Board of Directors
Sally Buras, President
As a Unitarian Universalist, issues of racial and social justice have been a passion of Sally’s over the last several years, leading her to find opportunities for learning, personal growth and activism. She currently serves on the Racial Healing Committee of the Women’s Center for Healing and Transformation in Abita Springs, chairs the Membership Committee and also serves on the Board of the New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Center and served in the past on the board of The Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal. She is mother to an ever challenging 19 year old son, has 3 dogs and a cat...all who make sure she laughs frequently.
Serena Deutch
Since moving to New Orleans three years ago, Serena has sought ways to use her connection to Judaism to become involved in the local community. Deutch says, “organizing around Jewish values is how I hope to contribute most moving forward.” She has volunteered with VOTE, Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners, Glass Half Full, and the Louisiana Democratic Party, in addition to getting involved with the Orleans Legacy Project.
For two years, she lived in the Moishe House, an intentional community for young Jews which hosts multiple monthly events to engage local young people in social, cultural, and service-oriented activities. Deutch is excited to bring her passion for community engagement along with marketing and event planning experience to the St. Charles Center Faith + Action. She writes, “I hope to explore more ways to take action from a lens of faith-based social justice work, specifically continuing my interest in criminal justice reform and racial equity work.”
Kathy Randels
Kathy Randels, born and raised in Bulbancha | New Orleans, to Rev. James Richard and Eloise Randels who served Lakeview Baptist Church for over 40 years, founded ArtSpot Productions in 1995. She has written, performed in, and directed numerous original solo and collaborative group works for professional, student and incarcerated ensembles in Louisiana and beyond. Her soul shaking work has been presented in four continents, and over 30 US States. She co-founded and co-directs the LCIW (Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women) Drama Club (1996); and The Graduates, a performing ensemble of formerly incarcerated women (2012). Additional major influences on her creative process include Dah Teatar of Belgrade, Serbia; The Network of Ensemble Theatres; Alternate ROOTS; and The National Institute for Directing and Ensemble Creation (NIDEC). Current projects include: The Road to Damascus (as Told by Grandmother to Little Red) a performance engagement with progressive Christian American Churches to address white Christian nationalism and inequity in the United States’ prison and criminal legal systems; ARCH (Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing) at Orleans Justice Center; a book-in-progress entitled The Unbreakable Queen, with and about Gloria “Mama Glo” Williams--the woman Louisiana incarcerated the longest at 51 years; and a contributing writer to a new published book entitled See Me: Prison Theatre Workshops and Love, by Jan Cohen-Cruz. She served as a teaching artist in over 10 New Orleans Public Schools from 1995-2015 through numerous programs including: Arts Connection, Urbanheart, Students at the Center, and KidSmart. She has served as an administrator of artist teachers through ArtSpot’s iROC program from 2010-2015.
Sherdren Burnside
Sherdren serves as Director of Posse New Orleans. Her engagement leading organizations uplifting New Orleans includes: serving as executive director of Compassion Outreach of America, a faith-based nonprofit that works to build a safe, thriving community for children and families in St. Claude and the surrounding neighborhoods of New Orleans through education, community development, healthy faith community; and as the founding director of College Track New Orleans (CTNO), formerly Urban League College Track (ULCT), a college completion program designed to help students from underrepresented communities to graduate from college. Her belief that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfill their own best promise drives her unwavering commitment to equity, service, and biblical justice.
Ryan Harvey
Ryan Harvey is a Senior Software Engineer for MBTA. He has also taught Computer Science courses at the University level and leads the Code for New Orleans, the local brigade of Code for America. He is a happy husband and father of two wonderful kids and a number of pets and resides in Mandeville, LA. Ryan and his family are members of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.
Kiana Calloway
Kiana Calloway is a recognized justice reform leader, solitary confinement survivor, and powerful voice for systemic change. At just 16 years old, he was wrongfully incarcerated for a crime he did not commit and spent a total of nine years in solitary confinement.
Rather than letting that experience break him, Kiana transformed his trauma into purpose, becoming a leading advocate for the abolition of solitary confinement. He is the Director of the Impacted Solitary Survivors Council, the largest collective of solitary survivors in the United States. His work has been featured in award-winning films and national campaigns, and he has helped lead legislative reforms across Louisiana. Through public speaking, mentorship, and grassroots organizing, Kiana continues to inspire a movement rooted in justice, healing, and resilience.
Kiana Calloway is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network Fellow, a RedF Business Accelerator Fellow, and an Electoral Justice Project Fellow. His leadership has been featured in award-winning films and recognized on national platforms for his work to end solitary confinement. He has also served on mayoral and sheriff transition teams, shaping justice policy in New Orleans from the inside out.
Becky Meriwether
Becky is a retired family physician and epidemiologist who spent most of her career in public health followed by some time in academic medicine and research and finished her career working in disability medicine. She is a member of the St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church which she represents on the Board and currently serves as the Chair of the Community Engagement Team and on the Leadership Team and Trustees of the Church. She devotes her time to a variety of social justice issues with a focus on criminal and racial justice and is convener of the Orleans Legacy Project which is working to erect historical markers to memorialize people of color lynched in Orleans Parish during Jim Crow. She enjoys listening to storytelling and spending time with her grandchildren and husband.