It is with great pleasure that we welcome our newest board members to the Board of Directors for Project Save Bogalusa! HUD and the Louisiana Housing Corporation require the organization to have at least 6 board members to receive our CHDO (Community Housing Development Corporation) certification. I am making real progress on the completion of the application for our organization and have high hopes that we will receive the designation very soon.
I could not be more proud of the team that we have in place to expedite our efforts! We now have a very well-rounded and diverse team of professionals to carry out the actions needed to complete our primary focus, restoring the oldest neighborhoods in Washington Parish. We are blessed to have 7 board members who all bring a different perspectives to the table.
To tell you a little bit about our current Board of Directors:
-Ken Cefalu, President/Treasurer- Native Bogalusan who has deep roots here in Bogalusa. Ken is a graduate of Bogalusa High School and also serves as the Board President for the Bogalusa Country Club. His prior work history and current board experience is a great benefit to our team.
-Dana M. Walker, Vice-President-
Experienced board member as she has a prior work history including being a member of a non-profit Neighborhood Housing Services of America in which she conducted home buyer counseling and tasks that directly relate to the work our organization will perform. Dana is a small business owner in Bogalusa and has maintained a very impressive rapport with the local citizens. She is a great asset to the organization.
-April Dugan Little-Bell- Secretary-
April is a current school teacher at Bogalusa High School. She also brings to the table a past work history in banking and finance to the board. April was one of the first volunteers to sign up during the devastating March floods in Washington Parish. She showed up to work, and brought her great organizational skills with her. I could not have gotten through that week without her. I will always be grateful to her for coming on board in the fitting position of Secretary.
-Ms. Sandy Bloom- Head of our Advisory Committee-
Many of you probably have had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Sandy. She served as Director of Personnel for the City of Bogalusa for more than 17 years. She has a Masters of Science Degree in Administration, and holds a Bachelors in Science in Social Science. We know that she has the desire to continue her skills, talent and enthusiasm to the better of her community. We are very fortunate to have someone with such a diverse background and passion for the work we intend to do her in the parish.
To tell you some about our newest board members:
Mr. Levi Lewis, Sr.-
Mr. Lewis is without a doubt one of the most wise men I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He always has the right words to say when I am in search of answers. We are truly blessed to have him on board. He is also a current board member of the Washington Parish Government Council.
To mirror my words for Mr. Levi, I am just as exited to have our next board member on our team….
Rev. R.L. Palmer-
Rev. Palmer is the Pastor at St. Paul A.M.E. Church in the city limits of Bogalusa. He is also a resident of District E in Bogalusa. I’ve had the honor of getting to know Rev. Palmer as we are both members at the Bogalusa Rotary Club. I look forward to getting to know him more as a PSB board member. He has experience as a board member on a certified CHDO organization out of New Orleans. He conveys the knowledge and skillfulness needed to make the organization thrive.
These men are so Godly. There are a couple of quotes that I’ll share that come to mind… “A passion for God is the most attractive feature a man could possess” and in the words of MLK, Jr. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in time of challenge in controversy.”
I am ecstatic that these two great men have both agreed to come on board.
Kim Wagner-
Kim is a local licensed real estate agent for Latter & Blum. She has strong family values and lives on the outskirts of Bogalusa. I am so very appreciative that she has agreed to bring her much-needed expertise with land and properties to our board. She has a broad knowledge of the areas where we intend to do our restoration. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Kim as a real estate agent myself and as a personal real estate investor and I must say she is one of the easiest, friendliest and most pleasurable people that I’ve had the chance to work with in the real estate field. Glad to have you on board, Kim!
I was delighted that each of our new board members were voted in unanimously by our Board of Directors. I am also grateful to have letters of support from our Senator Ms. Beth Mizell, our State Representative Malinda White, and Mayor Wendy Perrette who have all ensured me that she is committed to support our cause, and will always have her ear to the ground in to assist us in achieving success.
Welcome aboard everyone, time to get to work!
Wendy Williams
Executive Director