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) & LCPA's (Louisiana Certified Public Accountants) Distinguished Public Service of the Year Award. Karen currently serves as an Officer on the Boards of Voices for International Business and Education (VIBE) for the International High School of New Orleans and A Child's Wish of Louisiana (ACW). Her past Board experience includes the Board of the International School of Louisiana (ISL).

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Percy Manson is a Commercial Lender (Vice-President) at Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company with over 30 years of experience in lending with financial institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans, and he has completed LSU Graduate School of Banking.

In addition to his banking career, he is a political consultant that has helped several of our elected officials get in office on the state and local races. His involvement in the community is unlimited. He has volunteer and worked with several non-profit organizations in the Greater New Orleans Area. He serves on the board of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber, International High School of New Orleans, and Providence Community Housing.

He enjoys spending time with his family and friend. He likes to travel and shop. He is the proud President of the Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Percy is definitely a leader in our community and in his professional life.

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Cerrita Jones is a Certified Public Accountant with 16 years in the accounting profession. Cerrita has a passion for educating the youth and inspiring them to seek financial careers, especially in Accounting and Finance.

Cerrita holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Masters of Business Administration with an accounting emphasis degree from Texas Woman's University.

Cerrita is a mother of four amazing children, in her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, traveling, and enjoying life. She is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

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Dr. Winfield was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a wife and mother to 5 children and grandmother of 7 wonderful grandchildren. Dr. Winfield is currently employed with Metropolitan Human Service District as an Intellectual and Developmental Community Service Professional and has over 25 years of Law enforcement and Social Service experience.

Dr. Winfield holds a Doctoral Degree in Health Administration form Virginia University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg Virginia, a Bachelor of Science degree in both Criminal Justice and Psychology, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice with concentration in Juvenile Justice from Southern University at New Orleans.

In addition to her multi-faceted professional background, Dr. Winfield has a passion for service in the community. She has volunteered and worked with many non-profit organizations. She serves on the board of Journey Through Forever, which is a non-profit organization providing temporary shelter for the homeless and International High School of New Orleans.

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Sarah has worked in the planning field in New Orleans for 20 years, mainly for non-profits focused on access to green space, climate planning, and affordable housing.

She is currently Senior Planner at CSRS, a planning firm. Prior to this, she was Director of Planning for City Park, where she directed Master and Strategic Planning for the 1,300-acre historic park. Before City Park, she was the New Orleans Program Director of The Trust for Public Land, a national park and conservation nonprofit.

Sarah was a Rockefeller Foundation Redevelopment Fellow in New Orleans through the University of Pennsylvania, from which she holds a Certificate in Urban Development. She also holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans and a BA from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.

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Grace is an IHSNO alum, class of 2018. She now works for the City of New Orleans as an Analyst at the Department of Safety and Permits. She graduated from LSU class of 2022 with a Bachelors of Integrated Studies. She is a local New Orleanian with a passion for the betterment of the city and the education of the youth who are the future of our community. Click to Email

A native of New Orleans with strong ties to the city, Chanelle Vicknair Robinson APRN, FNP-Cis passionate about improving the health of her community through various means. She has been a nurse practitioner for eight years, caring for her patients with compassion and empathy. Chanelle has a strong affinity for her elderly patients.

Chanelle lives in New Orleans with her husband and four children. She loves spending time with her loved ones, as well as exploring new restaurants, listening to live music, gardening, exercising, reading books, and relaxing at the beach.

Chanelle serves as a coach and mentor to nursing students, nurses, and nurse practitioners. She emphasizes the value of learning and is pursuing her doctoral degree from Virginia University of Lynchburg. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Dillard University, a Master of Science in Health Care Management from University of New Orleans, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University. She is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Chanelle belongs to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association.

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Cayce Peterson is a founding partner of the law firm JJC Law LLC, where he specializes in maritime, products liability, environmental and personal injury litigation. Cayce was born in Patterson, Louisiana in St. Mary Parish and grew up on the Bayou Teche. He moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University and Tulane Law School.  Cayce is a skilled litigator, briefing and arguing important legal issues in the areas of maritime injury, insurance coverage, products liability, environmental and personal injury. Because of Cayce’s education in physics, mathematics and computer science as well as his lifetime of experience growing up around the offshore and inland oil and gas industry, Cayce has a unique understanding of technical, scientific and industry specific issues that often arise in maritime and environmental cases. Before starting his own law firm, Cayce was the managing partner of The Lambert Firm, PLC, a high-powered maritime and environmental law firm in New Orleans.

Outside of the office, Cayce leads the firm’s sponsored basketball team, known around town as “The Firm,” which is a perennial contender in each of the most competitive basketball leagues in the Greater New Orleans area. Cayce is also a frequent lecturer on various legal topics and an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Tulane Law School, in addition to being an active member of many bar associations, public interest groups and community service organizations that provide pro bono and charitable services for the less fortunate, differently abled and under-privileged.

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Linda Arellano-Rivera, Member

Bert Holloway, Member

Charlie Lacoste, Member