9/11/2020
United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) is proud to announce its new volunteer leaders who will serve the organization throughout the 2020-2021 campaign year and beyond.
Comprised of business and community leaders, volunteers help further United Way's mission through their decision-making, governance and stewardship while improving the lives of people in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes.
Long-standing UWSELA supporters Cathy McRae, Marcus Brown, Ron McClain and Dr. Toya Barnes-Teamer will serve as chairs to the Board of Trustees, Campaign Cabinet, Public Policy Committee and Women United respectively.
McRae begins her term as board chair as a member of the Women United Global Leadership Council, Tocqueville Society cabinet chair and immediate past chair of UWSELA's Women United.
McRae retired from Shell Energy Resource Company as Vice President, Capability-Deepwater, Shell Upstream Americas in 2015 after over 32 years with the company. As VP, Capability, she was accountable to improve, grow and sustain Deepwater technical capability; to develop a robust technical talent pipeline where knowledge is transferred from more senior staff; and provide UA Deepwater technical assurance to projects, wells, and assets.
She serves on the Presidential Council of Alumnae at Michigan Technological University and is a member of the Women's Energy Network, International Women's Forum, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Society of Petroleum Engineers and New Orleans Geological Society.
Brown brings an abundance of charitable knowledge to the campaign chair role as a long-standing Tocqueville Society member and thought-leader in the philanthropic community.
Brown is Executive Vice-President and General Counsel for Entergy Corporation. In this capacity he provides advice and counsel to the Board of Directors, Chairman and CEO and the executive team. He also leads the corporation's Legal; Ethics and Compliance; Corporate Communications; Federal Policy, Regulatory and Governmental Affairs; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainability and Environmental Policy; and Corporate Security and Governance groups.
He is also a member of the Energy Insurance Mutual Board of Directors, the Tulane University Center for Energy Law Advisory Board and the Louisiana State University John P. Laborde Energy Law Center Advisory Council.
McRae and Brown will serve in their roles for the 2020-2021 campaign year.
McClain is replacing a seat left vacant after Kim Sport stepped down from her role as Public Policy Committee chair, which she held since the committee's inception in 2013.
Although he is a newcomer to the chair position, McClain is well-versed in UWSELA's efforts as a chief advocate and ally in the space of early care and education.
McClain is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and current Executive Director of the Institute of Mental Hygiene of the City of New Orleans (IMH), which is an original funder and partner of UWSELA's New Orleans Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. He serves as a Core Team Member and Steering Committee Member for the campaign today.
He is also a Professor of Social Work at Southern University at New Orleans and a frequent speaker and trainer in the social services arena. He is past president of the Board of Directors of Loyola University's Lindy Boggs National Center for Community Literacy and has served on the Board of Directors of Agenda for Children, the state's leading child advocacy organization. He is also a Fellow at the Tulane University School of Medicine Early Childhood Policy Leadership Institute.
Dr. Barnes-Teamer takes over as Women United chair after stepping down from the UWSELA Board of Trustees to guide UWSELA through a year of internal equity work.
A principal of HCM Strategists’ higher education team, Dr. Barnes-Teamer provides expertise in state and system-level higher education research, policy and cross sector collaboration. She provides technical support to systems and institutions to support student success, as well as system and institutional assessments to identify barriers and opportunities to increase student retention and completion. She also helps to identify strategies focused on improving outcomes and closing achievement gaps.
Dr. Barnes-Teamer possesses more than 25 years of experience in higher education administration, most recently as vice president for student success at Dillard University (LA). She also served as senior vice president for academic and student affairs for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS), after serving as vice chancellor/provost for Louisiana Technical College, District One. Prior to her tenure at LCTCS, Toya was associate director of admissions for recruitment and enrollment management at the University of New Orleans (LA) and associate director of admissions at Loyola University (LA).
Continuing their volunteer leadership service to UWSELA include:
- Ted Ruddock – Finance Committee Chair
- Bob Kimbro – Audit Committee Chair
- Melanie Craig – Community Impact Chair
- Florence Schornstein – Alexis de Tocqueville Society Chair
Stay up to date with all of UWSELA's work at UnitedWaySELA.org.
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About United Way of Southeast Louisiana
For 95 years, United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA) has been a leader and trusted partner in improving lives and making a lasting difference. We fight to eradicate poverty by preparing people for quality jobs, growing incomes, and affording better health and education opportunities throughout Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes. We have a bold vision of equitable communities where all individuals are healthy, educated, and financially stable – and we have a plan. United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s Blueprint for Prosperity guides all strategic investments in programs, initiatives, collaborations, volunteerism, and advocacy aimed at tackling poverty. For more information, please visit UnitedWaySELA.org. Find us on social: @UnitedWaySELA.