Advisory Board
Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.
Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. is an American educator with over 25 years of educational experience as a teacher, mentor, assistant principal, instructional coach, curriculum expert, principal, and school district leader and currently serves as an assistant professor at Louisiana State University of Educational Leadership. He began his career in St. Bernard Parish in the St. Bernard Public Schools System where he taught for seven years. He was also elected for three consecutive terms to represent District 9 on the St. Bernard Parish Public School Board for 11 years. During his tenure, Dr. Lewis was the only African American member of the school board and he served as the education committee chair. Additionally, Dr. Lewis worked for the Algiers Charter Schools Association for six years, serving as the founding principal of Algiers Technology Academy. He then went on to become a celebrated superintendent for East Feliciana Parish, which is just north of Baton Rouge. Under his leadership, the district was recognized by the Louisiana Department of Education as 2nd in the state for elementary student academic growth. Dr. Lewis served for seven years as the 22nd Superintendent of Schools for the public school district in New Orleans, Louisiana, known as NOLA Public Schools. Dr. Lewis was a member of Chiefs for Change where he served as a member on the Chief Equity Officers Committee, the American Association of School Superintendents, the Council of Great City Schools, and the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Jamie Rasberry
Currently serving as the Policy Coordinator for the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Jamie manages the Education, Health, and Workforce Development/Family Economic Security affinity groups that focus on increased learning, collaboration and funding around critical policy issues. Jamie, a native of Kosciusko, MS has a BS in Management from Belhaven University and a Masters in Health Promotion from Mississippi State University. With a background working in the private healthcare sector, she has been in roles overseeing corporate giving, national strategic partnerships, colleague engagement and activism, and government relations. Over the last 15 years, she has invested in many organizations around the metro area with a focus on health and wellness, social justice, community development, and youth leadership. Jamie serves on the Executive Board of Unite Mississippi Foundation, Mississippi Christian Living Magazine, and CASA of Hinds County. She is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation/ Community Leadership Network alumni, a graduate of Leadership Greater Jackson class of 2010-2011, and currently in the 2022 class of Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi.
Marguerite Doyle Johnston
Marguerite Doyle Johnston is the founder and CEO of Doyle’s Business Solutions, Inc (DBS). She has experience in business, political consulting, and professional staffing. Marguerite has been recognized by New Orleans City Business Magazine, as a 2009 Nominee for Woman of the Year, for her extraordinary commitment to helping anyone. Marguerite holds a B.S. in Public Administration, from Southern University of New Orleans. She has a Masters of Arts Degree in Juvenile Criminal Justice. Marguerite has worked in the business industry for over 30 years. As the President of the Community Association, she is involved in advancing her community to be productive and successful citizens of New Orleans. Marguerite enjoys helping to develop a more positive image for her community. She is dedicated to the revitalization of her community, and started an effort to bring back a 5M dollar community center that is currently being built.
Troy Duhon
Troy Duhon is the President/CEO of Premier Automotive Group which consists of twenty-five dealerships across the United States. Troy serves on the Board of the New Orleans Mission, Giving HOPE NOLA and GND Festivals. He is the CEO of God’s Not Dead Media Group which produced God’s Not Dead I, II, and III, Do You Believe?, Caged No More and other films. In October of 2013, he and his wife, Tracy founded Giving HOPE, opening The Food Pantry of New Orleans. The Food Pantry supplies 200,000 hot meals and gives away almost 8,000,000 pounds of groceries each year to seniors and food insecure families of the New Orleans, Kansas City and California areas. They also partnered with the New Orleans Mission on the Giving Hope Retreat Center; this is a sixty (60) acre rehab facility that helps people with addictions that have been emotionally, physically, and sexually abused.Through the adoption of their daughter, Annahstasia, Troy and Tracy saw the need for better living conditions in overseas orphanages. With the vision to build orphanages, as of 2018, Hope House Orphanages have been built in India, Honduras, Gambia, Russia, Brazil and Dominican Republic. A new project has been started for South Africa.
Daniel “Becket” Becnel III
Daniel “Becket” Becnel was born in Baton Rouge and raised in the River Parishes and the New Orleans area. He attended Tulane and Loyola University Schools of Law and graduated with his Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. Upon graduating, Becket returned to the River Parishes to begin his law career, serving the people of his hometown community, committed to providing excellent representation in civil and criminal cases.He was a member of the River Parishes Indigent Defender Board 1991-2004 and was elected President of the River Parish Young Lawyers from 1992-1998. He was elected as an American Bar Association Delegate to the National Conference in 1998. Becket was elected Young Lawyer Delegate to the Louisiana State Bar Association 1992-1994 and was elected Delegate for the 40th Judicial District Court to the LSBA 1996-2000. Becket has over 25 years of experience in State and Federal Court practice. He is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state courts, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He has tried over 30 jury trials and over 550 Bench trials in the State of Louisiana, and specifically he has tried over 15 jury trials and 150 Bench trials in St. John Parish alone.