Our staff
Jessica Arnold
Manager of Programs and Data
504 940 2844
jarnold@noccafoundation.org
Jessica Arnold is the NOCCA Foundation’s Manager of Programs and Data. She oversees the Student Support program — both Term-Time Aid and Summer Study — funding, the Summer Study program, donor data systems, fundraising auctions, and all things spreadsheet-related.
With degrees in Studio Art and Anthropology from Tulane University and an MFA in Sculpture from Alfred University, she blends creative insight with operational expertise to support equitable access to arts education.
If Jessica isn’t at NOCCA, she’s either at a yoga class, dancing with Lucha Krewe, or working on her biggest craft project to date: raising her three wild children.
Monique Bloom
Business and Human Resources Manager
504 940 2844
mbloom@noccafoundation.org
Monique is a native of New Orleans. She’s a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and attended Xavier University for one year majoring in Fine Arts. Her work background includes ten years of banking, accounting, and human resources experience with Hibernia National Bank (Capital One), and 26 years of accounting and human resources with the NOCCA Foundation. Monique holds a special place for NOCCA in her heart as it has played a pivotal role in many of her family members’ lives. Her husband, Jonathan Bloom Sr., was a graduate of the second graduating class, in addition to 11 other family members who also attended NOCCA. In her spare time, Monique enjoys spending time with family and friends, working in her garden, and singing/dancing to her favorite music.
Allyn Hayden
Director of Alumni Relations
ahayden@noccafoundation.org
Allyn S. Hayden is a native of New Orleans and a 2001 NOCCA alum in Dance. She is also a highly energetic and creative communications, marketing, and public relations professional with over 20 years of experience. Her areas of interest include, but are not limited to charity, advertising, conferences, special events, fundraisers, and corporate retreats/affairs. Her previous clients include: Baldwin & Co., Big Brothers Big Sisters, American Heart Association, NOLA Art Bar, Power Moves NOLA, New Orleans School of Ballet, Twelve24 Foundation, Harper’s Hope 4*1, YWCA, and the American Cancer Society. Allyn received a dual Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Orleans and Southern Methodist University. She has been a member of the Lula Elzy New Orleans Dance Theater since 2001 and loves to travel. As the Director of Alumni Relations, Allyn looks forward to honoring the past while celebrating all who have studied at NOCCA.
Ayman Jaber
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer
ajaber@noccafoundation.org
Ayman Jaber is an accomplished CFO and COO with extensive experience in financial management, systems integration, nonprofit leadership, as well as a strong background in real estate development and investment. Originally from Beirut, Ayman holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Finance and Management from the University of Lebanon. Early in his career, he served as Administration and Financial Manager for United Infrastructure Project, a global company operating in Djibouti, Africa, where he managed complex financial systems and operational frameworks supporting large-scale infrastructure projects.
Currently, Ayman serves as CFO and COO of the NOCCA Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting arts education. His role at the Foundation combines his expertise in finance and operations with a strategic emphasis on sustainable growth, aligning with the organization’s mission to provide resources and opportunities for young artists. Ayman has also leveraged his significant experience in private real estate (focused on historic preservation) into overseeing financial strategy, project management, and capital allocation to maximize growth and value for NOCCA’s development projects. His multidisciplinary background enables him to successfully guide NOCCA’s nonprofit and real estate ventures with a focus on impactful, sustainable outcomes.
Richard Read
Director of Development and Communications
rread@noccafoundation.org
Richard has extensive experience in fundraising, communications, and programming. At the Foundation, he puts those skills to work telling the story of NOCCA and the Foundation and explaining how people, foundations, and corporations can support Louisiana’s next generation of arts and culture leaders.
After hours, Richard teaches in the University of New Orleans’ master’s program in arts administration and in UNO’s Certified Performing Arts Executive program. He has served on the boards of Louisiana Citizens for the Arts, Louisiana Partnership for the Arts, Louisiana Presenters Network, the Lesbian and Gay Community Center of New Orleans, and the Mayor’s Advisory Council for LGBT Issues, and he recently completed National Arts Strategies’ year-long Senior Management Institute. Richard previously held the positions of Managing Director for The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, Managing Director for the new-works festival DramaRama, and Program Manager for the International Theatre Institute of the United States.
Elliot Robinson
Manager of Grants and Operations
erobinson@noccafoundation.org
Elliot Robinson, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, graduated from Indiana University in 2010. Elliot worked in landscaping and agriculture before joining the NOCCA Foundation in 2014 as a Louisiana Delta Service Corps member. In his current role, Elliot is a crucial part of the NOCCA Foundation’s development team and also oversees the Foundation’s properties along Homer Plessy Way.