Who We Are

Who We Are

Learn More About Our Team

Who We Are

We’re reimagining the future through art, science, and connection. We hold space for tough conversations, for creativity, and for existing fully as ourselves both in the present and in the future.

Imagine Water Works is place-based with a global vision. Since 2012 we’ve helped lead the changes we’ve seen locally in how we think about living with water, working in an intersection of reducing risk from flooding, pollution, and natural hazards. We knew that the best solutions were multidisciplinary, and so we integrated science, history, identity, and art into our work.

We’ve worked with residents, neighborhood associations, nonprofits, artists, families, scientists, academics, architects, small business owners, and government agencies to create various resources for our community, to hold space for conversation, and to develop hazard mitigation plans in Louisiana and nationwide. But our work doesn’t stop there.

Where The World Is

The combination of climate change, sea level rise, environmental pollution, and systemic oppression is something we can no longer ignore. In fact, we know that our communities are reaching a tipping point. We know the strategies that have gotten us to this point have not worked. And we know that if you want fundamentally different results, you need to do things in a fundamentally different way.

With this in mind, we honor the fact that people who have been pushed to the margins are the exact same people who know how to build a better future for themselves and their communities, even when the future feels uncertain. As such, we hold space for those of us who are too often pushed out: Indigenous people, Black and Brown folks, LGBTQ and nonbinary people, two-spirits, farmers and artists, immigrants, young people and the elderly, disabled people, poor people, those with less formal education, and everyone living at the intersections of these identities. There must be a fundamental shift in who is centered in conversations about our shared future.

What We Do

Our core focus areas are climate justice, land stewardship, and disaster readiness and response. With the issues we’re facing today, we know that our communities need immediate support and the ability to work toward a better future, at the same time. We support these efforts by providing resources that keep people more safe before, during, and after both natural and manmade disasters. We create opportunities to connect with others and merge art with science in a deeply authentic and personal way. And we create freedom spaces where everyone has the opportunity to explore, imagine, and share their solutions for our future.

Some of our current projects include:
The Trans Clippers Project, the Mutual Aid Response Network, an “Anonymous Storm Prep Q&A” on Instagram, The Queer/Trans Guide to Hurricane Season, Working With Water: An Art/Science Symposium, The Little Library of Water, and Watermark: A Monthly Water and Climate News Briefing

Reimagining
the future together

Chenier “Klie” Kliebert co-founded Imagine Water Works and has since been its Executive Director, envisioning and leading the majority of IWW’s programs from their inception to today. Klie is a 2023-2024 Obama Leader USA and a multi-generational native New Orleanian with deep family ties to St. James Parish (also known as “Cancer Alley”) who brings a unique blend of experience in communications and grassroots organizing, social and community science, and nonprofit management to the team. As a Creole, Cajun and Indigenous person, Klie also has a passion for telling the story of Louisiana, in particular with an intersectional racial and gender analysis.

In their role as Executive Director, Klie not only leads the organization’s daily work but is also the lead organizer for the Mutual Aid Response Network / Imagine Mutual Aid. Klie is the creator of the Mutual Aid Response Network, Storm Zine Project, Trans Clippers Project, Storm Prep Q&A, Hurricane Laura Emergency Cash Program, and Public Health Workers Fund. Klie is a co-creator of all of IWW’s storm guides and the Community Power Map.

While at the Foundation for Louisiana, Klie supported efforts toward climate justice, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice and bail reform, housing justice, and more. Prior to FFL, Klie worked for the Public Laboratory for Open Science and Technology, an open source international community of scientists and resident activists focused on using simple DIY tools to collect data about our local environments. In an effort to eliminate stigma for their community, Klie served as the Communications Director for Transilient — a storytelling project that documented the everyday lives of transgender, non-binary and two-spirit people — and implemented a digital strategy for Transilient’s Deep South Tour that engaged millions of people globally as the project was featured by Buzzfeed, HuffPost, OUT Magazine, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and more throughout 2017.

Klie was selected by Gambit Magazine as part of New Orleans’ Top 40 Under 40 in 2021. They are a published author, and as part of their ongoing effort to uplift mutual aid strategies and change the U.S. relief and recovery system to one that is more efficient and equitable, they co-authored “Mutual Aid: A Grassroots Model for Justice and Equity in Emergency Management” in 2022. Their pieces on housing justice in New Orleans (2019) and ending the cash bail system (2018) were featured by the Times Picayune/nola.com. 

Klie is a Fellow with Project South’s first BAM (Building A Movement) Institute for Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (2019-2021); a Grantmakers United for Trans Communities Leadership Fellow (2019); a Loyola University Institute for Environmental Communications Fellow (2016); and was the first Safety Officer for the Gathering of Open Science and Hardware (2017). They have co-written multiple Codes of Conduct specifically within science and tech spaces, and they are a contributor to the Global Open Science Hardware Roadmap: an actionable plan to make science hardware open and accessible to everyone by 2025. Klie is a volunteer grant reviewer for several local and national philanthropic organizations; a programmer for the New Orleans Film Society in the “Louisiana Shorts” and “Southern Shorts” categories (2018-present); and an Administrator for the “Nonprofit Happy Hour” (2016-present), an online peer learning group of over 55,000 non-profit professionals.

Sometimes a writer and sometimes a photographer, Klie was accepted as a 2019 Artist In Residence with Works On Water in NYC, exploring concepts of consent with our bodies and with nature — and how these relationships drive our current water management practices. In their spare time (?!) Klie enjoys being outside with friends and family (usually with crawfish), casting net, reading everything, and working on their mini-farm.

Contact Klie at klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Chenier Klie Kliebert
Klie Kliebert
Executive Director

New Orleans, LA

Déja Jones is an artist and community organizer native to New Orleans, La. Raised by a community of Black entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, and radicals, Dèja graduated from McKinley Sr High School Baton Rouge in 2014. They began their career through the intersection of advocacy and art. 

In 2017 Déja showcased their first interactive installation at the New Orleans Art Center. The space was dedicated to southern Black communities’ advocacy during the Civil Rights Era as a love letter from the following generations. They were part of the IWW crew at our first “Art of Science / Science of Art: Working With Water in a Changing World” symposium in NYC in 2019. The symposium brought together artists, scientists, and engineers who (1) are concerned about water management and climate change and (2) recognize that we need to fundamentally shift who has a seat at the decision-making table. In 2020 Dèja Jones completed their fellowship with the New Orleans Youth Alliance where they now work on policy advocacy with a focus on New Orleans youth. Alongside several community partners such as the Children’s Youth and Planning Board, Louisiana Children’s Museum, and Arts New Orleans, Jones supports community events, programs, and initiatives that integrate art and healing while addressing community needs. 

Déja has supported IWW behind the scenes and on the ground, working on everything from admin and social media to community outreach, mutual aid, and supplies distribution. In their role as IWW’s Imagination Farm Lead, Déja supports IWW’s commitment to land stewardship by caring for the land and coordinating a smooth functioning of the facilities. Additionally, Déja continues to increase public access to resources by assisting IWW’s programmatic staff with supplies distribution. 

Contact Déja at deja@imaginewaterworks.org.

You can see more about Dèja’s art and community organizing here.

Deja Jones
Imagination Farm Lead

New Orleans, LA

Sarah Tuttle Goff is a Southwest Louisiana native, born and raised in the Lake Charles area. In addition to her skills in Accounting and Business, Sarah brings a deep understanding of, and love for, rural Louisiana to the team. In 2007 Sarah moved to New Orleans to complete her Bachelors of Science in Accounting from the University of New Orleans and began bookkeeping and managing client relationships for Heinz & Macaluso in 2009. At the time of the BP oil spill in 2010, she successfully managed the accounting processes for several cleanup and support sites responding to the disaster. From 2012-2018, Sarah acted as Controller for RingStreet LLC, a local startup born from the need to keep business telephones operational through hurricanes and evacuation. RingStreet’s innovative VoIP approach to phone systems was specifically tailored to the service industry and emergency services and was used in Emergency Operations Centers, as well as hospitals and restaurants across the Greater New Orleans Area. During her time at RingStreet LLC, Sarah tracked inventory and was ultimately responsible for managing a revenue growth of more than $3 million over the course of 7 years.

As a supporter of Imagine Water Works from our founding, Sarah has influenced our work beyond providing Accounting support. When IWW responded to Hurricane Laura in August of 2020, she connected the team to local organizations supporting individuals on the ground in Southwest Louisiana — creating a pathway for IWW to respond quickly and efficiently before many other resources were made available. In her role as IWW’s Finance Manager, Sarah is responsible for the management of all Accounting functions, insurance policies, audit preparation, and the financial components of grant tracking and reporting.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys passing a good time and cooking Cajun recipes passed down from her family over generations.

Contact Sarah at sarah@imaginewaterworks.org.

Sarah Tuttle Goff
Finance Manager

Ann Arbor, MI
New Orleans, LA

Born in Leon, Nicaragua and raised in New Orleans, Maria-Alejandra Arauz has a deep appreciation for languages and diverse cultures. Her personal background is what ultimately led her to become a dedicated professional with a passion for bridging communication gaps and fostering understanding across linguistic boundaries. 

As an accomplished educator, she brings over 10 years of experience working with migrant students and families in New Orleans and its metro area. Her commitment to enhancing language acquisition skills through the love of learning and creative thinking among English Language Learners (ELL) has been a driving force throughout her career. Serving as an ESL Program Coordinator at ReNew Schools from 2017-2023, Maria-Alejandra identified and implemented effective interventions and curricula, ensuring that diverse learners were equipped with the tools they need for success. She was one of nine “Pass the Mic” teacher fellows in 2023 to create an audio visual project that encouraged students to record their memories of home, their journey to the United States, and reflect upon their identity and what growing up as an immigrant means to them now. You can listen to ‘Conectar’ here

Maria-Alejandra’s passion for teaching goes beyond the classroom and from 2015-2017, she successfully served as a community liaison and implemented the parent education program, “Padres Comprometidos’ through Puentes NOLA. This program not only empowered students and families to pursue higher education, but provided them with the resources, workshops, and essentially a deeper understanding of the education system in order to help their child succeed despite the obstacles. Maria-Alejandra’s ability to model instructional practices and provide valuable feedback to educational leaders, teachers, families, and community members underscores their commitment to  advocacy and development within the educational sphere.

In her new role as Language Access Coordinator, she continues to hold popular education in high regard and reinforces that we are the biggest resource we have. She will be aiding Imagine Water Works so that relief efforts and recovery are accessible to all.

She attended Loyola University New Orleans with a background in Sociology and Environmental Sciences.

Maria Aléjandra Arauz
Language Access Coordinator

New Orleans, LA

Bri Lentz is the Founder of Emerge-Z and an Access and Inclusion Specialist for the Resiliency Initiative (TRI). Her career began during her time with FEMA Corps, an AmeriCorps program, where she responded to Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Michael, and the California Campfire. These experiences made her realize the importance of community response in large scale disasters.

During her work with TRI, she has worked with Tribal Communities, Camps, Fortune 500 Companies, Nonprofits, and Small Businesses in the creation of their emergency management plans, crisis management plans, training and exercise programs, and climate mitigation plans. Her focus is to ensure that all programs and plans are inclusive of the entire community that will be served, including marginalized and underserved communities.

Most recently, she started Emerge-Z to connect Generation Z professionals who are committed to serving in industries that respond to the climate crisis – with a mission to cultivate an environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing among these young leaders. They believe that by bringing together the brightest minds and most passionate individuals, we can accelerate progress towards a sustainable future.

Bri will be supporting Imagine Water Works in our hurricane response and recovery efforts by mobilizing as an integral part of the IWW’s Disaster Relief Team when there’s a named storm in the Gulf – and will continue to support IWW’s relief efforts after impact.

Learn about The Resiliency Initiative.
Learn about Emerge-Z.

Bri Lentz
Bri Lentz
Emergency Management Specialist

New Orleans, LA

Coleen Murphy is a community organizer, sex educator, youth camp director, and zine maker living in New Orleans.

She is part of the Imagine Water Works team as compiler of the New Orleans Community Resource Guide for Resistance & Renewal, a project born out of community-led Katrina response. Her other current roles include anti racist organizer with the People’s Institute for Survival & Beyond, Headmistress of Camp HeartWings, publisher of the annual Mama Calendar, and mother of two amazing grown up people.

Coleen loves talking about herself in the third person, making rad youth camps happen, eating Thai food, and engaging in the ongoing collective struggle to take down the white supremacist cishet patriarchy and build beloved community.

Coming from several generations of Florida gulf coast shrimpers and fishers, she found home in New Orleans in 2001 and has worked with outreach programs at the Common Ground Health Clinic and the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal.

Coleen Murphy
Community Organizer

New Orleans, LA

Shawn “Pepper” Roussel
Advisor

New Orleans, LA

Shawn “Pepper” Roussel is the Founding Director of Culinaria Center for Food Law, Policy, and Culture. She is also chair of the New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee, Trustee on the CrescentCare board, and a Steering Committee member of Value Louisiana’s Regional Sustainability Committee.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Pepper worked in every phase of software development, most recently as a project manager for multi-million dollar patient care projects for a New Orleans healthcare system. She has also served on boards in both private and public institutions; facilitated Development efforts for local schools and political campaigns; and coordinated events.

Pepper holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Tulane University; an MS in Computer Information Technology with a concentration in eCommerce; and a JD from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans with certificates in both Environmental and International Laws. Her writings focus on remediation of invasive species for coastal protection, food systems, and environmental impacts on food. Her practice is predominately food business creation, filings, contracts, and trademarks.

Ida Aronson
Board Member

Houma, LA

Ida Aronson (they/them) is an activist, theatre maker, herbalism student, cultural apprentice, and active member of the United Houma Nation. Their activism is informed by their multiple identities and first found form in the theatre, where they have worked to produce diverse, queer, and/or ‘radical’ theatrical productions for over 15 years. Ida is a cofounder of Bvlbancha Collective, founder of the short-lived Yakani Ekelanna Community Garden, and is currently involved with organizations including the Houma Language Project, Okla Hina Ikhish Holo, Power Shift Network, and Network of Ensemble Theaters. They have given talks and sat on panels at Tulane University, Linguistic Society of America, Neighborhood Story Project, Tunica-Biloxi Intertribal Basketry Summit, Northwest Indian Language Institute, and more. Ida lives in the Yakani Tcetu region (Houma area) with their partner and animals.

Photo by Fernando Lopez.

Daniela Capistrano
Board Member

Slidell, LA
New Orleans, LA

Daniela “Dani” Capistrano (they/them) is a queer trans non-binary latinx storyteller, entrepreneur, media literacy activist, and proud co-parent to #ourkiddodax.

Through their company DCAP MEDIA, an NGLCC Certified LGBTBE® Enterprise, they have helped businesses and nonprofits tell power stories with measurable results since 2015. Dani has called the New Orleans area their adopted home since 2013 and has served on multiple boards, most recently Fund 17, as part of their mission to help Black and brown people in Louisiana level up their side hustles into livelihoods that support economic growth. 

Driven by their curiosity and activism goals, Capistrano strives to combine their entrepreneurship with their advocacy. Dani is a Goldman Sachs 10KSB alum (2022), an alum of the first ever Nike “The Academy” program for diverse suppliers (2022), a member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and has been a co-admin of Queer Exchange NOLA (a mutual aid resource for queer & trans New Orleanians) since 2015. Dani is honored to help further Imagine Water Works’ mission with development support through grant writing and strategic partnerships in 2023 and beyond.

THE IMAGINATION FARMERS: Many thanks to our former teammates, staff, advisors, and countless others who have volunteered their time, resources, and talents in the spirit of mutual aid. We are especially grateful to our 2023 Imagination Farmers who have all worked to build The Imagination Farm as it stands today, including Lavonte L., JCJ, Courtney N., Dyani D., Ahmaad L., Pharez S., Vanessa V., Jared B., Austin A., Nic L., Sara C., Jenna V., Ysela G., Ben and Maurice. And last but not least, to Rob, Elise, Lil’ Button, Jeff, and all who imagined on this land before us.

VOLUNTEER WITH US! Contact Déja at deja@imaginewaterworks.org or fill out this brief survey to let us know what you’re interested in. You can also stay updated by signing up for our newsletter below.

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