Director of Development and Strategy

Role: Leads strategy, operations, and mission fulfillment.
Background: Elisa Muñoz is a dedicated community organizer and policy advocate with over a decade of experience in the food system. Her work spans farmers markets, policy advocacy, program development, and coalition building, all with a focus on making New Orleans a more equitable city. Elisa engages at city, state, regional, and national levels, and is recognized as a leading expert in her field. Under her leadership, the New OrleansLouisiana Food Policy Action Council (FPAC) grew from a volunteer organization to a funded entity with multiple programs, and expanding to becoming a central figure in the Louisiana food system as Louisiana Food Policy Action Council. She has spearheaded initiatives like Farm to Early Care and Education and the Healthy Corner Store Collaborative. During the COVID-19 pandemic and climate crises, Elisa guided FPAC in advocating for equitable food policies and documenting the pandemic's impact on the food system. She is actively involved in numerous coalitions, including the Louisiana Small-Scale Agriculture Coalition Anti-Poverty Coalition and the National Good Food for All Coalition.National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Passion: Cooking Puerto Rican food from her Abuelita’s cookbooks and recipes and reading with a glass of wine on the back porch.

Program Manager

Role: Plans, implements, and oversees specific programs and projects.
Background: Jess McNally holds a B.A. in Literature and Writing from the University of Pittsburgh and is a certified Montessori teacher. She has been working for schools and environmental-based nonprofits since 2010, and has helped establish and maintain a wide variety of sustainably-grown gardens and greenspaces. As an educator, she strives to cultivate a warm, inclusive learning environment while fostering creativity and curiosity. Jess currently stewards the Faubourg St. John Community Garden alongside a dedicated group of neighbors and recently earned her Louisiana Master Naturalist certification.
Passion: Growing food and flowers, enjoying live music around town, exploring nature, lifelong learning

Staff

Regional Director

Role: Oversees programs, operations, and growth in New Orleans.
Background: Samantha Fleurinor, a native of South Florida, manages the direction and operations of the New Orleans Food Policy Action Council (NOLA FPAC), the flagship regional council of the emerging Louisiana Food Policy Action Council (LA FPAC). Samantha combines design thinking and social justice frameworks to empower individuals and organizations to co-create community-driven solutions across social issues and to promote systemic change. With 8 years of experience that span the fields of higher education, art equity, wealth equity, and now food policy, Samantha has acquired skills in program management, anti-oppression facilitation, partnership development, research, and communications. Samantha’s training includes the Water Center for Systems Thinking and VISIONS Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management, with focuses in Finance and Classical Studies, and a Master of Public Health in Community Health Sciences from Tulane University.
Passion: Visiting art museums, reading as many books as possible, learning Haitian Kreyol, and cooking and sharing food with friends.

Policy and Research Manager

Role: Coordinates and executes on agricultural policy agenda across national, state, and local levels
Background: Devin began studying, working in, and organizing around food systems over 15 years ago. She got her Bachelors in Society & Environment from the Johnston Center for Integrated Studies at the University of Redlands. She is currently a PhD candidate in the City, Culture, and Community program at Tulane University where she studies how growers interact with and understand their surrounding environments with a focus on the conditions here in the metropolitan New Orleans area. What does food justice look like for growers here? How does our environment play a role?
She has worked within agricultural systems as a nursery stock and row crop field hand, farmers markets salesperson, educator, community gardener, and as a grassroots member/organizer with the Greater New Orleans Growers Alliance. She believes that food is an integral vehicle through which we will achieve a sustainable and just future for New Orleans, the Gulf South, and the planet. She is excited to work continue her work on systems-level change using every tool we’ve got—including research and policy!
Passion: farming, cross-stitching, and (unfortunately) tv

Communications Manager

Role: Leads outreach and advocacy efforts.
Background: Brynn Comeaux, a native and lifelong Louisiana resident, coordinates communications and public advocacy. Brynn oversees Eat Local NOLA and continues to highlight local-owned businesses as well as businesses that procure local ingredients. Resources she has created have been utilized and shared by the New Orleans City Council, the Mayor’s Office, NOLA Ready, New Orleans Public Schools, and Louisiana Department of Education among others. She is currently continuing her studies at the University of New Orleans in environmental justice and cultural resource management.
Passion: Spending time at her family camp in Grand Isle

Food Access Specialist

Role: Serves as a liaison between community organizations and the local government, and supports food access projects and programming in New Orleans.
Background: Luke was born and raised in Macon, Georgia and attended college in a small town in rural upstate New York where cows outnumber people by a wide margin. There, he studied English Literature and creative writing, and in his free time he got involved with the small network of local farms and CSAs, helped manage the university’s community garden, and took classes that opened his eyes to the nuanced and fascinating intersections of food, culture, history, and health. This was his first introduction to the wonderful and niche community surrounding food production and policy, and he has been passionate about food systems ever since. It is an honor and privilege to serve this community and work to overcome systemic inequities so that we can help all of our friends and neighbors live their best lives.
Passion: Too many... Reading, writing, hiking, and birdwatching among others