Schedule of Events
October 25, 2023
11 am-3 pm
501 Basin Street
New Orleans, LA 70112
Speakers
1. Welcome
Nyshaunte Randall, RHD Service Line Director
2. Jennifer Avengo, MD, Director of the New Orleans Health Department
3. New Orleans City Councilmember Oliver Thomas
4. New Orleans City Councilmember Joseph I. Giarrusso III
5. Resources for Human Development (RHD) Leadership
Jan Tarantino, Regional Director
6. Tyesha N. Rhodes, LCSW, Program Director, New Orleans Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit (MCIU)
7. New Orleans Police Department Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
Aaron Harrelson
Desi Broussard
7. Closing Remarks
Speaker Biographies
Nyshaunté “Shaun” Randall serves as the Service Line Director for RHD’s Behavioral Health and Housing National Service Line. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Approved Supervisor in the state of Louisiana. She has been working with specialized behavioral health populations for over 17 years in both the non-profit and government sectors. She brings years of experience with crisis and community-based services. She is trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and has worked extensively with Assertive Community Treatment Teams across the country. Shaun increased her leadership capacity as a Corporate Clinical Director across several states prior to taking on her current position. Shaun has continued to pursue the enrichment and training of leaders across the corporation, lending her expertise in several avenues across RHD. Her driving passion is to equip leaders to support the current work force doing the critical and important work of serving the most vulnerable in the communities where we live.
Dr. Jennifer Avegno is a New Orleans native who received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Arts in Sociology from Tulane University and her MD from LSU School of Medicine – New Orleans. She completed her residency at LSU/Charity Hospital Emergency Medicine and joined the faculty at both LSU and Tulane shortly after graduation. As an academic faculty member, Dr. Avegno worked in medical education and established the Division of Social Emergency Medicine at LSU to facilitate innovative programming, interdisciplinary partnerships, and improved population health outcomes. In 2018, she was appointed as the Director of the Health Department for the City of New Orleans, where she led the City’s public health response to the COVID-19 and Mpox epidemics. At NOHD, Dr. Avegno manages a dedicated team of public health professionals in addressing critical health needs for the community, with intentional core focus on social drivers of health, equity and access.
Oliver Thomas, affectionately known as “OT”, hails from the lower Ninth Ward. He has served as a City Councilman for District B and City Councilman-at-Large, making significant contributions to the city’s growth and development. Currently, he continues his dedicated service as a City Councilman for District E. Oliver’s career has been marked by a strong commitment to addressing the needs of his community, focusing on urban redevelopment, affordable housing, public safety, and infrastructure improvements. He also co-hosts the weekday morning radio program The Good Morning Show on 1230 WBOK AM.
Joseph I. Giarrusso III is currently serving his second term as Councilmember for District A in New Orleans. He emphasizes resident-focused governance, combining efficiency with equity in policymaking. During his first term, Joe introduced a tax plan saving taxpayers over $60 million in four years and led efforts to enhance transparency at the Sewerage and Water Board as Chair of the Public Works Committee. As he takes on the role of Chair of the Budget Committee, fiscal responsibility remains a top priority. He prioritizes consistent communication with constituents, ensuring they’re well-informed about land use issues, permit updates, and affordable housing initiatives. A native of District A, Joe attended Jesuit High School and graduated with honors from the University of Texas. He excelled in law school at Louisiana State University, finishing in the top 5 percent of his class in 2001.
Jan Tarantino is a regional director within RHD’s Behavioral Health and Housing National Service Line. She is a graduate of the University of New Orleans and Southern University at New Orleans and a Licensed Master Social Worker. With over two decades of valuable experience at RHD, Jan has taken on various roles in alignment with the organization’s mission and values. Her primary focus has revolved around the development of specialized programs and the provision of strong leadership in critical areas, including mobile services, crisis response services, and local and national community-based and residential services. Jan is steadfast in her commitment to reach the difficult-to-engage, underserved populations in communities where she has been deployed to develop RHD services. Her notable leadership in social services has shone through during numerous critical emergency community events, marking her personal and professional journey. She brings a strong commitment and energy into her work and believes that collaboration is key, and that “Together, We’re Better” when serving people of all abilities.
Tyesha N. Rhodes, the MCIU program director, is a New Orleans native, a devoted wife, mother, and daughter, and a licensed clinical social worker. She has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southern University New Orleans. With over a decade of experience at Resources for Human Development, she has dedicated herself to crisis response in her community. Personal experiences within her family fueled her determination to turn pain into purpose. She combines professional expertise with personal insight. Tyesha says she finds fulfillment through “the use of my creativity and the creativity of my team to reach and teach those in need.”