April 2023 Newsletter

Greetings! It’s my favorite time of year in New Orleans, when the jasmine is exuberantly in bloom, the crawfish pots are full and there is a festival every weekend! While I can’t quite believe we have already completed the first quarter of 2023, we have much to celebrate.

First, we welcomed THREE new team members to Global New Orleans; Aliya Quinlan, Program Coordinator; Izze Thompson, Program Assistant; and Caroline Allen, Communications Intern. I feel very lucky to have such a creative and inspired team mates.

We also gained several new board members, who bring expertise in the maritime industry, corporate law, nonprofit leadership, politics, music and finance. The group set aside a full day in January for a board advance (not a retreat, because we are forward-moving!) to strategize and dream for the upcoming year.

In March, three groups of International Leaders visited New Orleans, please take a few moments to look through the pictures below to see where they were visiting from, what professional resources they engaged with while here and what topics they discussing. Many thanks to the entire Global New Orleans team for going the extra mile to make every detail of the visits and agendas go smoothly.

So many more exciting updates within this newsletter, keep reading to find out more details about the Global Ties National Meeting in Washington, DC, the re-launch of our beloved World Explorer Supper Club series and the upcoming GiveNOLA Day, which is crucial to keep our programs going.

In Community,

Laila Bondi, MUP MPH

This IVLP project was designed to discuss U.S. efforts to assist the nation and the world to understand, assess, predict, and respond to human-induced and natural global climate change processes. This group met with leaders in climate mitigation in New Orleans, such as Collin Arnold, Director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, as well as Sandy Rosenthal, Founder of Levees.Org, and Environmental Curator for A Studio in the Woods, David Baker.

Participating Countries: Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Maldives, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China

The objectives for this IVLP project include gaining an understanding of the contributions of women to the social and economic advancement of communities and society at large through their leadership in gender, youth, family, and broader social issues, as well as to showcase women-led efforts that have generated positive change in education, health care, child care, nutrition, public safety, the environment, and other areas that contribute to the well-being of men, women, children, and families. Visitors met with many incredible New Orleans leaders, including Daphine Barnes, Director of STEM & Economic Mobility at Greater New Orleans, Inc. to learn more about their GNO Rocs programs, as well as working with Dr. Monique Cola, Head of School for New Orleans Charter Science & Mathematics High School, to discuss their STEM-centered education model and their award-winning girls robotics team.

Participating Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela

This IVLP project centered on analyzing the legislative framework that ensures equal rights for minority communities, exploring equal access to educational, economic, and healthcare opportunities for members of minority communities and presenting different political and social perspectives on ethnic, cultural, gender, racial, and religious minority community rights. In New Orleans, participants examined U.S. and international initiatives to promote and protect the human rights of minority communities, and review how organizations monitor, influence, and advocate for human and civil rights policy at the local, state, national, and international levels. These human rights workers met with Reginald Vicks, Chief Operating Officer for Crescent Care, Mr. Norris Henderson and Anisha Shetty of Voice of the Experienced, Dr. MarkAlain Dery of WHIV, Sally Jackson of PFLAG, and Tamar Baskind of House of Tulip, to name a few of the human rights leaders they met with in New Orleans.

Participating Countries: Belgium, Croatia, Lithuania, Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine

Global New Orleans was represented at the Global Ties National Meeting in Washington, DC, by Laila Bondi, Chelsea Brauwn and Aliya Quinlan. The week kicked off with the team heading to Capitol Hill for Advocacy Day. Telling our elected officials what we do and why funding our organization has an impact at the state and local level is PARAMOUNT, as the work becomes ever more complicated and costly and the funding faces cuts each year. Our programs play a critical role in U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. We met with staff representing Senator John Kennedy and Congressman Troy Carter and had fantastic discussions with them about who we are and why our work matters to Louisiana.

This year’s conference theme was “Re:Building Community: Globally and Locally,” and the urgency of connecting our home communities with the world was a cross-cutting element felt throughout all of the sessions. We networked with the 600 other attendees from 80+ organizations around the country doing the same work to shape our communities. We sharpened the tools in our programming toolbox with sessions that covered everything from DEIA organizational change and strategic cultural engagement, to team communication, and project management. Executive Director Laila Bondi was invited to speak on a panel entitled, “Succession Planning and Legacy Building for the Enduring Community-Based Member.” She was also selected to serve on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work Group for Global Ties US. We were even invited to a reception at the beautiful Embassy of Denmark, which was stunning during peak cherry blossom season! It was an amazing week of learning, connection and inspiration.

Sandy Rosenthal, founder and director of Levees.org, has been a longtime friend of Global New Orleans, serving as a professional resource and home hospitality host to our international visitors. We were thrilled to have her join the board in 2022 and excited to have her serve as Vice-President of the board overall and the chair of the Membership committee. Sandy founded the non-profit Levees.org after Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent federal levee failures in New Orleans. Her book, Words Whispered in Water (Mango, 2020) is about how she led an investigative team to expose the culprit in the levee breach disaster––the Army Corps of Engineers. Rosenthal is an advocate for the 62% of the American population living by levees. Sandy hosts a weekly podcast called Beat the Big Guys where she coaches her national audience on how to take on the big guys in their own communities.

NOLA Food: Barbecued shrimp

I always wear a bib when I eat barbecued shrimp because the best part is French Bread dipped in the garlicky butter sauce.

NOLA Weekend Plan: Exploring City Park

City Park has so much to offer. Did you know you can get fantastic free bird-watching tours in the portion called Couturie Forest?

Festival: French Quarter Fest

This free festival has grown exponentially since its start in 1984, but the Vieux Carre easily handles it. The food and stage performances are amazing, but the street performers may be the best part!

Movie: Shallow Hal

This oft-misunderstood movie starring Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jason Alexander is my far and away favorite.