Vicki Weeks, Executive Director As a former member of Belle Reve’s Board of Directors, Vicki has served as Executive Director since 1999. Responsible for Belle Reve’s vision and direction, Vicki has taken Belle Reve out of thousands of dollars of debt and dramatically increased Belle Reve’s available funding. Vicki has a Master’s Degree, and has used her training to run Belle Reve as responsible nonprofit. Under her direction, Belle Reve consistently has received superior ratings from its monitoring agencies, and has been honored with a Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Service from the City of New Orleans. Recently, Belle Reve received a special commendation from the United States Department of State for serving as a model for visiting African and Russian HIV/AIDS research groups. Additionally, the Forum for Equality honored Vicki last summer with an Acclaim Award for her work in the HIV/AIDS community. Vicki is on the ground floor of a lobbying organization, Louisiana AIDS Action Network (LAAN), founded to unite and protect the interests of persons with AIDS across the state. Additionally, Vicki represents Belle Reve as the only AIDS assisted living facility that is a member of the Louisiana Assisted Living Association (LALA). It is Vicki’s vision that all AIDS service organizations work together to create coordinated efforts to serve the HIV/AIDS community, each organization providing different services and strengths. Vicki is completely committed to Belle Reve’s Mission. As the increased longevity of HIV/AIDS-infected persons is changing the needs of the HIV/AIDS population, Vicki plans to keep Belle Reve current throughout any and all changes. Those who know her rightly say that it is impossible to keep her down. Her endless optimism, action, and faith are noteworthy and contagious.

Pam Smith, L.C.S.W., Program Director Pam has been with Belle Reve for six years, beginning first as an intern completing her on-site coursework, later, joining the staff as a Outreach Coordinator, and recently taking on the position of Program Director. As a Master’s level graduate of Tulane University’s Social Work program, Pam also obtained the title of Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Additionally, Pam holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication. As Program Director, Pam oversees all programmatic activity at Belle Reve. She oversees all social work interns, monitors the Outreach and Recovery Readiness Programs, and performs case management and mental health duties. Pam performs intakes (interviews of referred potential residents) to assess a client’s needs, and provides residents with Individual Service Plans (ISP), defining his/her goals for achieving greater health, more independence, and if possible a return to independent living. Pam serves as Acting Director when she is on-call for after-hours or when Executive Director Vicki Weeks is away from Belle Reve. Pam is responsible for resident discipline and expulsion as well as admission and guidance. Her position is demanding and includes many management and hands-on duties, all of which she performs with skill and tact.

Picture to Come Kay Butler, Development Director Kay has recently joined the staff of Belle Reve after a long and established business and marketing career, as well as a strong background in local volunteerism. Kay attended LSU, Baton Rouge and Northeast State University in Monroe, where she majored in Business and Marketing. She has been employed as a National Sales Manager, responsible for worldwide sales, including marketing to Wal-Mart and Sam’s stores, as well as other major retailers. Additionally, she served as an independent contractor to Remington and other national companies. At some point in her career, she became drawn to volunteerism and the nonprofit sector. In 1992, she was a founding Board Member for Belle Reve, responsible for obtaining the variance that allowed Belle Reve to open its doors. She was one of the original founders of the annual Halloween fundraiser for Lazarus House, and was a member of the original group responsible for establishing the popular local “Barkus” fundraiser, benefiting the SPCA. She is also a member of Save Our Cemeteries and participates in local fundraising activities and community affairs. She has lost many friends to AIDS, and she has the passion and desire to contribute all of her efforts to the HIV community and Belle Reve. She will be responsible for fundraising and volunteerism in her position at Belle Reve. Kim Marshall, M.S.W., Recovery Readiness Coordinator As social worker, case manager, and substance abuse advisor, Kim’s position is integral to Belle Reve’s Mission. Kim works with the residents both one-on-one and in groups, helping them to choose healthier life habits through behavior modification. Belle Reve’s Recovery Readiness Program is unique in New Orleans, in that it is a “Harm Reduction” Model, offering residents the ability to receive counseling and help while on a path to abstain from their self-determined worst (most harmful) habits. In the Harm Reduction Model, a resident does not have to achieve complete abstinence immediately upon entry, allowing a resident to become “clean and sober” at his/her own pace with no threat of expulsion due to relapse. Using on premises is strictly prohibited. As the only AIDS living facility in New Orleans offering an on-site substance abuse program, Belle Reve improves the quality of life for each resident by offering him/her a chance to progress towards abstinence at a gradual pace. Residents often are more comfortable in pursing healthy choices one step at a time, without the fear of needing to achieve perfection instantaneously. Operating with an open-door policy, Kim’s clients feel free to approach her with problems, questions, or just conversation, whenever needed. She enjoys her work with Belle Reve’s families, children, and individuals, and loves watching them repair their lives, and often times (health allowing), return to independent living.

Dara Fox, Resource Liaison As Resource Liaison, Dara is responsible for pursing monies from Federal, Corporate, and Foundation Grants, as well as other private and public Funding Sources. Additionally, Dara is responsible for the reporting for grants and other grants maintenance issues. With a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, Dara spent more than seven years as a Production Editor for entertainment and technical publications in the nation’s capitol. In New Orleans, she has worked as Editorial Consultant for publications generated by the Pediatrics Department at LSU School of Medicine. As Belle Reve’s Resource Liaison, Dara has obtained grant money from M·A·C AIDS Fund, Harrah's New Orleans, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Almar Foundation, BellSouth, and Wal-Mart. Dara writes any necessary portions of the grants to obtain federal monies from HOPWA, Ryan White Title 1, HOPWA SPNS, and EFSP. She has recently applied for a grant from SAMHSA for funds to expand Belle Reve’s substance abuse treatment and outreach programs.

Jared Lusher, Program Coordinator As a native of New Orleans, Jared fits in perfectly with the nonprofit HIV/AIDS field, and considers Belle Reve’s causes as his own. Jared is the primary administrative staff for Belle Reve. He is responsible for all of the nuts and bolts required for Belle Reve to function efficiently. Among his responsibilities are monitoring contract reports, completing bookkeeping and payroll, and assuring compliance with all federal, state, and local work codes. He takes an active part in coordinating Belle Reve’s efforts to comply with contracts, adhere to grant regulations, monitor maintenance and supply issues, and work with the AIDS community as a whole. Sofia Hyde, PCA Supervisor Sofia has been working with persons with long-term illnesses for more than ten years and has been with Belle Reve for the past five. She is a Certified Nursing Assistant and is familiar with the needs of persons with HIV/AIDS. As PCA Supervisor, Sofia plans the PCAs’ work schedules, takes after-hours on-call duty, oversees medication management, reviews all resident logs, coordinates the assistance given to residents, institutes dieticians’ menus, oversees the cleanliness and sterility of the facility, and performs all PCA duties. She is responsible for a large portion of the PCA training, as well as relations between PCAs and patients.

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