Chris Meyer is president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which started and administers Employees 1st. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation has granted more than $700 million to nonprofits and projects in the U.S. and around the world. The Foundation is among the largest of its kind in the country.

cmeyer@braf.org

Edmund Giering serves as General Counsel to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. He manages the legal affairs of Employees 1st. As secretary and a director of the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation, a supporting organization of the Foundation, Giering managed grants totaling $100 million.

egiering@braf.org

Deborah Pickell manages the finances of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Employees 1st. The Foundation has more than $700 million in assets, while Employees 1st grants millions each year to employees of companies that have charitable accounts in the program.

dpickell@braf.org

Brenna Benson is chief operating officer of Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Previously, she served as the COO of New Schools for Baton Rouge. Brenna has served in a variety of capacities and leadership roles across the education sector, and previously worked at McKinsey & Company, specializing in strategy and operations.

bbenson@braf.org

Lauren Crapanzano Jumonville is Vice President of Enterprise Strategy at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. She manages the Foundation’s relationships with its supporting organizations, including the Employee Assistance Foundation which is responsible for the Employees 1st program.

ljumonville@braf.org

Devon DeShields leads the Employees 1st staff that interacts with grant applicants. Before joining Employees 1st, she was a customer service representative with a financial lending company and managed retail operations.

ddeshields@employees1st.org

Amy Haerb reviews and processes grants from emergency assistance funds through the Employees 1st program. Before joining Employees 1st, she worked in the insurance industry, where she managed a catastrophe team.

ahaerb@employees1st.org

Tiara Spann processes grants from emergency assistance funds through the Employees 1st program. Before joining Employees 1st, she worked in the natural disaster and emergency relief sector.

tspann@employees1st.org

Dennise Reno has been with Baton Rouge Area Foundation for over fifteen years in communications and marketing. She has worked with Employees 1st for the past ten years and assists companies with their Employees 1st marketing efforts.

dreno@braf.org