LSU grad Jessica Boone never expected to live in Baton Rouge again. Then came Hurricane Katrina.
Boone was working for the New Orleans Ballet Association at the time, and thought she’d live in that city for the rest of her life. But the storm sent her here, where she caught on with BRAF. Her portfolio includes management of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, which recognizes some of the best newly published black writers from across the country.
At BRAF, she says she has learned how disparate quality-of-life elements such as smart growth, the arts and human services work together to form the basis of a healthy city.
“Working at the foundation, I’m not siloed at all,” she says. “It’s an overarching perspective on how you can make a difference in the community.”
Boone says she sees frequent examples of silo-busting among the region’s nonprofits, which are working to be more sustainable and effective in the wake of the recession.
“A lot more partnerships are being formed to create more of a systemic change,” she says. “Instead of a new nonprofit being formed on every corner, nonprofits are making more of a deep impact on issues that naturally overlap.”
Boone is the 2012 president of Forum 35, which brings together young professionals from various walks of life who might not otherwise interact, in hopes of developing the next generation of local leaders. But an all-volunteer board leads the organization, which may limit its impact.
“It ends up being a second full-time job,” she says. Boone would like to see the group hire an executive director, who could run the administrative functions and keep everyone on point, freeing leadership to seek out new initiatives. Forum 35 will consider the idea at its annual leadership meeting next month.
As an accidental resident who loves to travel, it’s only natural that the idea of leaving town for a bigger city crosses her mind on occasion. But she describes Baton Rouge as a town that’s big enough to be interesting, but small enough so that she and her peers can make a noticeable impact. Through BRAF, Forum 35 and other organizations, that’s just what she intends to do.
“I just think it’s a great place to be right now,” she says. “I’m here indefinitely.”
I wanted to be a travel journalist or a teacher.
I would love to write for Garden and Gun magazine.
Listen, and be true to yourself.
There’s just this energy right now. There’s this major generational shift in leadership.
It’s hard for me to leave downtown. I love what they’ve done with the Town Square.
I would like Baton Rouge to embrace more of its diversity. We can be more of a united city, I think.
Having the different generations value one another’s opinions, and realizing we all want the best for Baton Rouge and the region.
I have no idea. I’ve just decided to focus on where I am and continue to build skills, and just be open to opportunities as they arrive.
