Board of Directors

As part of our non-profit status and because we definitely needed big brains and enthusiasts on this project. We have formed a dream team Board of Directors for the New Orleans Musicians Project. Here they are with their bios. As a team, we are thoroughly enjoying the collaboration since this vision was born and thrilled that this is now becoming a reality!

JENNIFER GOUNDAS

Jennifer has thoroughly enjoyed the music scene in New Orleans for decades and has formulated long-term friendships and relationships with some of the best in the business. She is originally from Biloxi, MS and loves her home town plus many other music-filled cities. 

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Jennifer calls New Orleans her absolute best place on earth, with much love. With a vision that began many years ago, this project has been a true labor of love from our Founder, spanning from approaching artists and their management teams to booking interviews and performances, along with securing venues and coordinating with talented producers for the NOMP. She also has been a donor on several fronts to support our musicians, with the pinnacle of her efforts coming by way of this project. She says she has thoroughly enjoyed working on this project from its inception to where it is today.

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Jennifer graduated with a Bachelors of Arts from Louisiana State University (1998) and a Masters of Business Administration from San Francisco State University (2013). She started Big Wave Media, LLC in May of 2015.

STEPHEN PITALO

Stephen grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi, the son of an English teacher and a rocket scientist. Having graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Louisiana State University, Stephen went on to interview musical acts such as the Kinks, Cheap Trick, Joan Jett, and The Ramones. He has directed music videos from micro budgets to major label projects. He has worked on PR and produced commercials for Broadway shows, produced music tracks and albums, played at CBGB with his band called The Knuckle Sandwiches and once won a car on a game show.

He also produced three post-Katrina relief fundraising music projects, as well as charity events for victims of 9/11 and the 2011 Japan tsunami. He currently runs Packrat Planet media company in Brooklyn and serves as the managing editor of Music Video Time Machine magazine. Pitalo is currently shepherding several media projects in different stages of development. As a former resident with a lifelong love of New Orleans, Stephen is excited to be a part of the NOMP.

JENNIFER PAGAN

A born and raised New Orleanian, Jen Pagan is an actress, educator, writer, and unwavering advocate for the arts and fellow artists.  A proud alumnus of The Second City's Conservatory Program, she has been recipient of several Big Easy Award nominations for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best New Work for Writing, in addition to being an award-winning children’s theater performer and storyteller. She teaches writing for solo performance workshops and community writing classes that conclude with a public performance event. Her Women & War collaboration of solo performance was presented at Eve Ensler’s V to the 10th celebration as a community theatre project at the Contemporary Arts Center and the New Orleans Superdome. 

As a teaching artist, Jen has partnered with many non-profits including the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) to provide theater education programs and storytelling workshops to underserved Orleans Parish schools. She served as the Assistant Director of the CAC’s Summer Arts Camp for several years and wrote the culinary curriculum component post-Katrina with a grant from the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. Jen also served as the Artistic Director of InterACT New Orleans, a theatre company that provided adults with access to theatre training and the opportunity to perform in original musical theatre productions alongside professional musicians and actors. She directed and co-wrote four original musicals with InterACT.

In addition to her work in the arts, Jen has worked in advertising and marketing - for Whole Foods Market as the L.A. Times Chef Program coordinator and Marketing Director in New Orleans and during her tenure at Group M Entertainment and MindShare LA she received the North American President’s Award.  Currently Jen works with the non-profit Center for Restorative Approaches facilitating restorative conflict resolution circles and leading workshops and trainings on Restorative Communication for schools, non-profits, workplaces, and other organizations.