Board of Directors

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Board of Directors

The Board of Directors serves the membership by establishing focus and direction for the YLC in the community. Unlike many non-profit organizations, our board members must be voting members of the club; voting members are between the ages of 21-42. All other members are considered "sustaining" members.

2012 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President

Alyssa Wenck
lsu5237@gmail.com

Alyssa Wenck is the Controller for Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, where she helps lead the fight against hunger in south Louisiana through food distribution, education, advocacy and disaster response. Before committing to the non-profit sector full time, she was a tax and business consultant for Bougeois Bennett, LLC with over 9 years experience in public accounting.

Alyssa graduated with a degree in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University and received a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants. Alyssa also remains active within the UNO community and is a member of the United Way's Women's Leadership Council.

Prior to being named President, Alyssa served as Treasurer, VP of Development, Annual Role Model Gala Chairperson, Leadership Development Series Project Leader and was awarded the 2008 Leadership Mentor Award.

Vice President, Communications

Calais Hurst
calais@mediapoint.me

Calais Hurst is the Marketing and Public Relations Director at Metairie Park Country Day School. Prior to joining Country Day, Calais was the Managing Partner and Media Director for Teddlie Media Partners, Inc. where she worked on notable campaigns such as Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the Downtown Development District, and the Honorable Madeline Landrieu. She also worked as the Media Director at The Ehrhardt Group, where she developed and managed multi-million dollar media campaigns for local and national corporations and Fortune 500 companies.

Calais graduated with a degree in English and Psychology from the University of Mississippi and has also completed the Loyola University Associate Institute of Politics where she later was invited to become a regular guest speaker. She has been a member of the YLC since 2010 and has been active in the community through such events as Chairish The Children fundraiser with the Children's Museum, the annual donation drive with the Battered Women's Shelter, and the fundraising committee for St. Andrew's Village as well as a member of the Ad Club of New Orleans.

Vice President, Development

T. Semmes Walmsley
semmes.walmsley@gmail.com

Semmes Walmsley is a native New Orleanian and a graduate of Isidore Newman School. He earned a B. S. in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Mississippi and returned to New Orleans shortly thereafter to work with his family's insurance agency, Hughes Walmsley and Company, Inc. Semmes is an active YLC member, having served as Project Leader for Volunteer in the Arts in 2008, the V.P. of Membership in 2009, and is a 3 year board member. He also sits on the board of Breakthrough New Orleans and on the advisory council for the Trust for Public Land. Semmes and his wife, Katie, are excited to start a family in New Orleans...in due time.

Vice President, Projects

Dan Jatres
djatres@gmail.com

Dan is the Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Manager for the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission. He graduated from Tulane University in 2005 with a B.S. in Management. Dan joined the YLC in 2008 serving as a volunteer, founding member of the Where Ya' Rack? project and has served as a board member since 2010. Dan also serves on the board of Bike Easy, EngageNOLA and the Mississippi River Trail.

Vice President, Membership

Kelley E. Bagayoko, Esq.
kelleybagayoko@gmail.com

Kelley Bagayoko is the legislative aide to State Representative Helena Moreno representing District 93. A graduate of Tulane University in Political Economy and Law, Kelley is admitted to practice law in the State of Louisiana. Since joining the YLC, Kelley has served as a project volunteer, project leader, committee member and board member. As a member of the YLC Leadership Development Series class of 2010, Kelley was a part of the group that brought back RECreate. For Kelley, her most fulfilling YLC experience has been serving as RECreate project leader and seeing the immediate impact of the YLC's members at work.

Kelley is a dedicated volunteer, working with other organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America, Junior Achievement, American Heart Association and Delta Sigma Theta. Kelley also serves on the United Negro College Fund's Young Leaders Council and is a 2010 Fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics. Kelley is married to Timothy E. Adams, Jr.

Secretary & Counsel

Kenneth Polite
kennethpolite@gmail.com

Kenneth Polite is a shareholder at Liskow & Lewis, practicing in the areas of government investigations and white collar criminal defense, business litigation, and appellate advocacy.

Immediately prior to joining Liskow, Mr. Polite served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Criminal Division. There, he prosecuted various federal criminal offenses, including public corruption, organized crime, narcotics trafficking, and identity theft.

Kenneth is a graduate of De La Salle High School in New Orleans, Harvard University, and Georgetown University Law Center. An active member of various community service organizations, Kenneth currently serves on the boards of New Orleans College Preparatory Academies, Breakthrough New Orleans, and the Pro Bono Project. In addition, Governor Jindal recently appointed Kenneth to serve on the Louisiana Civil Service Commission.

Treasurer

Kevin J. Douglass
kdouglass@advantagecap.com

Kevin Douglass is the Assistant Controller at the venture capital and small business finance firm Advantage Capital Partners. Before joining Advantage, he was an Audit Manager for Ernst & Young, LLP with over 6 years of experience in public accounting. Kevin earned both his B.S. (2002) and M.S. (2003) in Accounting from Louisiana State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants. He is a native New Orleanian and is a graduate of Brother Martin High School. Kevin and his wife, Meg, reside in Metairie.

Kevin joined the YLC in 2009. Since then, he has completed the Leadership Development Series and has served on the Finance Committee.

President-Elect

Richard Pavlick
rpavlick@burglass.com

Richard Pavlick is an associate with the law firm of Burglass & Tankersley. He earned his B.S. from Butler University in 2003. Richard, originally from Dublin, Ohio, moved to New Orleans in 2004 to attend Tulane University Law School from which he received his J.D. in 2007. Prior to serving as President-Elect of the YLC, Richard served as Secretary/General Counsel in 2010 and a board member in 2011.

Past President

Joseph I. Giarrusso lll
jigiarrusso@liskow.com

Joe Giarrusso returned to New Orleans in 2004 after being associated with an international law firm in Houston to practice with Liskow & Lewis where he is a shareholder. He graduated from Jesuit High School, received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and was awarded his J.D. from Louisiana State University. Since returning to New Orleans, Joe has coached the Jesuit High School Mock Trial Team and has become involved in the John C. Boutall Inn of Court and the New Orleans chapter of Young Professionals in Energy. Joe is married to Cassie Giarrusso and has two daughters, Sofia and Marta.

Joe is an active member of the YLC, having served as Secretary/General Counsel in 2007, a board member in 2008, and Vice President, Projects in 2009, and President in 2011.

Directors

Mairin Charles
mairin.charles@gmail.com