“…Find the good, and praise it.” – Alex Haley
Kimberly Allen is ensuring meaningful volunteer experiences for over 2,000 women as the Membership Council Director for the Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO) Board of Directors. This role enables Kimberly to utilize her strong relationship building and communication skills to develop members to their greatest potential. In addition to supporting membership morale and recognition, she oversees the committees that design leadership and training opportunities, which often entails providing a forum for discussion and brainstorming initiatives and policies related to member satisfaction. She relays information and makes strategic planning suggestions to the board in the areas of professional education, active placement, sustainer engagement, volunteer opportunities, retention, standards and training.
A graduate of LSU, Kimberly holds a degree in mass communications with a concentration in political communication and a minor in political science. She is the Vice President of Regional Marketing at Hancock Whitney, overseeing charitable giving, corporate sponsorships and community relations. Prior to joining Hancock Whitney, Kimberly worked as a public affairs strategist advising clients nationwide on media, political, regulatory and public affairs strategies. In addition, she spent nearly a decade working in Washington, D.C. in Congress as a senior advisor in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, where she focused on energy, health care, labor and economic policies.
Having joined JLNO ten years ago, Kimberly has spent most of her League time focused on committees on the Membership Council and is thrilled to work with the amazing team of volunteers this year. “Our focus will be on improving the JLNO member experience so that each member feels both connected to the community and to the team of women working alongside her. Most important of all, our focus will be on creating fun. Everyone deserves more fun as we come out of an insanely challenging year. “
She has honed these volunteer skills by assisting other non-profits around the city: Café Reconcile, Son of a Saint, Girl Scouts, First Tee of Greater New Orleans, Boys Town Louisiana, Catholic Charities Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank and many others. “There is so much need in our state, and it can feel overwhelming to try to make a difference on your own. Through the Junior League, we are able to multiply and amplify our service to the community in a way that makes it easier to see the positive impact we are having for people and communities in need. This is especially evident when we are responding to a natural disaster—it’s an all-hands-on deck mentality with the singular focus of helping others.”
A native of Covington, Kimberly now resides Uptown, where she enjoys reading, collecting best friends, searching for the perfect French 75, serving as the unofficial ambassador for NOLA dive bars and snoball stands, and traveling.
