Staff

Staff Directory

Executive Director

Chandler Nutik is the founding Executive Director of Community Works and has served in that position since 2009. Chandler has helped secure federal, state, and foundation grants that benefit young people in Community Works programs throughout New Orleans. He has successfully built numerous mutually beneficial partnerships and works tirelessly on creating new project and programmatic opportunities for youth. Academically, Chandler has received a JD from Tulane Law School and an MBA from the Freeman School of Business. In addition, he is licensed to practice law in the state of New York. Chandler has served as Co-Chair on the Advisory Board for Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans (EPNO) and is a W.K. Kellogg Community Leadership Network fellow. Chandler is passionate about the work that Community Works does and his role in helping to improve the educational landscape in New Orleans. He has helped to change the lives of many youth and continues to advocate for support for afterschool and summer programs in Louisiana.

cnutik@communityworksla.org

Director of Education and Outreach

Megan Easely is a practiced educator and community organizer with over 10 years of experience in both formal and informal classroom settings. At the Health Museum in Houston, Texas, Megan taught a wide range of health and science related classes to guests of all ages. She also developed curriculum and public programs for the Health Museum’s education department, targeting the STEAM approach. More recently, she worked as a teacher and Outdoor Education Specialist at the Becker School, a private preschool in Houston. Outside her role as an educator, Megan is also a community organizer focusing her efforts in social and environmental justice. She has volunteered extensively with several community organizations such as Girls Rock Camp Houston.

megan@communityworksla.org

Director of Development + Communications

ToniAnn Laborde has been with Community Works for the past 7 years. She works to implement strong programming, develop new partnerships, and increase funding to help impact the lives of youth throughout our city. ToniAnn has helped more then double the number of young people participating in CW programs on a daily basis. She has secured over $2,000,000.00 in funding and manages all foundation grant support. ToniAnn was chosen as an inaugural Emerging Leader through the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Kresge Foundation in 2014. She graduated from American University in Washington, DC. While at American she gained valuable experience in the non-profit industry working with First Book and The National Kidney Foundation Serving the National Capital Area. She also worked for the AU Abroad office, helping students and parents gauge the international landscape. After finishing school, she returned to her hometown of New Orleans and worked in the marketing department at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Slots. In addition, ToniAnn also teaches ballet locally and currently performs with Ballet Hysell in New Orleans. She is very proud and believes strongly in the work done by Community Works.

toniann@communityworksla.org

Program Manager

Branna Elenz has been working in the youth development field professionally since graduating with a Sociology and Psychology degree in 2017 – the same year she moved to the beautiful city of New Orleans to work with Community Works. In her time with the organization, she has facilitated workshop series, hired and onboarded staff, visited sites and primarily handles internal and external communications including social media storytelling! She thrives in work where she can highlight her passions around music, art, dance and writing while supporting New Orleans youth and teaching artists.

branna@communityworksla.org

Program Engagement Manager

Jonathan Jackson is a writer and arts educator from Youngstown, Ohio residing in New Orleans since 2019. The dynamic and innovative ELA instruction he received over his whole education fuels his drive to share literacy building skills in similar programs. Jonathan’s writing career started while attending Columbia College Chicago as a songwriter studying for a bachelor’s in Music Business. This time and experience led him to youth work in Chicago, where served as a mentor for Grammy U’s music outreach programming in the city from 2009-2012. Additionally, he has spent time working in his hometown YMCA Summer Day Camps and volunteering at 826 New Orleans. His writing has been shared on albums, in print and online publications, with his debut poetry collection, ‘In Not So Many Words’ being released in 2020. Since joining Community Works in 2021, Jonathan has served as a Creative Writing instructor, Shadow Lead, and Community Coordinator. These positions saw him shape curriculum from an integrated approach, strategically engage community partners, and instruct from various models based in researched social emotional learning practices. In his role as Program Engagement Manager, he is excited to continue the work of fostering creative enrichment through arts education and inclusivity.

Jonathan@communityworksla.org