When Orville Duggan retired as CCANO’s CAO after forty years of service, we had big shoes to fill. In promoting Martin Gutierrez from Division Director to COO, we started looking for a dedicated, creative individual with years of service and leadership experience to replace him. We are pleased to announce that Shaula Lovera will be our newest Division Director overseeing education, housing, immigration, refugee, domestic abuse, and deaf services.

Born in Colombia, Shaula came to New Orleans to earn a Master’s in Public Health from Tulane because she wanted to address the root causes of health and social problems. She then became the director of the Latino Health Access Network, a Hispanic Apostolate program that provided services to increase access to healthcare. 

After Katrina, she joined the CCANO team and deeply connected to our mission and values. In 2010, Shaula became the Program Director for Spirit of Hope and led the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill response efforts, convening over 22 agencies to mitigate the impact of the oil spill disaster on Louisiana’s fishing communities. Afterwards, she became CCANO’s Emergency Response Coordinator and oversaw all disaster response, including the 2016 Floods.

Most recently, she has served as CCANO’s Integrated Workforce Services Director. Shaula says, “I see my work not as a job but as a ministry and a vocation that allows me to live my Catholic principles while assisting others. I have been blessed to work with extremely dedicated and talented people at CCANO who have mentored and supported me. I look forward to mentoring new generations to support our mission.”

Join us in congratulating Shaula Lovera on this well-deserved promotion.