The Louisiana SPCA Board of Directors is responsible for setting the vision, goals and direction of the organization and supporting the senior team members who carry them out. The Board considers trends and issues impacting the state and focuses efforts on strategic long-term outcomes.
Board of Directors
Nene Glenn Gianfala is a Vice President of the Valuation Advisory group with over 14 years of experience in accounting, corporate finance, and business valuations. She joined Chaffe & Associates, Inc. as a Financial Analyst Intern in June 2007, and upon completion of the internship, joined the company. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Accredited in Business Valuations (ABV), Certified in Entity and Intangible Valuations by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CEIV), and an Accredited Senior Appraiser in Business Valuations with a specialty in Intangible Assets (ASA-BV/IA) by the American Society of Appraisers. Prior to her seat on the Louisiana SPCA Board of Directors, Ms. Gianfala served on both Louisiana SPCA’s Finance Committee, and the Louisiana SPCA Advocacy Council.
Steve started his work with the Louisiana SPCA as part of the board of its affiliated foundation and has since added SPCA Board membership as part of his commitment to helping animals and the people in their lives. Steve is a Senior Vice President and Investment Director – Wealth Portfolio Management in Hancock Whitney’s Asset Management Group and has been in the investment industry in New Orleans for over 25 years. He has a Bachelor of Mathematics from Carleton College and a Master of Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin. He is the proud pet parent of a rescue beagle mix, Captain Morgan, who is far more well-known about town than Steve.
Scott has over 22 years of client service experience at EY, primarily serving assurance clients within the energy, construction, and media and entertainment sectors. Scott brings a broad technical skillset developed through serving clients of all sizes, both publicly traded and privately held, as well as through his experiences within the firm’s Quality Network. During his time in the US West Region Quality Network, Scott assisted audit engagement teams with audit quality related matters, including preparation for and assistance with PCAOB inspections. Scott also serves a number of other leadership roles in the EY New Orleans practice, including roles within both the Diversity and Inclusiveness group and Digital Advocates group for the US West Region. Scott is also involved in campus recruiting through his role as the lead recruiting partner for the EY New Orleans office, where Scott serves as the Campus Coordinating Partner for Louisiana State University.
Clare Durret joined the Louisiana SPCA Board of Directors in January 2024. She is Managing Director at Answer ALS. Clare’s communication experience includes extensive strategy and execution responsibilities in the political, policy making and public affairs arenas. The political campaigns she helped lead include congressional, state legislature and mayoral efforts as well as municipal and county ballot proposition elections. Ms. Durrett helped lead public communication campaigns on behalf of several major economic development initiatives, including one incentive package valued at more than $150 million. She also led the creative team responsible for the collateral material deployed in a successful statewide medical malpractice tort reform initiative passed by both houses of the state legislature and approved by voters.
Jeff joined the Louisiana SPCA Board after serving on its Foundation Board. Jeff specializes in financial instruments and asset allocation. Jeff is a graduate of Tulane University, where he was also a doctoral candidate in finance and taught investments to MBAs. Jeff attended Vanderbilt University, and researched his Master’s Thesis in Economics at Cambridge University, England. Jeff is married to Sarah Sharp and together they have twin children, Shelby and Miles. Their four-legged family includes Louisiana SPCA adopted dog LuLu, who loves to dance and Snowflake, an active 17 year old cat. Jeff is completing his third term as St. Martin’s Episcopal School Board Treasurer, Chair of Finance and Chair of Real Estate Committees. Jeff and Sarah also serve on the Board of Directors of Tulane’s Summer Lyric.
After growing up in Madisonville, Melissa attended the University of Georgia where she studied International Business. While there, she was one of a handful students selected to study at the University of Oxford in International Affairs and a year later at Universidad de Cadiz in Spanish Studies. In 2008, Melissa embarked on her insurance career, first learning the ropes and then diving into the servicing of a $10 million book of business. By 2021 she had grown to handling $20 million in business. After years of experience and education in the industry, she has started one of the only woman-owned independent agencies in the Greater New Orleans area. In the community, Melissa currently serves on the board of the Home-builders Association, as Chairwoman of the Professional Women in Building, on the finance committee for the LASPCA, as a commissioner for JEDCO and as a member of the Junior League and Apartment Association. She provides insurance insight to the Times Picayune and as a speaker at local & regional events.
Jeffery Giavotella is a New Orleans native and passionate animal advocate with more than two decades of experience leading financial strategy, transformation, and growth across diverse industries while building high-performing finance organizations that drive long-term success. He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Industrial Emergency Services (IES Safety, LLC), a leader in industrial safety and emergency response solutions with operations spanning multiple subsidiaries. At IES, Jeffery leads the company’s overall financial management, guiding strategy and performance while building organizational structure to strengthen the company’s foundation for long-term growth. A recognized leader in financial technology and automation, Jeffery was named one of Sage Software’s Top 10 Inaugural Finance Futurists, an honor recognizing visionaries shaping the future of corporate finance. His work in integrating blockchain and AI-driven tools into financial operations continues to advance innovation and transparency within organizations.
Nathan List is Entergy’s Assistant General Counsel for mergers & acquisitions, strategic transactions, and alternative and structured finance. Nathan has nearly twenty years of experience advising executives and boards on corporate governance, securities, M&A, and strategic transactions. He began his career at the law firms of Jones Walker in New Orleans and Briggs & Morgan (now Taft Stettinius & Hollister) in Minneapolis. He then transitioned in-house, advising executives and boards in the highly regulated financial services and utilities industries on their most complex initiatives and transactions.
A native of South Dakota, where he grew up on a cattle farm settled by his family in 1887, Nathan moved to New Orleans in 2007 with his soon-to-be wife, Lauren, who has family in Baton Rouge. Together they are raising two kids and two rescue pups, Iggy (17) and Olive (7).
Ms. Canales Mendoza leverages over 15 years of supporting private and public-sector entities with the development and management of grants. She supported the City of New Orleans following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav for a span of 10 years serving as a Grants Manager and then as a FEMA Public Assistance Policy Specialist. In more recent years, she has served as the Grant Writer for Kingsley House and continues to support state / municipal clients across the country in exploring alternative sources of federal grant funding to address the pandemic’s widespread impacts to public health, safety and economy. When not on Zoom calls, Ondina spends her time running around with her 2 Samoyeds and 6-year-old. There is never a dull moment with all her active creatures! Prior to joining the Louisiana SPCA Board of Directors, Ms. Canales Mendoza served on Government and Legal Affairs Committee.
A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Desirée graduated from Cabrini High School, and went on to Loyola University for both her bachelor’s degree and juris doctor (law degree). She was the first woman elected to serve as Recorder of Mortgages for the parish of Orleans, where she served for 10 years. She was the first woman elected to the bench of Municipal Court in New Orleans, and the first to be elected Chief Judge. Charbonnet has been nationally recognized as an advocate for alternatives to incarceration and has been featured in national publications including The Atlantic. Charbonnet resigned her judgeship in 2017 to run as a mayoral candidate for the City of New Orleans, where she progressed to the runoff. Charbonnet reentered private practice in 2018 and established the Law Office of Desirée M. Charbonnet, where she currently practices.
Adrienne H. Moore, CPA is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Goodwill of Southeastern Louisiana, Inc. with over 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing. She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from Our Lady of Holy Cross College and a Master’s of Science in Accounting with an audit concentration from the University of New Orleans. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Global Management Chartered Accountant. She currently serves on the LASPCA Finance Committee and Development Committee. She resides in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, with her husband, two daughters, Taylor and Samantha. In her spare time, she is a dance teacher for Andrea’s Dance Academy and avid Crossfitter for Crescent City Crossfit. She is the proud parent to four labs (Clyde, Denali, Emmie, and Ellie) and one dachshund (Indie).
Nissan Patel is a New Orleans native and the current Compliance Officer for Georges Enterprises. He previously served as regulatory inspector and criminal investigator for the State of Louisiana, where he was an explosives detection canine handler. In 2018, Nissan was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards as his appointee to the Emergency Response Commission, a position he still holds today. He is a member of the Krewe of Thoth and also serves with the Young Leadership Council and the Exchange Club of New Orleans. He is a Lakeview resident with his rescue dogs, Max and Huey P. Before serving on the Board for the LASPCA, Nissan served on the organization’s Government Relations Committee.
A graduate of Tulane University Law School, Billy is dedicated to the mission of the Louisiana SPCA, particularly cultivating and preserving the human-animal bond. His professional experience includes working as an ADA with the Orleans Parish DA’s Office and as the Executive Director for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. He recently retired as the President of Compass Furniture and is currently the president of Two Men and a Truck moving company, and also serves on the board Second Harvest Food Bank. Billy has two dachshunds, Holly and Maxie.
Tarik launched Pure — a New York-born, New Orleans-based full-service ad agency — in 2011 to deliver a new agency model better suited to the hyper-innovative, digitally-driven reality marketers confront. Before Pure, Tarik was Chief Digital Officer of Young & Rubicam in New York City. In addition to running the digital P&L, he set the global vision and strategy for the agency’s advance in the digital space while leading key client engagements and business development.
Tarik began his career in public affairs at Burson-Marsteller in Washington, D.C. Five years later he switched to advertising, heading key global accounts for Young & Rubicam in NYC. He went client-side as director of interactive marketing at Accenture for three years and returned to agencies as head of client services at mcgarrybowen and managing director of AtmosphereBBDO, the North American digital arm of BBDO.
Along the way, he’s been fortunate to work with some of the world’s best-known brands, like NFL, Marriott, Target, FedEx, Cingular (now AT&T), Accenture, Snickers, J&J, Starwood, MetLife, Citibank, Emirates Airline, Texaco and LG. Pure’s client list includes DIRECTV, Entergy, Ochsner and Rutgers University. In 2020, Tarik and his wife Aimée co-founded Mockly, a line of ready-to-drink mocktails.
Tarik is a Stanford graduate, lives in New Orleans and is on the board of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation.
Melissa S. Warren, CCIM is a Senior Commercial Real Estate Advisor and the New Orleans metropolitan market leader for Stirling Properties. She has provided clients with commercial real estate advisory services since 2001. As a Senior Advisor with Stirling Properties in New Orleans, LA, Ms. Warren focuses on industrial, office, and retail sales, leasing, and tenant and landlord representation. Ms. Warren’s organizational service includes Board Member and President Ex-Officio of the NOMAR-CID (New Orleans Metropolitan Association of Realtors – Commercial Investment Division); and Board Member of LACDB (the Louisiana Commercial Database). Commercial Real Estate professional affiliations include CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers), NOMAR-CID, NAIOP (the Commercial Real Estate Development Association), and New Orleans CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women). Melissa serves on the Board of the Louisiana SPCA, and volunteers with New Orleans City Park, and Habitat for Humanity.
Committee Members
Foundation Board
Trusteeship Committee
Government & Community Relations Committee
Advancement Committee
Finance Committee
Advocacy Council
The Louisiana SPCA helped more than 3,000 animals find their forever home in 2020.
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