Palesa CDC Board of Directors
Her role as a community developer identifies opportunity gaps and uses a multi-industry network to generate projects and source resources that focus on increasing people's annual income. Construction work(s), cultural arts, and general small business pipeline development that generate employment/income expansion for varied contractors is the goal. Kimberly began early, engaging the Audubon Zoo as a volunteer and later sharing in cross-cultural U.S. Peace Corps educator exchanges with Southern Africa, and recreationally through dance training and patronage of local New Orleans African dance troupes.
Since 2000, her work with public and private sectors leveraged capital to benefit small businesses, commercial developers, public school teachers, and diverse neighborhood capacity building organizations state-wide. Communities as far as Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Monroe, Bastrop, Shreveport, Bogalusa, and as eastern as Chalmette, are cities where Kimberly fostered business to business growth opportunities. Kimberly has formerly worked for Renasant Bank, The First Bank, and Woodforest National Bank as the Louisiana Community Development Officer providing Community Reinvestment Act Investment Services. As a teacher for the U.S. Peace Corps in Lesotho, Southern Africa and Orleans Parish Elementary Public Schools, educator facilitation strategies greatly benefited her success at Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, HRI Properties, the City of New Orleans Office of Community Development & Recovery Management, and the Bloomington-Normal, Illinois Economic Development Council. The latter organization won an International Economic Development Council Honorable Mention Award for data analysis and application. Kimberly’s community facilitation has coordinated $100M+ in public-private, program and project management, including real estate, housing and business programs. Kim founded Palesa LLC and has provided significant, new training opportunities to young men and women working in the construction trades.
Owner of Successful Endeavors, a five-plex retail center in New Orleans, LA. with annual lease and sales revenue of $1.3M+.
Ronn not only employs 20+ people in the food/beverage industry, which at a peak height operated 3 Chicken-n-Watermelon Restaurants and Jazz Daiquiris, his firm leases retail space to two organizations with cultural significance: Operation Restoration “The Closet,” which provides services to formerly incarcerated women and The Beautiful Creole Apache, a masking Indian store.
Since 2016, through a true partnership in leadership with his management team, the company’s non-profit arm, Help Me Help You, has mentored countless neighborhood youth and donated $70K+ to youth and supportive service non-profit organizations through book sack and toy drives, and essay writing monetary award contests.
Help Me Help You Partners
- YWCA
- Eleanor McMain Secondary School
- Esperanza Academy Charter School
- Frederick Douglas Highschool
- Broadmoor Improvement Association Night Out Against Crime
Charmaine is an arts advocate whose career includes work as a past performing artist, professional dancer; dancing with the Kris Cangelosi Dance Company. She views the arts as a contributing factors to Community Development and Education.
Charmaine has an eclectic and diverse teaching background, beginning as an Ameri-Corp volunteer teacher and subsequently teaching in various schools throughout New Orleans for 15+ years. She is a former Parent Educator with the Louisiana Department of Health and former New Orleans charter school board member.
Charmaine serves as the Girl Scouts Louisiana East (Region 4) Membership Recruiting Specialist where she continues to advance the mission of “helping to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.”
Charmaine hopes to utilize the rich, diverse culture of New Orleans to create innovative solutions to community problems. She also continues to serve in multiple roles at Mt. Herman Baptist Church.
Serves as Palesa Development Consultant for the Deer Park Housing Development with a focus on public policy and financial analysis.
As owner of REO, LLC, Steven provides real estate advisory, research, cash flow projections, development pro formas, civic engagement, deal structuring, and advisory in housing financial programs His legislative advocacy, policy and data analysis have assisted women and minority communities statewide in garnering increased access to government contract opportunities.
Steven provides charitable, Board of Director services with the following:
- City of New Orleans Industrial Development Board Member
- City of New Orleans Business Alliance Board Member
- Broadmoor Community Connections Board Member
- French Market Corporation Finance Committee Board Member
Advisory Board
Dean of the Delgado Community College, Sidney Collier Campus:
- School of Construction Arts & Technical Studies
- Former College Assistant Chair of Engineering & Technology.
- Former Assistant Professor and adjunct faculty member.
Ethan Ellestad has been involved in community work for two decades, beginning as a coach and youth mentor, then developing and running after school programs and supervising adjudicated youth. He is a founding member of the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO), and has served as executive director since 2014. MaCCNO empowers, organizes, and advocates with New Orleans’ musicians, artists, traditional culture bearers, and other members and allies of the cultural community to address immediate issues like the loss of live music permits and inconsistent enforcement of street performance laws, as examples. MaCCNO educates on the most vital needs for New Orleans’ culture to survive and thrive—and for musicians, artists, and traditional culture bearers to enjoy a good quality of life— addressing the larger systemic issues faced: increasing wages, affordable housing, significant income growth away from the trend of income disparity and low wages in the cultural economy. Ethan's work includes a 3 year stint in the Peace Corps, where he developed and ran a community center in Ewarton, Jamaica. He relocated to New Orleans in 2009, where he attended the University of New Orleans, receiving a Masters Degree in Urban Planning and Community Development. Upon graduation, Ethan joined the staff of the Foundation For Louisiana, as a member of the Neighborhood Organizing and Planning Fund, where he worked until the end of 2013.
Mario P. Pleasant is a nationally recognized comedian, entertainer, and cultural ambassador representing the entertainment landscape of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. Widely regarded as one of the most influential comics in Louisiana, Mario has cultivated a powerful platform with a combined social media following exceeding three million across multiple platforms.
A New Orleans native, Mario is a graduate of L.E. Rabouin High School and John McDonough High School—two institutions that played a significant role in shaping his perspective, work ethic, and connection to the communities he serves today. His early experiences within these schools deeply influenced his approach to leadership, storytelling, and community engagement.
Mario has headlined and contributed to some of New Orleans’ largest events, festivals, and live productions. His professional work spans stand-up comedy, film, digital media, and live entertainment, including multiple film projects and ongoing involvement in filmmaking and production. He is frequently selected for projects that come to New Orleans requiring authentic cultural representation, local production insight, and strong community connections.
Beyond entertainment, Mario is actively involved in civic and community initiatives. He has received three official proclamations from the City of New Orleans recognizing his contributions to culture, entertainment, and community impact. He has also been selected to support and promote political leaders and public initiatives during election cycles, using his platform to engage, inform, and mobilize diverse audiences.
Through his work, Mario consistently bridges entertainment, culture, and community development. His service on the Palesa CDC Board reflects his continued commitment to advocating for neighborhood growth, cultural preservation, and positive representation of Louisiana.
Award-winning Arts professional with work promoted through Creatively Yours in public and private collections around the world including work permanently accessioned and on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. A proven track record of applying exceptional leadership, creativity, strategy and ingenuity in business and educational contexts. Experienced in setting and leading the creative vision and direction for programs across the USA, Europe and Africa.
As a collaborative leader who has successfully delivered large projects by working with diverse artists, collectors and stakeholders, Myesha aims to strengthen the resources and exposure opportunities made available to “creatives.” Artist, curator, gallery and former studio owner with a passion for creating and sharing powerful, soul-centered art.
AWARDS
- Outstanding Arts Organization Award- Asante Awards Organization
- Essence and Madam CJ Walker Award for Entrepreneurship Excellence in the Arts
- Selected as a Romare Bearden fellow of the Saint Louis Art Museum.
- Recipient of $25k Grant for a One Year Artist Sabbatical - Exodus Summit
- Star Entrepreneur Award from B.A.S.E.
- Honorary Arts Chair 2011- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Margaret Burroughs Wright Fellowship, Association of African American Museums
- Dr. Leeta Allen Haynes’ Award for Academic Excellence
- Contributor to The Oprah Bracelet Project, a Fairwinds Trading initiative, enabling women artists from New Orleans and Rwanda to heal from trauma through art. Ms. Winfrey successfully sold the bracelets in Macy’s.
- Studied art in Florence, Italy and surveyed visual artists in East and West Africa.
Attorney Nia Weeks, like her name's meaning, leads a "purpose" driven legal profession as an advocate, storyteller, and filmmaker. With dual citizenship in Ghana, Africa, Atty. Weeks is the Founder and Executive Director of Citizen SHE United, an advocacy group in Louisiana that is building an aligned base of Black Women who inform, advocate for, and enact a collective policy agenda to address the needs of Black Women across the state. She is the former director of Policy and Advocacy at Women With A Vision. Nia is a native of New Orleans and has spent years fighting for the rights of women, children, and families.