A Letter From Our ED + Board

Letter from the ED

For the past three years, 826 New Orleans has been my passion and my most important undertaking. Back in 2019 when I joined the team, 826 New Orleans had just opened its Youth Writing Center in the 7th Ward. The organization was looking for a leader to help sustain and grow its mission in the 7th Ward and beyond. 

When I began my role as Executive Director, I stepped into the center and imagined students filling the space on evenings and weekends, sharing their stories and learning critical literacy skills along the way. I imagined that we would open our doors to the 7th Ward and our community partners, sharing our creative space to collectively write and dream together.

Of course, in 2019, none of us had a clue of what was to come. Within a matter of months, I was tasked to lead a team and an organization through an unprecedented time in our history—a global pandemic, a series of social uprisings, and a major hurricane that wreaked havoc on our city. 

The global pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing inequities; particularly for communities like the ones we serve. As a team we had to ask ourselves—how do we ensure young people don’t fall through the cracks?

I’m immensely proud of the 826 New Orleans response. We ensured that every student could participate in our programs without needing access to a computer, as a way to address the digital divide. We pivoted our programs to ensure that every young writer could have access to a mini-writing center in their home–providing them with at-home creative tools to continue their writing practice at home. We delivered over 10,000 bookmaking kits across the city and encouraged students to find new ways to publish their work, including publishing their stories on their windows at home. 

That just scratches the surface of the impact we’ve been able to make. 826 New Orleans not only remained steady in this tumultuous educational landscape, we actually grew. Amidst tough times, there has been much to celebrate. We have expanded our work by almost every measure. This summer we will begin serving families with 3-5-year-olds, our digital storytelling lab is being built out as I type this, and our team has grown from 4 full-time staff to a team of 10 including full-time and part-time. We have doubled our financial support, too, making this growth possible. 826 New Orleans has been a force for good and has served over 3,000 young people during my tenure as Executive Director.

I am incredibly proud to be a part of what 826 New Orleans has achieved in these three years despite the unprecedented challenges, and I am tremendously grateful that I have been able to play a central part in its evolution and success. From when I was hired to today, I have been deeply committed to the cause of helping young New Orleanians tell their stories and become published authors. This has, without a doubt, been the best job I have ever had. 

Today I’m announcing that this will be my last school year as the Executive Director of 826 New Orleans. My last day with the organization will be August 5th. While it’s bittersweet to begin saying goodbye, I know that 826 New Orleans is well-positioned for further growth. It is my unwavering belief that the organization will realize its vision of publishing over 25,000 young New Orleanians in the next 10 years. 

My departure brings with it a fantastic opportunity for a new, innovative thinker to take 826 New Orleans to the next phase of its nonprofit life cycle. Our team has partnered with Maroon Consulting to manage the executive search and we have developed a hiring committee composed of core community members who have a stake in finding the next Executive Director.

As for me, I look forward to continuing to champion educational justice and cheerleading the work of 826 New Orleans from the sidelines. It has been a true privilege to work with such a committed and talented group of people. Serving the young authors of New Orleans with you has been such a gift. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me in the next few months as I begin to say my farewells. I’d love to meet with you and listen to your feedback or address any questions you may have. 

With Gratitude, 

Brooke Pickett

Letter from the BOD:

Three years ago when we hired Brooke as our organization’s Executive Director, no one could have predicted the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Brooke gracefully stepped into the role as the first Executive Director outside of the organization’s founder and was instantly tasked with transforming our newly opened writing center into a hub for literacy. Within months of her hiring, a global pandemic ensued, there were a series of social uprisings, and New Orleans was faced with a major Hurricane that wreaked havoc on our city.

Amidst all of those challenges, Brooke rose to the occasion, adapting the organization to meet the needs of our students and their families. Over the past three years, we have served over 3,000 students, launched our first relief fund with close to $10,000 being distributed to our families, published over ten books, had Jason Reynolds serve as a lead mentor on a book project, and so much more. Brooke doubled our budget, doubled the number of staff members, and developed a new strategic plan which includes expanding our focus to serve students as young as 3-years-old. 

Brooke Pickett’s leadership has transformed the organization and young people’s lives for the better, and we are incredibly grateful for her time with the organization. As Brooke expressed above, she has officially announced that this will be her last school year with 826 New Orleans as she goes on to champion educational justice in new ways. Whoever Brooke works with next will be incredibly blessed to have both her vision and her tenacity. We will miss Brooke and her ability to lead with empathy, her ability to pair vision with practicality, and her willingness to go above and beyond to ensure that young New Orleanians have a platform to share their stories. Brooke has guided our growth as an organization. We were able to meet the needs of thousands of students because of her radical leadership. 

As we say our farewells and send best wishes to Brooke, we also look to the promising future of 826 New Orleans and to carrying our mission forward in exciting new ways. We have learned and grown a great deal over the past three years, expanding our programmatic reach and creating new ways to collaborate with students, their families, and our teaching partners. This includes our expansion to serve students as young as three, and our new initiative to build lasting Writers’ Rooms inside a series of public schools in New Orleans. 

The astounding 826 New Orleans team remains dedicated to building, managing, and delivering effective, creative, joyful programs to motivate and support students in their writing growth. Together, we’re thrilled to work with Maroon consulting to manage the Executive Search. In addition, we have developed a hiring committee composed of core community members who have a stake in finding the next Executive Director. 

Of course, you have a role in all of this too. Help us find our next leader. They’ll have big shoes to fill but you may know the person who can pick up where Brooke left off and take our organization to brand new heights. To read the full Executive Director job description and application deadlines, visit the link here. 

While we begin to launch our search, we want to extend an invitation to celebrate Brooke and thank her for her time as Executive Director. There will be more details coming soon, so be on the lookout for an in-person celebration. Until then, feel free to send Booke a message of gratitude and let’s be sure to keep the conversation going. 

Best, 

The 826 New Orleans Board of Directors