The Be Loud krewe
Educators, producers and community leaders who make sure New Orleans youth get the mic — and the training, trust and airtime to use it.
Staff
Executive Director
Alex is a dedicated educator with over 10 years of classroom experience. Throughout this time, Alex has stewarded creative schools and learning environments that encourage hands-on learning, student autonomy, and collaborative problem solving. In New Orleans, he co-founded and manages Be Loud Studios, a non-profit radio station dedicated to amplifying youth confidence through radio and digital media production.
Operations Director
Diana has been a proud New Orleans educator for the last fourteen years. She was a founding teacher at Firstline Schools and Bricolage Academy where she taught K–4th grades and coached teachers across the city. Diana has spent her career working with educators to promote student voice, integrate antiracist teaching practices, and engage students in culturally relevant learning. Diana, along with Alex, founded Be Loud Studios in response to students wanting a place to write and discuss what was important to them. She currently leads fundraising and operations.
Lead Producer
Té V. Smith is a Nigerian/American educator and writer with over 15 years of organizational experience. He is the founder of the Amù Primary schools in Nigeria and Kenya. Té also designed an SEL-based curriculum, Colors of A Nation, to probe the dominant and counter-narrative of American history for BIPOC students as a shared story of the United States. He has been awarded residencies and fellowships as a writer, including the Rhode Island Writers Colony Fellowship, the Disney Plus Reimagine Tomorrow Residency, and the Tunnel Vision Poetry Prize. Té is most impassioned about telling and supporting the stories of young people and underrepresented communities.
Partnership Producer | Teacher Fellowship Lead
Jeff has guided students in publishing books and producing more than 50 youth-led podcasts. Over his 10+ years teaching, Jeff was named his school’s Teacher of the Year, received the Outstanding Graduate Award from the University of New Orleans, and won the prestigious citywide Excellence in Teaching Award from New Schools for New Orleans. Before becoming a teacher, Jeff worked in music production and advertising, bringing a unique blend of storytelling, education, and media experience to his work.
Producer
Joanna Farley is a Producer at Be Loud Studios and a worker-owner at Civic Studio, a New Orleans cooperative supporting community-driven planning and design. With a background in urban planning, she helps lead storytelling projects that highlight community voices and local history. Joanna is also a longtime radio enthusiast and volunteer host on WWOZ, bringing a love of public media and collaborative storytelling to her work with Be Loud.
Governance
Development Director
Propel America
Founding Director
Sydney Kastner Consulting
Cultural Outreach Manager
Our Voice Nuestra Voz
Senior Manager of Organizational Effectiveness
K Allen Consulting
Founder and CEO
Dirty Coast
Producer
At Will Media
Attorney
Kiefer and Kiefer
Scientist
Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic
