About Us

JoAnne spent 27 years of her professional life in the insurance business before becoming an entrepreneur.  JoAnne returned to her hometown of New Orleans in 2007 after being gone for 31 years. She discovered that living in New Orleans meant becoming an animal lover as New Orleans is a huge dog city. Rescue organizations are very active but are always struggling for funds.  So in 2018, she founded the NOLA Dogs Race to the Rescue 5K and in 2019 founded NOLA Girl Charitable Giving a 501 (c)(3) 

non-profit to raise money to improve the lives of animals, women and children. JoAnne owns Alice and Amelia, a gift boutique on Magazine Street. When not working, JoAnne enjoys traveling with her husband Dan, facetiming with her grandchildren and taking  too many pictures of Daisy, her four legged fur baby.

Dan was born and raised in Connecticut and has had a long and distinguished career in public education.  He received his BS degree in Biology Education, a Master’s Degree in Educational Research and a degree in Public School Administration. His career started as a teacher and after a few years he moved on to high school administration and served as Principal of a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon High School for many years. He then accepted the position of Director of Education Services at the Connecticut Academy for Education where he led the work of the Academy’s technical assistance & professional development programs to enhance greater access, equity, participation, and success in mathematics, science and technology for all students. 

In 2007, Dan and his wife JoAnne made the decision to leave the winters of the Northeast and move to New Orleans, JoAnne's hometown. Dan moved to New Orleans with the intention of continuing his commitment to the education of children. Once in New Orleans, he accepted a position at Benjamin Franklin High School. The position fell into his primary areas of interest and expertise which include mentoring school administrators and teachers. After seven years as a Special Consultant at Franklin, Dan was named interim CEO of BFHS.  Dan joined the Krewe of Thoth and has been an active member for sixteen years. Dan is also a certified tennis instructor (retired) and an avid golfer. He and JoAnne have five adult children combined and four grandchildren.  He's also enjoys taking Daisy, their four legged child for long walks at City Park.  Dan is excited to bring to the NOLA Girl Board his organizational skills that will assist the Board in successfully achieving its goals.

Cynthia has over 30 years experience in executive management in the medical technology, decision support, and education industries and developed a highly successful consulting practice focused on business strategy development and process improvement. 

She holds a BBA in Economics and an MBA with concentrations in Strategic Planning and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. She completed coursework toward a doctorate in Finance with a research interest in entrepreneurial finance. She has taught Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business Communications at the University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University and has also taught at Loyola University in New Orleans.  

Cynthia has served on the Board of Directors for Austin Habitat for Humanity and on the Board of Advisors for the University of Texas Quality Management Consortium in addition to several other boards. In 2018, she founded and incorporated NOLA Grannies as a 501(c)3 to serve the needs of asylum seekers from Central America. She was the organizer of the 2019 We The People NOLA event connecting grassroots non-profit organizations with progressives looking for ways to make a difference in the local community. 

Meet Abby, proud dog mama and Marketing Manager at Gambit Weekly. When she's not busy marketing small businesses, you'll catch her marching as a Weather Girl, traveling with her husband, and running her dogs Instagram page for fun. Abby has always had a passion for animal rescue and is proud to serve on the board for the Nola Dogs Race to Rescue 5k.. 

BIO COMING SOON!