Board of Directors
"I believe that conversation can bring out the best of the human spirit. It is where we create community, understanding, creative thinking and collaboration. I can think of no better incubator for positive change than when we gather around a table with the common good at heart."
Sally Buras, Founder + Board 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 and on the Board of the New Orleans-Birmingham Psychoanalytic Center. She is mother to an ever challenging 19 year old son, has 3 dogs and a cat — all who make sure she laughs frequently.
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. 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. She brings passion for community engagement along with marketing and event planning experience, with a focus on criminal justice reform and racial equity work.
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 and as the founding director of College Track New Orleans, a college completion program designed to help students from underrepresented communities 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 is a professional software engineer with a multi-decade career building web, media, and embedded software across commercial, nonprofit, and federal government sectors. He graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science and holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Maryland. A dedicated public servant and social justice advocate, Ryan has contributed to FIRST Robotics, Code for America, Ruby for Good, and the Alliance of Civic Technologists. He and his family are members of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church.
Becky is a retired family physician and epidemiologist who spent most of her career in public health, followed by academic medicine and disability medicine. She is a member of St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church and serves as Chair of the Community Engagement Team. She is convener of the Orleans Legacy Project, 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.
Sam is a storyteller, pastor, chaplain, coach, spiritual director, and community organizer who believes curiosity is one of the most faithful ways to love — especially when people have been hurt, overlooked, or pushed to the margins by traditional religious spaces. He serves as the movement initiator for Just Love – Greater New Orleans, a network focused on helping move folks from curiosity to connection to collaboration to care through community gatherings, storytelling spaces, and partnership-based experiments that make love tangible across the city. Rooted in the Wesleyan tradition and currently serving in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Sam brings a theology shaped by grace, honest questions, and the conviction that love is only real when it shows up in action. He lives in Central City, New Orleans, with his wife, Morgan, their blended crew of two kids, two dogs, and two cats.
Bio coming soon.