Jason Neville | Executive Director
Jason Neville is an urban planner and affordable housing innovator whose mission is working with people to make cities better.
For over fifteen years, Jason has led neighborhood revitalization projects with an emphasis on inclusivity—working to ensure that new investments in housing, retail, open space, and infrastructure benefit all residents.
His experience includes planning and project management at the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Innovation Team, and the nonprofit affordable housing organization Restore Neighborhoods Los Angeles.
In those capacities Jason has led the development of affordable housing, stormwater management infrastructure projects, arts-driven community events, and small business support programs. He is excited to bring that experience to the Greenway and those that live, work, and play near it.
Jason is a native New Orleanian and holds an undergraduate degree in urban planning and studies from University of New Orleans and a graduate degree in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California. Jason has taught in the Tulane University Sustainable Real Estate Development program and USC’s Price School of Public Policy.
Jason lives near the Lafitte Greenway with his wife and two young daughters.
Alexis Marceaux | Director of Community Programming
Alexis Marceaux is a seasoned nonprofit professional who serves as a driving force behind the year-round programming on the Greenway. With a keen focus on cultural arts, Alexis passionately champions emerging talents and cultivates the cultural economy. Through meticulously curated initiatives, she amplifies artistic voices and thrives to foster a vibrant community spirit.
Drawing from her extensive background in music and education, Alexis integrates the essence of New Orleans’ vibrant music scene into her work, providing a dynamic platform for artists to thrive. Her educational journey through NOCCA (New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts) and Southeastern Louisiana University laid the groundwork for her holistic approach, blending creativity with strategic insight.
In addition to her programming responsibilities, Alexis manages communications for the Greenway, ensuring effective messaging and outreach strategies. Through her leadership, she empowers her community to understand and promote the Greenway’s vital role in maintaining a thriving public space. With Alexis at the helm, each initiative becomes a testament to her commitment to enriching culture and fostering community engagement. Join her on the journey of transforming spaces and uplifting spirits through the power of art, education and placemaking.
Tyronnisha “Ne Ne” Johnson | Programs Coordinator
Nene a native of New Orleans, is a returning resident of the Lafitte Greenway community. Nene serves as our Get Fit & Programs Coordinator and her personal mission is to interact with members of the community to raise awareness about our beautiful green space in the City while making it a better, healthier place to live for all. Nene hopes to make an impact in her role that will make a change for the better. Nene completed 4 years at Texas Southern University and is also a Cosmetologist. When she is not coordinating on the Greenway, you can find her inspiring or motivating others and she enjoys spending quality time with her daughter Rhyli (who also loves the Greenway). Nene is proud to be demonstrating her passion with the Lafitte Greenway in its continued growth.
Board of Directors
Essence Banks celebrates sixteen years as a heart disease survivor and Founder/ President of Heart N Hands, Inc., founded in 2014, a nonprofit focused on increasing awareness and educating girls aged 10-18 about heart health and heart disease prevention in the community. Essence is a native of New Orleans, graduated from McDonogh 35 High School, received her BA from Loyola University New Orleans and her MBA from the University of New Orleans. Essence has a background in human resources/talent management, certified Six Sigma Black Belt, training & development and experience in the hospitality and tourism industry. Essence enjoys spending time with husband Nick Banks and 2 sons, Jaden and Connor.
Emily Bullock is a Principal with Spackman Mossop Michaels landscape architects. She has experience designing open space projects and leading community engagement efforts in dynamic and diverse communities across New Orleans, Detroit, Chattanooga, and many others, including a youth-inclusive design process with middle school students at Paul Habans Charter School in Algiers focused on stormwater management, and a bilingual neighborhood green infrastructure engagement plan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Emily has enjoyed following the development of the Greenway since its early planning stages and looks forward to contributing to the momentum and continued success of the Greenway.
Kevin Centanni is a “retired” entrepreneur, inventor, and hobbyist. For over 30 years, his successful interactive design company, Controlled Entropy, has worked with clients such as Pfizer, Sony, iHeart, NFL, WWE, General Motors, Warner Bros., Rachael Ray, and Steven Colbert. After 25 years in New York, Kevin returned to his hometown of New Orleans in 2010. Recent projects have included transforming an abandoned historic police station into Rosedale, a neighborhood restaurant for Susan Spicer; producing rock operas and wrestling spectaculars for fun and profit; and helping maintain and enhance The Lafitte Greenway in many different ways.
With The Virtual Krewe of Vaporwave, a local arts collective, he has created art installations in partnership with The Louisiana Jazz Museum, Arts New Orleans, The New Orleans Airlift, and the New Orleans Film Festival. Kevin is a director of a non-profit that is returning-to-flight an English Electric Lightning, a British Cold War Era supersonic fighter jet based at Stennis Airport in Kiln, MS. Kevin also enjoys a variety of personal pursuits related to infrastructure, history, cars, crabs, pinball, travel, and more. Kevin formerly served as Chairman of the Board for The Lafitte Greenway from 2019 – 2021.
Caileen Coleman
Caileen is a lifelong learner, lover of nature and water, and advocate for disability rights and health equity. You can see her enjoying the Get Fit the Greenway community fitness classes and the accessible FitLot. Caileen is excited to help the Greenway become an even more inclusive green space for all visitors.
David Harms is a manager in the real estate advisory practice of Baker Tilly, where he advises clients on affordable housing development and structuring. He previously served as the VP of real estate development for one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers. David holds a B.A. from Rice University and an M.S. from LSU, and also teaches as an adjunct at Tulane in their Masters of Sustainable Real Estate Development program. He has previously served on the board of Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative. He and his wife enjoy living in Mid City near the Greenway, which has been home for most of the past 15 years.
Onika Jervis is a collaborative, strategic, and natural community connector with over twenty-five years of management experience in higher education, community organizing, and the non-profit sectors. Onika graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz with her B.S. in Environmental Biology and ME.D. in Educational Supervision and Management. Born in Guyana, SA, and hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Onika has made New Orleans her home for the last ten years. She has worked on issues of community wellness, sustainability, and equity to improve vulnerable communities quality of life, economic pathways, and resiliency. A proud Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc member, Onika is an LSU-certified home and school-farm gardener and Compost Training certified by the 131 School, a two-time marathoner, avid walker, and biker who enjoys biking the Greenway and strolling the tree-lined streets of the city.
Vann Joines has over 15 years of experience in affordable housing, renewable energy and commercial real estate development. His company, JOIN Development, specializes in utilizing public private partnerships and tax credit financing to build more sustainable communities. Vann has also held positions at the City of New Orleans, on their Infrastructure Development Team, and at Gulf Coast Housing Partnership. He holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Real Estate Development from Tulane University and undergraduate degrees in Physics and Astronomy from Haverford College. Vann has lived in New Orleans since 2006 and prefers biking as his primary form of transportation.
Teena May is the co-founder and Board President of BlackAmericana Fest. She also works with Pixie Dust Biodegradable Glitter and performs her original songs with her band around town. She bikes as transportation and uses the Greenway to get around town every day.
Amanda Menniti is an accountant by trade, and enjoys using her number-crunching skills to support the exciting work of the Friends of Lafitte Greenway. She has a Bachelors and a Masters degree from Tulane University, and currently works in External Reporting at Entergy Services. She has always been very active in the New Orleans community, most recently with the Young Leadership Council, and is drawn to the intersection of environmental sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement that the Friends of Lafitte Greenway is committed to. She spends her spare time reading, listening to live music, and chasing her toddler.
Sarah Olivier 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 where the majority of her work is assisting municipalities access federal funding. Prior to this, she was Director of Planning for City Park and New Orleans Program Director for the Trust for Public Land. Sarah lives in Bayou St. John with her family and loves taking advantage of City Park and the Greenway.
Naim Jonathan Peress just (semi-)retired after a 37 year career practicing environmental and energy law, working with law firms, energy companies and environmental advocacy organizations, including work on climate adaptation and decarbonization strategies and representing the environmental agencies in legal/land use matters. Naim is a committed environmental advocate and held leadership positions with the Conservation Law Foundation and Environmental Defense Fund.
He recently relocated to Mid City as part of a longstanding plan to live in and contribute to our extraordinary city and has been an active volunteer in several Friends projects over the past year.He enjoys gardening, live music and swimming and cycling for exercise. Naim looks forward to learning from and contributing to the growth of the Greenway as a unique and important community asset.
Katherine Randall is an experienced construction manager in affordable housing both here in New Orleans and in Philadelphia. Currently, Katherine is a Project Manager for Audubon Nature Institute and a member of the Governor Nicholls Riverfront for All Project. Katherine uses the Greenway to ride her bike to work and is excited to take part in expanding the Greenway offerings.
Matt Rufo is an urban planning consultant and champion for healthy, resilient cities. He studies how public investments in place-making infrastructure generate equitable community growth and development. Matt has led numerous processes to create active transportation and sustainable land use plans adopted by local governments throughout southeast Louisiana.
Matt previously served on the Friends board from 2011 to 2013, volunteering as Chair in 2012, and often the Greenway’s businesses, playgrounds, and festivals with his family. Since 2020, he has served as a Commissioner on the City’s Board of Zoning Adjustments. Matt enjoys hiking, camping, biking, birding, and kayaking, and is currently training to become certified as a Louisiana Master Naturalist. He earned a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University.
Daniel Samuels is a licensed architect and sole proprietor of Daniel R. Samuels Architect, an architectural firm offering complete architectural services for residential and light commercial projects, including expertise in historic restoration, adaptive reuse, and custom residential design.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Daniel received his architectural education at the University of Oregon, Tulane University. (B. Arch., Tulane University, 1985). While in school, Daniel worked in construction as a laborer and carpenter’s helper alongside some of the city’s finest traditional artisans on projects involving the repair and restoration of several of New Orleans’ oldest buildings.
Daniel also earned a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans (2000) which deepened his appreciation and commitment to relationships between community and place. Daniel was a founding member of Friends of Lafitte Greenway from 2008-2012.
Dr. David L. Wallace is more than a consultant—he is a culture influencer and visionary leader. As the founder of Dream House Lounge, a sanctuary for mental and spiritual wellness in New Orleans’ Central Business District, and Awakening Minds Consulting, where he serves as principal consultant, Dr. Wallace is dedicated to fostering community and amplifying culture. His commitment to wellness advocacy led him to join the board of the Lafitte Greenway, furthering his mission to create spaces that nurture connection and well-being.
Christine White is the Chief Financial Officer of Corporate Services at Ochsner Health. She has a MBA from Tulane University and lives in the Fairgrounds neighborhood.
Reed Wiley is currently a commercial associate broker with Latter and Blum, Inc. and has called New Orleans home for the last 7 years after spending the previous 11 years in Los Angeles. As a commercial associate broker, Reed has worked in a multitude of real estate sectors and has experience working alongside State and City economic agencies in showcasing our remarkable City. Reed is also a passionate advocate for the current/future development of the Greenway and, through his occupation, is exceedingly knowledgeable of the Greenway and the surrounding neighborhoods/communities it connects. Having previously enjoyed wonderful experiences working alongside members of the Friends in a volunteer capacity including the Greenway Hikefest and a few mural/art projects along the Greenway, Reed looks forward to having the opportunity to work with his fellow board members to continue championing/building upon the growth of the Greenway and focusing on the long-term goals/plans needed to ensure this vital public asset further establishes itself as the central conduit bringing together family, friends, neighbors, tourists, and experiential explorers alike.