Lamar Gardere, BS, MSCSExecutive Director
Lamar Gardere is Executive Director. Lamar is responsible for guiding The Data Center’s mission of democratizing actionable data, ensuring quality standards, and the continued impact of the organization. He leads The Data Center’s ongoing efforts to transform local culture to one that embraces data as an intrinsic component of sound decisionmaking and serves as its chief advocate for technology designed to enable greater data sharing and advanced statistical methods in New Orleans.
Chief Demographer
Allison Plyer is Chief Demographer. Dr. Plyer is lead author of The New Orleans Index series, developed in collaboration with the Brookings Institution, to analyze the state of the New Orleans recovery and, at the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, to assess the resilience capacity of the region. She is co-author of Pandemic to Prosperity which details both the impacts of extreme weather and the potential for state and federal funds to build up Louisiana’s resilience.
Director of Finance and Operations
Dabne Whitemore is Director of Finance and Operations. Dabne provides day-to-day leadership of internal operations to help staff and board sustainably deliver on high impact goals. This is realized by overseeing systems of fund development, fiscal management, technology infrastructure, emergency management, and risk management.
Katrina Andry, BA, MA, PMPProject and Communications Manager
Katrina Andry is the Project and Communications Manager at The Data Center in New Orleans. She builds teams, develops strategic workflows, guides branding and marketing communications, manages vendors, and documents organizational knowledge. Katrina’s work focuses on managing both people and the systems they operate within, ensuring clear communication, well-defined roles, and efficient execution of tasks.
Senior Data Analyst
Haleigh Tomlin is a Senior Data Analyst at The Data Center. Haleigh is skilled in statistical analysis and data visualization.
Junior Software Developer
Jaden Stanton is a Junior Software Developer focusing on API development and internal tools. Jaden’s skills include software development, automation, and cloud computing.
Data Analyst
Anissa is a Data Analyst at The Data Center. Anissa has experience in data science, climate change, and coastal disaster policy.
Elaine Ortiz is a consultant for The Data Center. Elaine is expert in economic and demographic data for applied research to support informed decisionmaking and more resilient communities.
Jake Cowan is a consultant for The Data Center. Jake has nearly 15 years of experience as an analyst, manager and leader in the nonprofit and public sectors.