ARNA works year-round to ensure our neighborhood has input and is proactive on issues affecting our part of the city.
tom rey - PRESIDENT
Tom's family has been in the neighborhood (and in the same house) for five generations now. He has been active in preserving our unique neighborhood and community since the beginning of ARNA and with other neighborhood associations past and present in New Orleans. He's looking forward to meeting as many of his neighbors as possible to build a strong sense of community in our neighborhood.
TORI EMMERLING - VICE PRESIDENT / PLANNING
Donald Fant - Zoning
Donald has lived in Audubon Riverside since 1984. Thirty-five years ago, he and his wife Andrée purchased and renovated the Eastlake-style shotgun double where they live today. They love living in an historic, walkable neighborhood with easy access to its many urban amenities. Donald is a New Orleans native and registered architect with extensive experience in a wide range of commercial and residential building types.
Rhonda Betbeze - Treasurer
Rhonda and her husband, Tim, have lived on Patton Street since 2008, after living in the Fontainebleau neighborhood for 13 years. She is a semi-retired paralegal, and very much prefers spending her days tending to her uptown garden over working in her downtown office. Rhonda is a proud member of the Amelia Earhawts (“Can you handle the turbulence?”), and loves to costume for Mardi Gras, Halloween, and just about any other chance she gets. She is also active in other volunteer efforts, including West Riverside Area Patrol (“WRAP”), our neighborhood security patrol, Trap Dat Cat, a city-wide trap/neuter/return program, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
NICOLE WILLIAMSON - Secretary
Nicole has lived in Audubon Riverside since 1991, and grew up in the Audubon area. When not working at music festivals, she enjoys taking advantage of all the great things in the neighborhood, walking everywhere, fantasizing about planting trees, and fixing broken things on her house. She is too lazy to volunteer for much of anything, but when she does, it's for Mardi Gras Indians and social aid & pleasure clubs. She loves the summer best in the neighborhood because it's at its most quiet and peaceful.
MELISA REY - Community Relations / membership
Melisa moved into the neighborhood 19 years ago as a transplant from Metairie & she'll never go back! She loves the interconnectedness of nola and it's unique blend of old & new, rich & poor and the unparalled character of Uptown. Melisa lives with her husband Tom and their two teenage daughters. Their daughters are the fifth generation to live in their home in this slice of heaven we call Audubon Riverside. Melisa loves to volunteer in a variety of businesses and with at risk groups. She prides herself on supporting neighbors and developing relationships so working with ARNA to support membership and building community is a honor
MONICA CLARK - Public Safety
Monica is a life-long activist committed to building community. Her work as a Consultant and Social Scientist incorporates federal funding, political organizing, food access, protecting the environment and civic engagement. Monica has lived in the neighborhood for eight years. She first came to New Orleans in 2005 with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina. Monica is focused on pedestrian and bicycle safety of the Audubon Riverside neighborhood, calming traffic in general, enforcing oversized vehicle zoning laws, natural disaster recovery plans post catastrophic weather events and preserving the beauty, safety and natural environment of this historic neighborhood.
Corey James - Quality of Life / Beautification
JIM MCCUTCHEON - COMMUNICATIONS / IT
Jim has lived in Audubon Riverside since first coming to New Orleans from Illinois in the late 70’s. Now retired, Jim had a long career in Radio Broadcasting as a DJ and producing radio commercials and public service campaigns for local nonprofits.
He is a first time board member and looks forward to interacting with the community and keeping residents informed about happenings and opportunities in the area. If you have an event that you think everyone will want to know about, email Jim to get the word out.
Dave Doll - At-Large
Dave has lived in the neighborhood for 42 years. Known for his tendency to get involved (as his wife says, “Here we go again”), Dave has chronicled neighborhood history, including a 42-page booklet on the stained-glass windows of St. Francis of Assisi Church. He also researched and was instrumental in re-establishing the annual Alma Peters May Festival, a community-wide, family friendly event. As ChatGPT puts it Dave has “a great sense of humor – especially the dark, irreverent, or satirical kind. … (He likes) things that are vivid, funny, and a little offbeat. (He’s) detail-oriented and often working toward something creative or complex.”