NEW ORLEANS PARTNERSHIP : Board Members

Benjamin R. Bell

President, Community of Faith for Economic Development (COFFEE)

Benjamin R. Bell has over twenty years experience in housing management, having served as Executive Director of the Housing Authority of New Orleans, Director of Field Operations for the Chicago Housing Authority and Assistant Executive Director/Interim Executive Director of the Newark, New Jersey Redevelopment and Housing Authority. He is currently the President and Chief Administrative Officer of Community of Faith for Economic Development (COFFEE), a non-profit organization charged with fostering and assisting in the creation and implementation of economic development and housing opportunities in the underserved communities of the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area.

Bell earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration and Planning at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He received his Master of Public Administration degree with Urban Systems as his area of concentration at Rutgers-Newark. He also received special recognition as Recipient of a HUD Fellowship.

He has managed multi-million dollar budgets and corporations and has extensive experience in negotiating contracts and building coalitions. An effective motivator and communicator, Bell is adept at working in time and pressure sensitive environments and under a variety of conditions to achieve the overall mission.