Biography

Deirdre Johnson Burel is a senior program officer for the New Orleans team with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan.

In this role, she leads the Foundation’s strategy in New Orleans providing leadership for the New Orleans team ensuring strong execution of grant portfolio and grantmaking alignment including screening and approving grants for funding as recommended by team of program officers; Developing and maintaining strategic relationships to leverage participation of other foundations, businesses, communities, governmental agencies, and other key decision makers in alignment with WKKF core values and program interests.

Prior to joining the foundation, Johnson Burel was the executive director at Orleans Public Education Network in New Orleans where she effectively developed organizational structure and built the capacity of the organization to serve as a leading voice for authentic community engagement and influence in New Orleans education reform. Prior to this, she served as the director of education and community investment at the Greater New Orleans Foundation; director of programs for Urban League of Greater New Orleans; director of policy and research for Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in Atlanta. Her leadership on policy advocacy and systems-change has been informed by her work in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and the Georgia Department of Education. Johnson Burel is a former W.K. Kellogg Community Leadership fellow. She has held numerous other board positions and currently serves on the Boards of Propeller and Compassion Outreach of America.

Johnson Burel obtained her MPA with a focus in public policy and non-profit management from New York University, Robert F. Wagner, Graduate School of Public Service. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley