Development Team

  • Palesa Principal & CDC Chairman Serves as Lead Developer managing the development process. With residential portfolio management exceeding $5M+. Her role as a community developer identifies opportunity gaps and uses construction work(s) to generate

    Kimberly Lavon Burbank: Palesa Principal & CDC Chairman

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  • Palesa COO & CDC Secretary, providing business development and operational guidance. Marcus is also co-owner of Calvin Braxton FORD in Lockport, Louisiana. With 20+ years of management experience in the Sales and Finance Departments. He was a Financ

    Marcus Smith: Palesa COO & CDC Secretary

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  • Palesa CDC Board Member and native of New Orleans East. 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 fa

    Charmaine Smith-Robinson: Palesa CDC Board Member

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  • Serves as Palesa Project Manager for the Deerk Park Housing Development with a focus on urban planning, public policy, and financial analysis. As owner of REO, LLC, Steven provides real estate advisory, research, cash flow projections, development p

    Steven Kennedy: Project Manager for the Deerk Park Housing Development

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  • Trapolin-Peer Architects is the Lead Deer Park Housing Development Architect. As a Principal of Trapolin-Peer Architects, Paula Peer, applies her 33 years of practice to many of the firm’s new construction and renovation projects. Her experience wit

    Paula Peer : Principal of Trapolin-Peer Architects

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  • Palesa CDC Treasurer Owner of successful Endeavors, a five-plex retail store front on S. Claiborne Avenue, 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 pe

    Ronn Woods: CDC Treasurer

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Advisory Board

  • Owner, 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 Cu

    Myesha Francis: Owner of Creatively Yours

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  • 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.

    Cristina Alvarado-Suarez: Dean of the Delgado Community College, Sidney Collier Campus

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  • Director of Engagement & Partnership at the Music & Cultural Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO), Bettis advocates for the rights and well-being of musicians and cultural practitioners across the City of New Orleans. As past St. Augustine Highschool H

    Danovan Calhoun-Bettis: Director of Engagement at the Music & Cultural Coalition of New Orleans (MaCCNO)

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  • Co-founder of Detangled and Founder of Citizen SHE and Citizen SHE United. Nia Weeks is a celebrated civic strategist and thought leader, renowned for her innovative approaches to voter engagement and community mobilization. Raised in New Orleans, h

    Nia Weeks, Esq.

    Co-founder of Detangled and Founder of Citizen SHE and Citizen SHE United

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