Peyton Juneau – EdOpportunities Database Manager

Peyton is a life-long Louisiana native with a deep-rooted desire to help preserve all that makes living here so special and unique. He is now starting his 16th year serving at various local agencies such as HandsOn New Orleans and Rebuilding Together New Orleans. In that time, he has only grown deeper in his fondness for the people, the places and yes, the parades that make New Orleans such a wonderful place to call home. He considers himself lucky to work with STEM Library Lab as EdOpportunities Database Manager and equip teachers to continue inspiring students. He loves spending his free time listening to his collection of vinyl records, reading comics and graphic novels, and going on long walks with his wife and 9-year old pitbull named Big Booty Judy.

Aubrey Lirette – ServeLA Events Coordinator

Aubrey Lirette is a dedicated environmentalist with a strong foundation in environmental science. After graduating in environmental sciences from the University of New Orleans, she honed her skills as a teacher for over six years, inspiring young minds to appreciate and protect the natural world. Aubrey enjoys gardening, baking, yoga, exploring new destinations, and relaxing with friends over movie nights. She values her deep connections with friends and family, cherishing the time spent with loved ones. With a commitment to making a positive impact, Aubrey is driven to promote environmental awareness and foster a greener future.

Elizabeth Hartselle – Development Manager

Elizabeth “Liz” Hartselle has a background in leadership, education, and renewable energy. With over 12 years of experience serving diverse student populations in New Orleans charter schools, she is deeply committed to delivering high-quality education for all. Armed with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and recent experience in the electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and residential solar sales sectors, Elizabeth brings a unique blend of educational expertise and business acumen to every role. She is excited to leverage her skills in fostering organizational growth and driving innovation to support educational initiatives, ensuring the success of both individuals and teams in her new role.

Katherine Davis – ServeLA Social Media Coordinator

Katherine “Kat” Davis is a dynamic social media enthusiast with a sociology degree from Southeastern Louisiana University. She kicked off her career managing the monthly campus farmers market along with serving as president of the Southeastern Sociological Association. It was during this time that she discovered an affinity for social media management and marketing. With nearly three years of professional marketing experience, Kat loves using her skills to spark creativity and build connections within her community. Now through her Americorps membership, she’s using her skills to uplift local teachers and provide outreach as STEM Library Lab’s social media coordinator. When she’s not working, Kat is all about crocheting, baking, creating art, enjoying movies, and cozying up with her cat, Nora.

Samir Delgado – ServeLA Teacher Free-Store Coordinator

Samir Delgado is the Teacher Free Store Coordinator. One of the interests he’s most passionate about is cities, from the physical design to the logistics of how they operate. Due to attending the University of New Orleans and obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning, his interest has transitioned from a fascination to a passion. In terms of community involvement he helped the garden club at UNO rearrange the garden with other classmates. A new forming passion of his is green infrastructure and sustainability in urban environments.

Hunter Major – ServeLA Service Learning Coordinator

Hunter is a native New Orleanian dedicated to critically engaging multi-sectoral, localized, and equitable approaches to education, sustainable development, and food systems research and initiatives. Growing up, she attended the historic Lafon Child Development Center and the Academy of the Sacred Heart. Hunter holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Global Studies with a concentration in Cultural and Social Identities from New York University as well as a Master of Education (M.Ed) in International Education with focus areas in Disaster Resilience and Intergenerational Family & Community Approaches from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Hunter has long valued consciously connecting scholarship across disciplines with civic engagement, community service, and cross-cultural exchange. Over the years, Hunter has been recognized academically as a MLK Scholar, Dean’s Scholar, and Ron Brown Scholars Program Captain. She has been engaged in several groups and organizations, including but not limited to NYU Multifaith Advisory Council, Orleans Parish First and Second City Court, and NOLA Food Policy Action Council. Hunter lived in Accra, Ghana during Ghana’s official Year of Return for African Diasporans and got exposure to the non-formal education sector while interning at the Foundation for Contemporary Art–Ghana and Creátures, a creative media startup. Hunter is excited to further STEM Library Lab’s efforts to co-cultivate immersive learning experiences–bridging inside and outside of the classroom–for students, educators, partner organizations, and community members who interact with the Service Learning Program.

Kendall Di Iulio – ServeLA STEM Library Coordinator

Kendall Di Iulio, a Louisiana native, pursued a degree in Biological Sciences from Louisiana State University fueled by a deep passion for environmental issues and scientific research. Now based in New Orleans, Kendall is dedicated to supporting the local community and enhancing educational resources as the STEM Library Coordinator. In this role, Kendall works to equip teachers with essential tools for delivering high-quality education to ignite a passion for science within the community. Outside of work, Kendall enjoys pottery, collecting records, thrifting, and live music. An avid gardener, Kendall nurtures plants at home and volunteers at an Edible Schoolyard community garden. When not working or gardening, Kendall finds tranquility in yoga, caring for their aquarium, walks in Audubon, and spending quality time with friends and their cat, Wednesday.

Maria Landrum – Service Learning Manager

Maria Landrum originally hails from Shreveport, Louisiana, and fell in love with New Orleans while attending Loyola University.

She holds a master’s degree in library and information science from Louisiana State University and has worked in public libraries for the past nine years. Maria began her career as a children’s librarian in Jefferson Parish. Besides sharing her love for reading through weekly storytimes, she developed a range of children’s programs such as drawing workshops and STEM activities. Maria later joined New Orleans Public Library as a branch manager and continued producing programs — for all ages — before becoming head of the library’s Programming and Outreach department.

Maria is thrilled to join STEM Library Lab and to help empower teachers and educate children in the Greater New Orleans area.

maria@stemlibrarylab.org

Robin Martin – Marketing & Education Opportunities Manager

Robin, like a lot of New Orleanians, comes from a musical family. She is a graduate of McDonogh 35, where she learned to play saxophone, bass clarinet, and trombone. She then took her talents to Virginia, where she marched for the Norfolk State University Spartan Legion on full music & academic scholarships, graduating with honors.

After working for President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign in North Carolina, Robin decided to take the community/ grassroots organizing skills she learned there and help her city’s severely neglected school band programs. She helped co-found the New Orleans Legacy Association of Bands, where she served as president from 2013-2019. She has also worked as Program Coordinator for House of Blues Music Forward Foundation, partnering with local school and community organizations to help young people explore careers in the music industry, both on stage & off. She has experience with social media management, including how to properly market brands using social media.

She is happily at home with STEM Library Lab where she serves as our Marketing and EdOpportunities Database Manager.

robin@stemlibrarylab.org

Karen Marshall has been teaching science for 17 years. She graduated from Xavier University New Orleans with a bachelors in biology and a chemistry minor. She also received her teaching license from Xavier through the Alternate Route Program.  She began her teaching career in New Orleans, but has experience as a teacher leader in Mississippi as well. Throughout her career she’s worked with students of all ages. For the past 7 years she’s been educating 8th grade students at the International School of Louisiana. As a veteran science teacher, with a passion for her career and subject, she has expanded her time to be the Science Curriculum Coordinator and Coach.

As the State standards have begun to change to phenomenon based learning with a focus on project based teaching, Ms. Marshall has been leading the lower school students and teachers in this pursuit of collaborative change; while continuing to inspire her 8th grade scientists. Karen is a member of the Redbeans crew and has been for the three years.  

This past year she has received the District award from Shell and NSTA’s lab challenge and the Chairman award from American Petroleum Institute. 

Jestin has been in education for 16 years since graduating from THEE Jackson State University with a Bachelor’s of Science. Jestin started his teaching career here in New Orleans after his time as a servant leader intern and site coordinator for the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools at Jackson State University. Throughout his career he has served as Lead 2nd Grade Teacher, 5th and 6th Grade Science Teacher, Science/Social Studies Department Head for grades 6th -8th, Master Tap Teacher, IB Coordinator and, most recently, Director of Early Childhood for NOLA-PS. Jestin enjoys listening to live music, a great night out at a comedy lounge and watching his alma mater during football season, listening to the perfect sounds of the Sonic Boom of the South (Jackson State University’s Award-winning marching band). Jestin is overjoyed to join STEM Library Lab to help foster the change needed to help teachers get what they need to inspire their students to become lifelong learners.

Monique Pilié – Director of Operations

Monique was born and raised in New Orleans. After seeing the destruction from Hurricane Katrina, she started a non-profit to help replace the 100,000 trees that were lost in New Orleans due to the storm. To that end, she started Hike for Katreena, with the goal of planting one tree in New Orleans for each of the 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail. In the months after the storm, she quit her job, sold her house and hiked all 2,175 miles of the Trail and started planting trees in New Orleans. In five years, Hike for Katreena planted over 8,000 trees. Monique then handed over the leadership role of the organization. Monique then began working with All Hands Volunteers, a non-profit that responds to natural disasters around the world. She started as a Team Leader and worked her way up to Director of US Recovery and Repair for All Hands Volunteers. Wanting to contribute more to city she grew up in, Monique accepted the position of Executive Director of Louisiana Green Corps, where she helped young adults on their path to employment. Monique is excited to have recently accepted the role of Director of Operations with STEM Library Lab and is looking forward to helping empower educators!

monique@stemlibrarylab.org

Szabolcs “Szabi” Varga – STEM Librarian

Szabolcs was born in Budapest, Hungary and immigrated to the United States in 1989. His grandmother was a lifelong elementary educator behind the iron curtain. He attended Sophie B. Wright Middle School and graduated from McMain High School in New Orleans. Having attended schools in three countries and two states – the lack of funding, equipment and opportunities made an indelible impact on his life’s work.

Szabi received his undergraduate degree in Fine Art from LSU and a Masters in History from Southeastern Louisiana University while working as a graduate assistant. He was a mentor teacher who taught 3rd-8th grade Science, Math, ELA and Social Studies for nine years in Orleans, Jefferson, and Tangipahoa parishes. Szabi was also a Louisiana Teacher Leader presenting at the Teacher Leader conference, a LEAP Test review committee member, and a STEM summer camp coordinator.

Szabi is delighted to join the STEM Library Lab to assist teachers by helping to find the perfect tools for their classrooms to create lifelong learners.

szabi@stemlibrarylab.org

Todd Wackerman is the founder and director of STEM Library Lab, a local equipment share resource center in New Orleans.  He taught Physics and a variety of other STEM subjects at public schools in New Orleans and Brooklyn from 2010-2016.

Todd received his MBA from Tulane’s Freeman School of Business, an MAT in Science Education from the University of New Orleans, and his from BA from Boston College in Political Science and History. He feels most comfortable when surrounded by books or trees. He once finished 11th to last in the Boston Marathon. Prior to teaching, he worked as a program manager and project coordinator for corporate volunteerism at two nonprofits, and has extensive volunteer experience with local nonprofits including Crescent City Farmers’ Market and Youth Run NOLA.

Todd has worked in various roles in schools and universities all across the country, including California, Massachusetts, Louisiana and New York. Building from those experiences, he is excited to be founding STEM Library Lab and helping teachers to improve the quality of their classroom experiences.

twackerman@stemlibrarylab.org

Educator/ Spark Mindset / New Orleans, LA

Cobren is a proud alumna of Wellesley College. During her time in Massachusetts, she volunteered with a college access program called Bridging the Gap (BTG). Her work with BTG piqued her interest in education and working with youth. She later worked with MIT’s MOSTEC science program and became passionate about helping students pursue careers in the STEM fields. In 2013 Cobren joined Teach for America and moved to New Orleans to begin her science teaching career. After six years of teaching, Cobren transitioned to Livingston Collegiate where she ran the school’s dual enrollment courses and CTE curriculum as the Manager of External programs. She is dedicated to ensuring that all students have access to an excellent education in high school and beyond and currently serves as Board Chair for the Stem Libray Lab. In her spare time, Cobren enjoys gardening, traveling, kayaking on the bayou, and cheering on her favorite team, the New Orleans Saints.

The founding board chair of SLL, Sarah Cosse brings a wealth of experience in non-profit administration and organizational expansion. With more than a decade of experience in the non-profit sector, Sarah has provided leadership in human resources, federal grant administration, fundraising, and project and financial management. Sarah has worked for both grassroots non-profits, as well as larger entities, including The National WWII Museum, SBP (formerly St Bernard Project), HandsOn New Orleans, and the University of Virginia. Sarah holds a BA from the University of Virginia and is a Board Member for the Tulane / Canal Neighborhood Development Corporation in addition to her role with SLL.

Lindsay Carter serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Warren Easton Charter School in New Orleans. As the CFO she is member of the school’s leadership team and plays a key role in enabling the organization to achieve its mission and operate efficiently. She leads and coordinates the organization’s investment policies (including due diligence and management), coordinating the annual audit, and implementing financial policies and procedures necessary to ensure organizational financial compliance. Her work includes identifying major sources of revenue available to Warren Easton through local, state, and federal funding as well as exploring alternative and innovative revenue sources.

Her recent work includes developing opportunities to provide all staff members with a transparent understanding of the school’s financial practices and decision making as a tool for reaching the school’s overall mission. Prior to joining Warren Easton, Carter spent 10 years with the Orleans Parish School Board working to improve budget guidelines, coordinating, and preparing the general and enterprise funds, as well as managing capital projects budgets. Her previous accounting work was with the accounting firm Alvarez and Marsal.  Lindsay has earned her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Xavier University of Louisiana. She enjoys spending time with her daughter who attends a charter school in New Orleans.

As the Director of the Tulane Center for K-12 STEM Education, she aims to connect Tulane and the New Orleans community, engage local students through hands-on experiences in STEM, and inspire confidence in the next generation of leaders and learners.

She also coordinates the Tulane Science Scholars Program, which brings exceptional 11th–12th grade students to Tulane for for-credit summer classes with Tulane faculty and graduate students while having the opportunity to live on campus. In addition, she is the Director of Tulane’s two middle school programs – Girls in STEM at Tulane (GiST) and Boys At Tulane in STEM (BATS), which brings 5th–7th grade students to campus to meet and work with role models in STEM fields by doing hands-on activities.

She also serves as Fair Director for the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair, helps coordinate the FIRST Lego League and FIRST Robotics competitions for Louisiana, and serves on the board of the Greater New Orleans STEM Initiative.

Camille Bryant is a Member at the law firm McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC. Based in the firm’s New Orleans office, she guides employers through a wide range of employment law issues, whether through litigation or advice and counsel. In the areas of litigation, Camille has experience representing employers in both single-plaintiff and class action litigation. She is well versed in advising employers with respect to independent contractor classification, non-compete agreements, counsel and discipline, wage and hour issues, and employment discrimination. She also advises clients on issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including places of public accommodation and website accessibility, and she conducts investigations and trainings for clients. She also negotiates collective bargaining agreements and has coordinated anti-union campaign efforts.

As a trainer and DEI facilitator, Camille guides organizations in creating workplace cultures of safety, respect, diversity, and inclusion, and helps employers effectively investigate, defend against, and develop advance plans to avoid or minimize workplace crises stemming from claims of racist or non-inclusive workplace environments, discrimination, sexual harassment, and other workplace misconduct.

Gabriel Virdure is a Senior Architect and Associate with TPA Architects. As an Associate Gabriel is part of
the leadership team and has worked on a diverse array of new construction and adaptive reuse projects
that includes multi-family, hospitality, governmental, and institutional developments. In her role she has
worked with a variety of clients including Non-profit organizations to design their facilities based on
their programmatic needs and strategic goals for future growth.

She has served as Board member and past president of Chapter president for Commercial Real Estate
Women (CREW) that connects and supports women in the CRE industry on a national stage. She also
served as co-chair of Capital Property Planning for Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO), a member of
the New Orleans Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Women in Architecture.

Kenyon Webber is a Senior Lead NERC Compliance Engineer within Entergy Nuclear Risk Assessment
group. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a minor in math from Tennessee
Technological University in Cookeville, TN.

Originally from Tennessee, her engineering experience started with a co-op while in college with a small
utility called Jackson Energy Authority in Jackson, TN, where she solidified her commitment to
engineering as a major. After which, she also interned with Tennessee Valley Authority.

Webber’s Entergy career began at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station as an Electrical Design
Engineer. She then relocated to New Orleans as a Substation Design Engineer, and then transferred to
the Transmission Design Basis Standards team with a focus of Substations. She recently transferred to
the Risk Assessment group for the nuclear organization where she currently works. In her current role,
she oversees the implementation and ensures compliance of NERC standards for Entergy Nuclear
organization, where she provides technical support for NERC Compliance program.

In her spare time, Webber enjoys traveling, home projects and volunteering. She likes doing home
renovation projects herself because she feels she can encourage other women to use their critical
thinking and planning skills for home improvement, and more. She strongly believes that volunteering is
important for women in STEM fields to share knowledge and experiences with young ladies to encourage
and empower them as they pursue their chosen fields.

Joseph Devall is a partner at the firm Hale Devall. In his litigation defense practice, Joey has extensive experience providing transactional and litigation services to clients in the maritime, energy, and insurance sectors.

Joey manages a broad range of transactional matters including drafting, reviewing, and negotiation contracts, including master service agreements, vessel charter parties, towing contracts, vessel construction agreements, construction contracts, sub-contracts, purchase and sale agreements, leases, asset purchase agreements, teaming agreements, and joint venture agreements.