Our Board

Stephen Rosenthal serves as President of Strategic Comp, a workers compensation insurer. A New Orleans native, Rosenthal graduated from Amherst College and received his MBA from The Wharton School. Rosenthal has been actively involved in New Orleans public education for more than 20 years and is a strong advocate of charter schools with expertise in charter school accountability, finance, and governance.  Stephen may be contacted at boardchair@renewschools.org.

Brian Weimer is a native of Lafourche Parish with a passionate commitment to quality public education for all students in New Orleans, his home city since 2004. A graduate of LSU law school, Brian serves as the Research Compliance Officer for Tulane University in the fields of regulatory compliance and research integrity.

CJ El-Dahr brings six years of classroom and charter school administration experience to the ReNEW Schools Board. A native of New Orleans, CJ graduated cum laude from Wake Forest University and received his MBA from Tulane. Now working at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, CJ helps families and non-profits make sound financial decisions in order to meet a variety of goals. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, kayaking, reading, and just generally being outside.

Kathleen Edmundson brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing, advertising and public relations. Prior to that, she was a member of Teach for America’s Charter Corps, teaching in Orleans Parish Public Schools for ten years. Kathleen graduated cum laude from the University of Florida, and serves on the boards of several Louisiana non-profit organizations.

Kathy Conklin is a member of the New Orleans law firm McGlinchey Stafford PLLC., and is certified by the Louisiana State Bar Association as a specialist in tax law and in estate planning and administration.  The primary focus of her law practice is employee benefits.  Ms. Conklin graduated magna cum laude from Tulane University Law School and summa cum laude from LSU.  In addition to her service on the ReNEW board of directors, she is also currently a member of the Board of Directors of My House, Center for Learning in New Orleans and is the Community Involvement Chair of the Krewe of Muses.

Noah Hardie is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Task Force officer, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Officer, and C-suite Executive who now leverages his breadth of experience in risk mitigation in both the public and private sectors to provide risk management and insurance solutions to a diverse list of clients as a First Vice President for Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.  Prior to joining Alliant, Noah was assigned as a Lead Task Force Officer with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) and was the liaison with FBI regional offices, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and the Port of New Orleans.  Noah’s position with the FBI followed years of international experience as a Clandestine Service Operations Officer for the CIA. The former U.S. Air Force Captain also has private sector experience as a Chief Financial Officer in the construction industry.  Noah holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a minor in Spanish from the United States Air Force Academy.  In addition to speaking French and Spanish, Noah holds an advanced certificate in international maritime law from the International Maritime Law Institute in Malta.

Gabrielle Misfeldt has spent the last 13 years working with various school districts across the region, state, and country on educational excellence and equality. She currently serves as Chief of Staff at Jefferson Parish Schools. In her time there, Misfeldt has led work around creating the district’s 2024 strategic plan and the differentiated compensation model millage that increased educator pay for the first time in 10 years. As a former paraprofessional, substitute teacher, and teacher, Misfeldt worked with Chicago Public Schools, the Recovery School District, various school districts across Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Education, Newark Public Schools, and ReNEW Schools. She’s led work around recruitment, staffing, retention, principal training, and strategy. Misfeldt earned her Honors Bachelor of Arts from Marquette University.

Jamal Brown is a native New Orleanian and currently serves as the Director of Finance, People, & Culture for the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN). Jamal oversees the budget and finances, all human resources functions, and all operations functions of the organization. Prior to joining USDN, Jamal held roles leading Finance, Operations and Administration in the fields of Technology, Education, Banking, and Community Development. Throughout his career, Jamal has been drawn to work where he can use his talent and expertise to support underserved communities working for community-based organizations such as Liberty Bank, the Black Alliance for Educational Opportunities, and the Crescent City Farmers Market. Jamal has an Undergraduate degree from Loyola University, New Orleans, and a Master of Business Administration from Tulane University. In his free time, Jamal enjoys spending time with his wife and 3 kids, watching and playing sports, listening to live music, and volunteering on nonprofit boards.

Greta Brustie is the parent of a ReNEW Schools student.