Our staff

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
Director of Finance and Operations
ajaber@noccafoundation.org

Ayman has extensive experience in financial management, large-scale systems integration, and restaurant operations. Originally from Beirut, Ayman holds a Bachelors of Business Administration and a Masters of Finance & Management from the University of Lebanon. Shortly after earning his degrees, Ayman was hired as the Administration and Financial Manager in Djibouti, Africa, for the globally contracted company United Infrastructure Project. Both as a teenager and a college student, as well as after arriving in the United States, Ayman worked every position in the restaurant industry, including upper management in two high-volume French Quarter restaurants.

Elizabeth McMillan
Director of Advancement
504 940 2810
emcmillan@noccafoundation.org

Elizabeth McMillan has worked with the NOCCA Foundation for 26 years directing fundraising and programs. She has nearly 40 years experience in the non-profit and development fields in New Orleans and Los Angeles, with considerable expertise in major gifts, publications and major special events. She holds a B.A. in English and a minor in Visual Arts from the University of Virginia, with four years study in painting and photography at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. She is also a visual artist with her work in numerous collections.

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
Facilities and Maintenance Manager
erobinson@noccafoundation.or g

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 oversees maintenance of the Foundation’s facilities and grounds.

Adonis Rose
Executive Director
arose@noccafoundation.org

Adonis Rose is a NOCCA alum and GRAMMY-winning artist from the city of New Orleans with over 50 recordings to his credit, including eight as a leader. Before joining the NOCCA Foundation, Rose was the Managing and Artistic Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In October 2017, Rose lead the 18 piece orchestra to its first concert season in two years, bringing in world renowned artists Sheila E, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ledisi, Slick Rick, Miki Howard, Renee Neufville, and Eric Benet, and others to perform with the NOJO at the orchestra’s performing arts venue, the New Orleans Jazz Market. Rose was instrumental in the organization’s success, developing programs, performances, and partnerships year round. Rose also released two recordings with NOJO: Songs, a tribute to the legendary Allen Toussaint, and Petite Fleur featuring French vocalist Cyrille Aimee.

Rose has performed and recorded with the biggest names in jazz, including Terence Blanchard, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, and six recordings with longtime friend Nicholas Payton. His touring and recording credits also include esteemed artists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nnenna Freelon, Ellis Marsalis, and Kurt Elling.

In January 2021 Adonis Rose was chosen as the New Orleans Music and Culture Curator for the JazzAscona Festival in Switzerland. That same year Rose started a nationally syndicated NPR Radio show entitled the Lagniappe Sessions featuring musicians, artists, and New Orleans culture bearers. Rose currently sits on the board of directors for the Cape May Jazz Festival Foundation, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Recording Academy Board of Governors, and the Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience.