Organization issues awards for nonprofit and community leadership, celebrates top year for philanthropy, elects newboard members
Baton Rouge, LA – The Baton Rouge Area Foundation today announced that five appointees to their board of directors were formally elected during last night’s Annual Meeting of Members. Christy O. Reeves (Ochsner Health), and Lucie R. Kantrow (Bernhard Capital Partners) were elected by BRAF’s to serve their first three-year term. Matthew C. Saurage (Community Coffee) was elected to fulfill a one-year term. J. Wesley Daniels (EBR Housing Authority, Partners Southeast) and Dianna R. Payton (YWCA) were each elected to their second three-year term.
The board also renewed their slate of officers, retaining Thomas J. Adamek as chair, Helena R. Cunningham as vice chair, Daniel A. Gardiner Jr. as treasurer, Matthew Saurage as Secretary, and Annette D. Barton as an at-large committee member. Chris Meyer, BRAF’s CEO and president, and Jeffrey W. Koonce, immediate past chair, also serve by virtue of their positions.
In his presidential address, Meyer reported that donors contributed more than $70 million to charitable funds at the Foundation and invested $54 million back into the community through grantmaking last year. This marks the top year of philanthropy in the Foundation’s history. More than $750 million has been granted to charitable causes since BRAF’s founding in 1964. Meyer also highlighted that the Foundation engaged thousands of residents through Plan BR III community planning activities, met with more than 200 nonprofits in the Capital Area, and issued their first round of competitive grand funding in nearly a decade during the 2025 calendar year.
“BRAF had a historic 2025 thanks to the donors, civic leaders, and engaged residents who chose to collaborate and say ‘yes’ to big ideas in Baton Rouge,” said Meyer. “The success of the Foundation over the past year serves as a remarkable testament to the power of collaboration.”
At the meeting Wednesday evening, which was attended by more than 300 members and donors of BRAF, the 25th annual John W. Barton Sr. Awards for Excellence in Nonprofit Management were issued to George Bell, president and CEO of the Capital Area United Way, and Murelle Harrison, PhD, executive director of the Gardere Initiative. Jonathan Grimes, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, was awarded the Rising Star Award for emerging leaders in the nonprofit sector.
Kevin Knobloch was honored with the Champion for Giving Award. In only its second year, this award honors professional advisors who encourage their clients to integrate philanthropy into their financial planning and management.
The final award of the night was issued to Gwen Hamilton, who was named the ninth winner of the Marcia Kaplan Kantrow Baton Rouge Visionary Award. This award was established independently by friends and family of the late Ms. Kantrow, who was the first director of programs for the Foundation. The award honors an individual who has shown particularly visionary leadership for the betterment of Baton Rouge.
“It is an honor to celebrate so many nonprofits and changemakers who are working to help improve life in Baton Rouge,” said Tom Adamek, board chair. “Our community’s future is bright, and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation is proud to play a pivotal role in helping build what’s next.”
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About the Baton Rouge Area Foundation: Among the largest community foundations in the country, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation has sought to improve the quality of life in greater Baton Rouge and across south Louisiana since 1964.
The Foundation pursues its mission by serving donors to build the assets that drive initiatives and solutions, supporting local nonprofits to ensure overall impact and sustainability, engaging community leaders to develop appropriate responses to emerging opportunities and challenges, and by partnering with others to leverage collective resources and create the capacity to be a stimulus of positive regional change.
For more information, visit BRAF.org.