Leadership
Lisa leads the New Orleans Photo Alliance and annual PhotoNOLA Festival. She has seven years of experience in a leadership capacity building community partnerships, fundraising, programming and team-building. Her prior experience covers production of photography, exhibitions, and travel photography workshops. Partners include National Geographic, the Santa Fe Workshops and Nobechi Creative.
Board of Directors
Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes
Board President
| Bruce Sunpie Barnes is a New Orleans musician, former park ranger with the National Park Service, actor, photographer, book author, former high school biology teacher, former college football All-American, and former NFL player (Kansas City Chiefs). Sunpie Barnes’ many careers have taken him far and wide. He has traveled to over 53 countries playing his own style of what he calls Afro-Louisiana music incorporating blues, zydeco, gospel, Caribbean and African influenced rhythms and melodies. He is a multi-instrumentalist, mastering accordion, harmonica, and piano along with rubboard, talking drum, and dejembe. He learned accordion from some of the best Zydeco pioneers in Louisiana, including Fernest Arceneaux, John Delafose, and Clayton Sampy. Along with his musical group Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, he has performed at festivals and concerts across the US and around the globe. He has collaborated with music gurus such as Harold Brown (WAR), Willie Dixon (Father of Chicago Blues),and Trey Anastasio (Phish). Sunpie has recorded 7 critically acclaimed CDs with his compositions currently featured in 16 Hollywood film productions. In addition to this musical work he is also a former member of the Paul Simon Band that embarked on a 58 city world tour “Paul Simon and Sting Together”, which span 47 countries (2014,15 and 16). In 2018 Latin Super Star Carlos Vives invited Sunpie along with the Louisiana Sunspots perform with him at the 51st annual Vallenato Festival in Valledupar, Coloumbia. Film acting has also been a important part of his busy career. Sunpie’s work has appeared in such Hollywood productions as Point of No Return, Deja Vu, Under Cover Blues, Jonah Hex, Treme,The Big Easy, Skeleton Key, Heartless, The Gates Of Silence Odd Girl Out, The African Americans, Sesame Street, NCIS New Orleans, Queen Sugar and Mayfair Witches. He is deeply involved in New Orleans parade culture and co-authored the 2015 critically acclaimed book “Talk That Music Talk” – Passing On Brass Band Music In New Orleans “The Traditional Way”. Over 300 of Sunpie’s photographs are featured in this book. Le Kèr Creole is his latest book that also has a 15 song disc of music composted in Louisiana Creole. He is the Big Chief of the Northside Skull and Bone Gang, one of the oldest existing Black Carnival groups in New Orleans. Sunpie is also a member of the Black Men of Labor Social Aid and Pleasure Club |
Ed Abraham
Board Member
Leslie Tabony
Board Member
Douglas Miller
Board Vice Chair
Eli Mergel
Board Member
Eli has gained a large portfolio in event, street, and architectural photography over the years. With a career in Information Technology and a past life within the Marines, Eli has the advantage of being on the cutting-edge while also being down-to-earth. When he is not in NYC shooting candid street, he can be found in New Orleans shooting street events and local culture.