Bill Robinson
Chair
Bill is a licensed general contractor, and owns and operates Train2Build – a New Orleans company that specializes in training and consulting for energy efficient, durable, and healthy homes. Author of Bill’s Building Blog, Bill has consulted with the LSUAg Center, Global Green New Orleans, Rebuilding Together New Orleans, and has produced numerous training videos for all levels and skills.
Susie Nacco
Vice Chair
Susie is a landscape architect, and owns her own design/build business Sirius Landscapes, Inc. in Boston, MA. She is a certified arborist and horticulturist and has been working with young people building gardens for over twelve years. She has been volunteering and leading groups of volunteers in the Gulf Coast region since 2006, and comes to New Orleans regularly for visits and service trips.
Bev Nichols
Treasurer
CPA and Tax Director in the New Orleans CPA Firm of Bourgeois Bennett, LLC. Bev also specializes in pension planning and consulting. She volunteers with several non-profit organizations and has always contributed to her chosen professional organizations by teaching and serving on committees. She was
awarded the 2008 LA Society of CPA and the national AICPA Public Service Awards. In 2010, the Young Leadership Council selected her as one of their Role Models.
Lizzy Caston
Lizzy Caston has over 18 years in integrated communications with a specialty in urban planning and economic development. Her focus is marketing, PR and advertising with an emphasis on strategy, planning and management. She has worked with countless non-profits, government organizations and private businesses, including the The Portland Development Commission in Portland, Oregon where she launched several web based communications projects and helped oversee community outreach and information efforts for urban and economic development initiatives. Lizzy is a seasoned copywriter who understands effective print, web and interactive content. A professional journalist, Lizzy’s work appears in several print and online publications, and her work has been referenced in the New York Times, CNN, NBC Nightly News and other national media outlets. Lizzy currently owns her own firm – Caston Communications and is currently working for clients in Cleveland, Portland (OR), New Orleans, and NYC. Lizzy holds an undergraduate degree in community development and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with an emphasis on Economic Development. Recent projects include marketing for Cleveland based Phoenix Coffee, rebranding and website launch for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, Social Media Management for Little Partners, Inc. and marketing planning for Alma Chocolate in Portland, Oregon. Lizzy is active in the American Advertising Federation, and is the former VP of Communications for the International Association of Business Communicators, New Orleans chapter. She is in the process of launching a non-profit in New Orleans to address issues of urban food “deserts” and food access along with small business development.
Julia McNabb
Julia has worked for Tulane University’s Cowan Institute and for United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area, where she was accountable for building, maintaining and monitoring efforts for the New Orleans Kids Partnership, the Unified Summer Grant Collaborative and major areas of investments for children and families. In addition, she worked with a start-up foundation in Ghana to develop long-term strategic plans for impact and sustainability. Beyond these philanthropic positions, Julia was responsible for developing outcome metrics for youth development programs at the Department of Human Services at the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and creating out-of school time youth programs in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Julia is from Austin, Texas and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Julia is also one of the four Urban Innovation Challenge fellows, sponsored through the Rockefeller Foundation and Tulane University. Her particular focus is strategically positioned at the Cowen Institute and will lead to positive wealth-building and health care initiatives for local nonprofit employees, including teachers and charter school organizations.
Pam Smith
Pam brings more than twenty years of diverse technical experience in project management, facility operation, and maintenance, construction, renovation, repair, engineering and environmental safety to lowernine.org’s board of directors. Pam has worked as Director of Operations with St. Bernard Project, and as Director of Property Management for the City of New Orleans. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Orleans, Pam was also born and raised in the Lower Ninth Ward.
Paulie Eisemann
Known in New York City as “the Brownstone Whisperer,” Paulie has over thirty years of contracting experience, and has been involved as a volunteer helping to rebuild New Orleans since late 2005. Paul has been instrumental in the donation of supplies and in the recruitment of skilled volunteers to the city, primarily through his association with First Unitarian-Universalist Church and their volunteer center, as well as a relationship with All Congregations Together.
