Mission

The mission of Groundwork New Orleans is to bring about the sustained regeneration, improvement, and management of the physical environment by developing community-based partnerships that empower people businesses and organization to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.

Groundwork New Orleans shares its mission with more than twenty Groundwork Trusts around the country. Each Trust is an independent, environmental and business-minded non-profit, that together form the Groundwork USA Network.

Groundwork New Orleans works with people to improve the livability of New Orleans for all residents, including desired plants and animals. As a vital part of the ecology of New Orleans, people are the primary force for ensuring its health and survival.

History

In 2002, a Steering Committee was organized through the City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Environmental Affairs to guide the application process for determining the viability of establishing a Groundwork Trust in New Orleans. Based on the work of the Steering Committee, the National Park Service provided $10,000.00 to fund the development of a feasibility study and strategic plan that was completed November, 2005. The initial Board of Directors incorporated Groundwork New Orleans on September 18, 2006.

In December, 2006, Timberland Boot Company provided funding to GWNOLA for coordination of a day-long service project, installing raingardens that would contribute to beautification and improved ecological function of the 11-block Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard cultural corridor, a once vibrant commercial thoroughfare now designated as a National Main Street. Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard is currently a focal point of recovery funding and economic redevelopment.

Amid the immense challenges of instituting a new nonprofit post-Katrina, Groundwork New Orleans, is proactively and enthusiastically building working relationships and partnerships with members of the non-profit educational and non-profit sectors, businesses, faith-based organizations and residents that live and work throughout Central City, with an eye towards city-wide project and partnership expansion.

People

 

Meg Stainback Adams, P.E., graduated from Tulane University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Meg is a registered Professional Engineer in Louisiana, and is President Elect of the New Orleans Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and is on the ASCE Water/Environmental committee. She recently received her LEED AP certification. She is the Construction Manager at New Orleans City Park, and has also managed construction projects at New Orleans Museum of Art, Audubon Park, the Port of New Orleans, and Riverwalk. As the Construction Manager of City Park, Meg has been working to  upgrade stormwater  policies, green practices, and tree preservation programs. She plans to apply to the Sustainable Sites pilot program for the next major construction project, the City Park Festival Grounds. As a Board member at St. Martin's Episcopal School she worked with the staff to start a recycling program and  to establish a green committee for operations and development for the future. She is active in the  Beacon of Hope, rebuilding the Lakeview neighborhood following Katrina. 

Don Blancher, Ph.D.  Don is currently a candidate for Acting Executive Director of GroundworkNOLA.  Don is a native of New Orleans, is CEO of Sustainable Ecosystem Restoration, LLC., and is a nationally recognized expert on estuarine ecology, habitat assessment and water quality and biological impacts of discharges to ecosystems. For the last few years he has been evaluating coastal wetland systems for coastal decision making processes using Emergy Analysis. He also has been working on analyses and planning for implementation of sustainable low-impact infrastructure in Gulf Coast urban areas. Dr. Blancher received his bachelor’s in Biology from University of New Orleans (1972), his masters in Zoology and Physiology from LSU (1974) and his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida (1979). Dr. Blancher has authored over 50 technical reports and papers and numerous presentations at national and international meetings. He was formerly Chairperson of Ecology and Aquatic Resources Committee of the Water Environment Federation, is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Environmental Toxicology Program at the University of South Alabama, and Chair of GoundworkNOLA's Technical Advisory Committee

Reverend Lance Eden, is an incorporating member of the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans, and he is the as pastor of First Street United Methodist Church, two months after he Hurricane Katrina struck. Mr. Eden, newly ordained, quickly picked up skills few in the pulpit typically need. He learned how to restore a church whose roof had been peeled off and whose bell tower had been knocked askew. He played host to hundreds of volunteers who came to gut and rebuild, and is now working through First Street’s community development corporation to provide moderate to low income housing in Central City.

Yarrow Etheredge, President and an incorporating member of the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans, is a 1999 graduate of Tulane Law School, with a certification of specialty in Environmental Law. She began her career as a plaintiff-side environmental attorney with Waltzer and Associates before joining New Orleans’ Mayor Ray Nagin’s first administration as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Affairs. She continued her career as Director of Public and Legal Affairs for Toxicological and Environmental Associates, an environmental consulting firm, and as a visiting adjunct professor of Environment and Development at Tulane University’s Payson Center for International Development and Technology Transfer. She currently teaches at Tulane University, is a Senior Staff Analyst in Transmission Compliance at Entergy Services Inc., and serves as the Vice President and a founder of the Louisiana Brownfields Association, and board member of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

J.O. Evans, III, Vice President of the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans, is the Director, Sustainable Communities, for FutureProof Sustainable Design Consultancy. He is an interdisciplinary designer and artist with a background in ecology, composition and sculpture. As the Director of Sustainable Communities for FutureProof, Joe's work focuses on the human relationship with nature, spanning such diverse issues as localized infrastructure, water resource management, energy and transportation alternatives, food production and distribution, building science, and regenerative landscape design. He joined the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans in December, 2008.

Bill Kappel, M.S., Secretary of Groundwork New Orleans is an urban and regional planner, and manager of CEI’s New Orleans office.  His areas of expertise include urban and regional planning, flood plain management, community recovery planning, economic development, and coastal zone planning.  Prior to joining CEI, Mr. Kappel served as the team leader for FEMA’s Long Term Community Recovery Planning Operations in St. Bernard Parish in 2005 and 2006. Mr. Kappel’s experience in public policy and economic development has included: manager of business attraction and business retention for MetroVision, a regional economic development agency for the New Orleans area; policy advisor to Pennington mayoral candidate, and political action committee leader for education reform. He also has experience in construction and real estate and was on the staff of the New Orleans City Council.

Danielle Klein, Board Member, earned her B.A, in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, her M.A. in Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and, her M.A. in English Education from Columbia University. Before coming to New Orleans, Danielle taught high school English in New York City, coordinated academic programs for the housing department at the University of Colorado, and worked in public relations for Rob Reiner's Children and Families Commission in Los Angeles, California. Danielle currently works in Student Affairs for Tulane University, where she is an Area Director, advises Tulane's Student Conduct Board and serves as a memeber of the University's crisis management team. She joined the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans in December, 2008.

Jim Livingston is Treasurer of Groundwork New Orleans.  As a native of Miami, FL, Jim Livingston experienced firsthand Hurricane Andrew and its aftermath as well as the rebuilding effort in the early 1990s. He left Miami to attend graduate school at the University of Florida and to serve as a program manager for Florida Defenders of the Environment, a statewide environmental organization. Seeing economic redevelopment as a critical tool for preventing the sprawl of suburbia and keeping market forces from overwhelming green spaces, Livingston pursued a career in North Carolina working for organizations focused on rebuilding aging communities. Jim has also served on the boards of the Sandhills Area Land Trust and Retail Improvements Corporation in North Carolina. Both organizations furthered the mission of community enhancement and civic engagement through the non-profit and private sectors.  After Hurricane Katrina, Livingston moved his family to New Orleans to become the Executive Director of City-Works, a nonprofit 501c3 organization that worked in the state designated Main Streets, Hollygrove, Gert Town, Carrollton, Central City, Gentilly, the Warehouse District, and the French Quarter. His organization created a map of neighborhood organizations to help communication throughout the city and has provided leadership in rebuilding some of the critical commercial corridors in New Orleans. Jim has just recently taken his expertise in economic development into New Orleans’ City Hall as the Senior City Planner for Economic Development in the City Planning Commission. There he will work to help develop and revise the city’s Master Plan and Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.

Maureen Long, Board member Groundwork New Orleans, graduated from Tulane University with a Ph.D. in Latin American Studies in the spring of 2008 with a concentration in urban and international development. Since Hurricane Katrina she has shifted her research focus to deal exclusively with the recovery of New Orleans. She is currently working on an article addressing the changes to community participation in urban planning in post-Katrina New Orleans. Since 2006 she has been a member of the Project New Orleans team, a research project that arose to exhibit creative solutions to rebuilding New Orleans. She is currently an adjunct professor at Tulane in Latin American Studies and serves as the Treasurer of Groundwork New Orleans. She joined the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans in December, 2008.

Anne Redd is an Ex Officio member of the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans. She is Senior Policy Advisor to Council Person Stacy Head, the city council representative for Central City. Ann joined the board of directors of Groundwork New Orleans in 2007.  Anne currently Co-Chairs the fundraising committee.

Zach Youngerman graduated in 2005 with an Urban Studies BA from Brown University. He has studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the Shelter Institute for House Design and Construction. He is certified in Permaculture Design and is a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry “Tree Trooper.”His work centers around bringing ecological awareness and efficiency to the design, construction and use of the built environment. He believes that making citizens aware of ecology empowers all of us to live more sustainably and joyfully.