Jasmine Brown

Executive Director

Jasmine is the Executive Director of The Green Project where she enjoys working with her team and contributing to the mission of creative reuse and environmental education. She has worked as an Assistant Director in higher education and for TRiO programs through the Department of Education. She has dedicated service to underrepresented and underserved groups as well as assisted and improved the quality of service for students and members of the community in the Greater New Orleans area. Jasmine has served on the board of directors for the Young Leadership Council in 2023 and currently serves as a board member for the Newcomb Alumnae Association.

Sara Speer Selber

Managing Partner

Sara Speer Selber, managing partner of QuestEssential, has more than 40 years of experience managing people and organizations for excellence and success. Her career with for-profit and non-profit entities has been characterized by entrepreneurial innovation, and has been recognized repeatedly by professional and community groups for her business achievements and many contributions to the welfare of others. An accomplished networker, Sara combines her considerable communication skills with an extensive resource of business and community leaders to bring people together to address mutual needs and shared opportunity. She has also been described as a “Visionary who is always on the go and never stops learning so as to share her world with those who wish to think or act differently”. Sara and or QuestEssential works quietly and from behind the scenes, facilitates and helps groups conceptualize and implement new business models, collaborations and communication strategies, which yield a high impact result for those wanting to experience change. Sara is well known for her public speaking where she has been called one of the most inspirational, humorous and thought provoking speakers one can engage."

Flora Hammond

Professor & Chair

Dr. Flora Hammond is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician (physiatrist) who is an active clinician, researcher and administrator. She earned her medical degree at Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Baylor College of Medicine. She did a brain injury medicine fellowship at the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan. Dr. Hammond is professor and Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Indiana University School of Medicine and Chief of Medical Affairs at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana. She is Project Director of the Indiana Traumatic Brain Injury Model System, and Chair of the TBI Model Systems Program Executive Committee.

Lisa Usdan

Physician

I am a general endocrinologist currently in practice at the Memphis VA Hospital and also work as a clinical investigator for a variety of research trials at CNS Healthcare.

Candy Capel

Owner

Candy Capel, a native of New Orleans, is the owner of CC’s Daiquiris in downtown Montgomery. She is also the owner of Jasia Company, grants and special projects consulting firm. Among her professional experiences are former station manager of Alabama State University’s WVAS Public Radio Station; former grants administrator for the City of Montgomery (AL); former customer service manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles; and, former development director for the Pacifica Foundation’s KPFK Public Radio Station in Los Angeles.

Kim Frusciante

Founder & Executive Director

Kim Frusciante is the Founder and Executive Director of Early Partners, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in education and 15 years of leadership experience. She is deeply passionate about leveraging early childhood brain development to create better outcomes for children and foster a more equitable future for New Orleans. Kim began her career teaching high school Social Studies in Dallas before returning to New Orleans in 2010 to teach at the flagship school of Collegiate Academies (CA). As a key leader in the network’s first expansion school and later at the network level, she gained valuable experience in school startups, scaling instructional models, systems development, data-driven instruction, leading teams through growth phases, and talent recruitment and development. While supporting schools, Kim became increasingly concerned about the lack of high school readiness among students entering 9th grade, many reading at a 3rd-grade level. After becoming a parent and learning about the significance of early childhood brain development, she shifted her focus to early childhood education. This journey gave her a unique perspective on the full arc of a child’s education, significantly shaping her approach to Early Partners. Early Partners was incubated while Kim earned her Master's in Educational Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE), where she graduated with top honors, serving as Class Marshal for the School Leadership Program and delivering the Student Convocation Speech for the entire GSE. Kim tailored her Harvard coursework to inform every aspect of Early Partners, from micro-level literacy programming to long-term strategies for scaling impact. Harvard remains a key partner for Early Partners, and in March 2023, Kim and two members of her leadership team attended the “Scaling for Impact” workshop led by Dr. Monica Higgins at Harvard GSE. Early Partners is also working with a Harvard GSE researcher on Project Bridge, a study examining how the Reggio-inspired curriculum and data-driven instruction intersect to support school readiness. Kim lives in New Orleans with her husband, Taylor Gilbert, and their two children, Edith (9) and Andy (6). Edith was part of Early Partners’ initial pilots, funded by 4.0 Schools, and Andy attended Early Partners from 2021 to 2023.

Mary Jo Shaffer

Physician

I graduated from Newcomb in 1974 and attended Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. My house staff training in Obstetrics & Gynecology was at the USC-LAC Medical Center and completed in 1982. I practiced medicine in both private and HMO settings for 35 years. I retired in 2018.

Jordanna Enrich

Senior Director, Fulbright Student and Scholar Programs, Institute of International Education

Jordanna Enrich is the Senior Director of Fulbright Student and Scholar Programs at the Institute of International Education. Mrs. Enrich conducts program planning and oversight for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, providing guidance to teams on the programs’ lifecycle and liaising with the State Department, and Fulbright Commissions and U.S. Embassies abroad to ensure effective program administration. In addition, she directs the implementation of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and all its deliverables, including recruiting U.S. scholars, selection, budget management, monitoring of scholars while abroad and program evaluation. Mrs. Enrich has also served as Assistant Director in the University Placement Services Division at IIE, where she oversaw graduate college and university placements for international sponsored students, primarily foreign Fulbright students. Mrs. Enrich has lived in Madrid Spain and has studied in Accra, Ghana. She completed her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Tulane University and her M.A. in International Education from New York University.

Carolyn Kennedy

Attorney

I retired from federal government service as a Deputy General Counsel for the Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice (DOJ). During my 20-plus years with DOJ, I had the pleasure of being an Attorney for five years with the Civil Rights Division. Prior to joining the DOJ, I held the positions of Assistant General Counsel and Acting Manager of the Compliance Division for the Legal Services Corporation, where I was employed for approximately 10 years. Prior to becoming an Attorney, I held several positions as an Economist with a few federal government agencies, during which time I took graduate courses in Economics and Computer Science. Realizing that I wanted a career that would allow me to interact with people, I decided to attend law school, part-time at the Catholic University, where I received my Juris Doctorate degree. My career includes my initial job after graduating from Newcomb College (Economics major) as a Research Assistant with the Institute for Defense Analyses, an organization that was affiliated with Tulane University. Throughout my career, I participated in professional associations and volunteered with non-profit organizations.

Alana Miller

Multi Line Claims Adjuster

My initial career began as a grant reviewer The Louisiana Committee for the Humanities. Moved to the Area Agency for Aging. Reviews and awarded grants that provided services to the elderly for several parishes. Transitioned to Multiline insurance adjuster and worked as such for twenty plus years.

Mara Haseltine

Dermatologist, Physician

"Dr. Haseltine received her undergraduate degree from Tulane University. She was awarded her medical school degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, at the same time completing a Masters in Public Health in Community Health from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. While in medical school, she was elected into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor society. Dr. Haseltine then completed a residency in Dermatology at Tulane University School of Medicine, also serving as chief resident during her training. Following her dermatology residency, she completed a medical dermatology fellowship with Tulane Dermatology. Dr. Haseltine is Board Certified by the American Board of Dermatology. Dr. Haseltine has extensive training in complex medical skin diseases and treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Her areas of interest include cutaneous t-cell lymphoma, psoriasis, and eczematous dermatitis. In addition to private practice, Dr. Haseltine is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Tulane and LSU School of Medicine Department’s of Dermatology. She is director of the University Medical Center Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma Clinic, which partners with both LSU and Tulane Dermatology residents. Dr. Haseltine has been voted Louisiana Life Magazine Top Doctor in New Orleans and Louisiana every consecutive year from 2012-2024, and she was voted Gambit Magazine’s “Forty under Forty” in 2014. She was also recipient of the American Cancer Society’s “Belle and Beaus” award in 2015 for her instrumental role in making tanning beds illegal in Louisiana for minors while she was president of the Louisiana Dermatological Society. Dr. Haseltine is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Medical Association. She is a published author and has received various grants from the American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, Women’s Dermatologic Society, and the American Academy of Dermatology. She also received the NOLA Baby and Family Magazine “Love My Doctor” award in 201, 2012, 2023, and 2024 for best dermatologist. Dr. Haseltine sits on the board of the Legacy Donor Foundation and is involved in various other charity organizations in New Orleans. She also sits on the Tulane Alumni Association Board of Directors as well as the the Tulane Medical Association Alumni Board. She is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology Leadership Forum Work Group and a cosmetic filler injection trainer for X-medica. Dr. Haseltine is owner of Pure Dermatology, along with her business partner who she met at Tulane University in 1999! She lives uptown not far from Tulane Campus with her husband, three daughters, and Shitzu-poodle Charlie."

Newcomb Alumnae Association

NAA

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