Who We Are
The Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance (LOYAL) is a network of direct service providers and advocacy organizations working to ensure that the state's policies and institutions support the needs of Louisiana's youth. The coalition focuses on creating a stronger connective fabric to support all young people as they transition from school to the workforce. We connect grassroots community organizations and policymakers to help them design responsive policies that meet the needs of all Louisiana's youth.
Our Vision
A Louisiana where all youth are supported by strong policies and institutions and can successfully transition from school to the workforce.
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen Louisiana state policies and institutions to support Opportunity Youth by connecting people, organizations and policymakers in Louisiana.
Our Team
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Danielle Barringer-PaytonOpportunity Youth Coalition Director
Danielle Barringer-Payton serves as the director of the Opportunity Youth Coalition for Invest in Louisiana. She is a licensed Louisiana attorney and brings plenty of direct legislative experience to her work.
Danielle was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She attended the University of North Florida where she earned multiple degrees, including a B.A. in Political Science, a B.A. in Criminal Justice, and an M.S. in Criminal Justice with a track in Criminology.
She relocated to Baton Rouge in the fall of 2011 to begin her legal journey at Southern University Law Center. Instead of returning to Florida after graduation, she stayed in Louisiana, passed the bar exam and began her legal career. Her past work experience includes positions as the attorney for the Judiciary Committee with the Louisiana House of Representatives and the legislative liaison for the Louisiana Dept. of Alcohol and Tobacco Control (ATC) and Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC). Danielle lives in Denham Springs with her husband.
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Tamiera "T.C." NashDigital Communications Manager
Tamiera "T.C." Nash serves as the digital communications manager at Invest in Louisiana. Their work is to develop and implement a digital strategy for the Louisiana Opportunity Youth Alliance (LOYAL). Prior to coming to Invest, she was the communications catalyst at MetroMorphosis, a social enterprise whose mission is to transform urban communities from within.
Nash is also the founder and lead consultant of an emerging communications consulting firm, Twenty-Four Nineteen, LLC. They hold a Master's of Public Administration from THE Southern University A&M College and a Bachelor’s of Arts from Spring Hill College.
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Christina LeBlancEconomic Opportunity Policy AnalystSome example text
Christina LeBlanc is the economic opportunity policy analyst at Invest in Louisiana. Her work focuses on improving the lives of low- and middle-income Louisiana families through economic policy.
Christina was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia but has called New Orleans home since 2010. She graduated from Tulane with a Ph.D. in History in 2022 and holds a B.A. in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College and an M.A. in Latin American Studies and History from Tulane University.
Prior to working at Invest, Christina worked in environmental organizations in Louisiana and as a writer and editor while completing her dissertation on the intersections of disaster, debt, and the growth of the U.S. federal state in the mid-twentieth century. She has also worked as a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Legislative Fellow in the office of Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40) and as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Global Green.
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Stacey RousselDeputy DirectorSome example text
Stacey Roussel serves as deputy director at Invest in Louisiana. She brings nearly twenty years of experience in the public, academic and nonprofit sectors working on issues related to economic and community development with experience in fundraising, strategic planning, program evaluation and policy analysis.
A native of New Orleans, Stacey began her development career in Baton Rouge supporting community engagement in K-12 public schools and went on to serve on an award-winning major gifts team at PBS affiliate, WEDU-TV, in Tampa, Florida. She began working with small businesses as a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional at UNF SBDC, where she provided export assistance to U.S.-based small manufacturers.
Upon returning to Louisiana, Stacey continued her commitment to community and economic development by supporting entrepreneurship among minority communities in Southeast Louisiana. While working domestically, Stacey maintains a global perspective and has presented papers at the United Nations conference, Our Common Humanity in the Information Age, and at the Roundtable for Entrepreneurship Education (REE Asia) in Hong Kong. She is a graduate of LSU and the University of Maryland, College Park.