Karen Mayer Dwyer CPA was born and raised in New Orleans, currently resides in Jefferson, LA. A Mother of 3 children and grandmother of 4, Karen has also hosted over the years 4 foreign exchanges students who still lovingly call her Mom. Karen has 46 years’ experience in public accounting and owns her own business located in Metairie, LA. Karen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University. She has been an active community volunteer for over 31 years and in 2009 received both the AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) & LCPA's (Louisiana Certified Public Accountants) Distinguished Public Service of the Year Award. Karen currently serves as an Officer on the Boards of Voices for International Business and Education (VIBE) for the International High School of New Orleans and A Child's Wish of Louisiana (ACW). Her past Board experience includes the Board of the International School of Louisiana (ISL).
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VIBE Board of Directors Members
Karen Mayer Dwyer - Board Chair
Percy Manson - Vice Chair
Percy Manson is a Commercial Lender (Vice-President) at Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Company with over 30 years of experience in lending with financial institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans, and he has completed LSU Graduate School of Banking.
In addition to his banking career, he is a political consultant that has helped several of our elected officials get in office on the state and local races. His involvement in the community is unlimited. He has volunteer and worked with several non-profit organizations in the Greater New Orleans Area. He serves on the board of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber, International High School of New Orleans, and Providence Community Housing.
He enjoys spending time with his family and friend. He likes to travel and shop. He is the proud President of the Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Percy is definitely a leader in our community and in his professional life.
Cerrita Jones - Treasurer
Cerrita Jones is a Certified Public Accountant with 16 years in the accounting profession. Cerrita has a passion for educating the youth and inspiring them to seek financial careers, especially in Accounting and Finance.
Cerrita holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Southeastern Louisiana University and a Masters of Business Administration with an accounting emphasis degree from Texas Woman's University.
Cerrita is a mother of four amazing children, in her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, traveling, and enjoying life. She is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Sarah Olivier - Member
Sarah has worked in the planning field in New Orleans for 20 years, mainly for non-profits focused on access to green space, climate planning, and affordable housing.
She is currently Senior Planner at CSRS, a planning firm. Prior to this, she was Director of Planning for City Park, where she directed Master and Strategic Planning for the 1,300-acre historic park. Before City Park, she was the New Orleans Program Director of The Trust for Public Land, a national park and conservation nonprofit.
Sarah was a Rockefeller Foundation Redevelopment Fellow in New Orleans through the University of Pennsylvania, from which she holds a Certificate in Urban Development. She also holds a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans and a BA from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.
Tonya Winfield-Secretary
Dr. Tonya Jones Winfield- Member
Dr. Winfield was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a wife and mother to 5 children and grandmother of 7 wonderful grandchildren. Dr. Winfield is currently employed with Metropolitan Human Service District as an Intellectual and Developmental Community Service Professional and has over 25 years of Law enforcement and Social Service experience.
Dr. Winfield holds a Doctoral Degree in Health Administration form Virginia University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg Virginia, a Bachelor of Science degree in both Criminal Justice and Psychology, a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice with concentration in Juvenile Justice from Southern University at New Orleans.
In addition to her multi-faceted professional background, Dr. Winfield has a passion for service in the community. She has volunteered and worked with many non-profit organizations. She serves on the board of Journey Through Forever, which is a non-profit organization providing temporary shelter for the homeless and International High School of New Orleans.