Cenla Org

Lafe Jones is theChief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President for Louisiana Central. He brings more than 35 years of business planning, marketing and management experience to the organization. As a marketing and strategic planning consultant for more than 15 years, Lafe served clients throughout the United States. Lafe spent 15 years as CEO of a large medical practice with 12 doctors and offices in 13 locations throughout the state. In addition, he has served in leadership and management roles within both healthcare and higher education in Louisiana and Mississippi. Lafe has served on the board of the Louisiana Association for Continuing Higher Education (LACHE) as well as as the president of the Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA) at both the state and local levels. He is a past board president of the Central Louisiana Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL) chapter, a past state PRAL board member and past Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) board member. Lafe is a current board member and past president of the Rotary Club of Alexandria as well as a past board chairman for the Central Louisiana Regional Chamber of Commerce. He previously served on the Rapides Parish Workforce Investment Board and The Rapides Foundation Board of Trustees. Lafe is currently a member of the Boards of Directors for Rapides Symphony Orchestra and the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL) - Cenla Chapter. Lafe graduated with a degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University in 1985. He also earned Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 1997, was named a Senior Practitioner of the Southern Public Relations Federation in 1998 and received the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL) state Professional Achievement Award that same year. Lafe is also a specialist in coaching and training teams as well as a seasoned public speaker, having presented at management and marketing conferences at the local, regional and national levels for decades.

Lafe enjoys spending free time with family and friends. He is an avid country music fan, but loves all types of music. He also enjoys great art, theater, literature and movies. He is actively involved in Calvary Baptist Church as a LifeGroup teacher and Deacon. He and his wife Evelyn live in Alexandria. They have two grown children, and two grandchildren.

California, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Tennessee, North Carolina, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Texas, and Louisiana. If you can’t think of anything to talk about… ask me how many times I’ve moved. Be prepared to hear me talk about why after more than 30 moves in 29 years I’ve finally bought a house and settled down in rural Central Louisiana.
Bahia has worked as an outdoor guide, a resource management technician, community organizing and outreach specialist, federal law enforcement officer, a small-business consultant, community development manager, grant manager, and most importantly, as a farmer. 

Ms. Nightengale has presented on rural issues at The White House, participated in national policy work to address issues related to homelessness, and successfully grown a winter tomato in Iowa. Bahia enjoys cooking, crocheting, hiking, kayaking, shooting, supporting the American Arts & Crafts movement, and bonfires. She really wants to take you kayaking.

Bahia attends the Baton Rouge Friends Meeting and firmly believes in the restorative power of good food and the wisdom of always building a bigger table.

Gary Perkins has been a small business owner since 1978. He worked in the restaurant industry while attending LSU, graduating with a BS in Microbiology in 1978. He bought his first restaurant, Louie’s Café, the same year. Gary Perkins has continued to be a serial entrepreneur, focusing on the restaurant industry, real estate, and healthcare. He is the co-founder of Wildwood Pizza, named by TripAdvisor as the 2019 #1 rated Pizza Restaurant in the state of Louisiana. He was named the Red River Bank Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 Chamber Bizzy Awards. Gary serves on the Board of the Central Louisiana Homeless Coalition. He has been involved in starting philanthropic athletic events including the Indian Creek Triathalon, Red River Run, Wild Azalea Challenge, Spirits-Lee Jay’s 5k, and the co-founding of Rapides Junior Runners. 

In 2006, started business coaching with the Entrepreneurship Initiative launched by The Rapides Foundation. Gary transitioned from coach to Executive Director in 2008. The Entrepreneurship Initiative uses a multi-faceted approach that includes coaching, expert technical assistance, and classroom and web-based instruction to deliver the right content at the right time. Since 2011, The Business Acceleration System has worked with over 470 business owners, and that group has increased its revenues by $225 million and created 1382 jobs, with out-of-region sales in excess of $500 million. 

His hobbies include working nights and weekends, earning money, and furthering the endless number of initiatives imagined by Louisiana Central.

Dan Purvis is the Executive Director of Business Development for Louisiana Central. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) with more than two decades of varied professional experience. Dan most recently served as Vice President and, formerly, Project Manager for a multi-state commercial real-estate developer, where he was involved with site selection, budget oversight, property management, and other aspects of the business. He also has experience in commercial and residential real-estate sales and higher-education administration and instruction. Dan conceptualized and created the first intercollegiate athletics program at Louisiana State University at Alexandria, where he served as its first athletic director and head baseball coach. 

Dan holds a Master of Education in Physical Education and Recreation from Delta State University and a Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration from Belhaven University, where he played baseball.

A graduate of Leadership Central Louisiana and a member of USA Cycling, he is an active supporter of Alexandria Senior High School Lady Trojans Soccer and enjoys traveling with family, attending Calvary Baptist Church, and mountain-biking or gravel-riding in the Kisatchie National Forest and on other trails throughout the U.S. 

 

Dan and his wife, Leigh Ann, are the proud parents of two teenagers who attend Rapides Parish Public Schools.

Krystal Rachal is the Director of Healthcare Career Central where she leads Louisiana Central's Healthcare Career Central program and is responsible for the oversight of all program planning, implementation, and evaluation. The Healthcare Career Central program collaboratively links employers, training providers and other partners to students, teachers, counselors and parents through a central website, social media campaign, and ongoing communication and networking events. The goal of the program is to expose more students to the diverse local careers in healthcare, the pathways to those careers, and resources available along the way. Krystal brings previous experience working as a Health Careers Coordinator where she coordinated several programs that expose high school students to heathcare careers.

 

Krystal is a native of Maurice, Louisiana, a small town located near Lafayette Louisiana. She is a graduate of The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She moved to the Central Louisiana area in 2019 where she quickly became involved in the community. 

 

Krystal has a passion for advocating local resources and opportunities available in the community. She is an active member of the Junior League of Alexandria and serves on the  board of The Hope House of Central Louisiana, The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, and advisory council for the Good Food Project. Krystal recently became a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. 

 

Family is extremely important to Krystal, She loves spending time with her husband and son and visiting family. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking new recipes, fishing, hanging out with friends, and learning new things. 

Elisabeth Dennis Culp is the Office Manager for Louisiana Central, where she skillfully oversees bookkeeping and general office management with a wealth of experience. Having dedicated 34 years to public speaking, marketing, organization, and accounting, she brings a highly diverse skill set to Louisiana Central. Elisabeth holds a degree in Communications from LSU and has invaluable experience as a congressional intern, natural gas marketer, payroll specialist, and tax preparer.

With her passion for public presentations and economic evaluations, Elisabeth also ran a successful professional organizing business while raising her children, assisting families relocating to the Katy, TX area, and supporting small business owners. For 16 years, she volunteered in elementary and high schools, organizing and directing activities with utmost dedication. During her time in Texas, Elisabeth also established an extensive contact database of 800+ members for a non-profit organization, promoting stronger community relations and communications.

After returning to Louisiana in 2007, Elisabeth became a valuable member of the family accounting business, initiating a payroll services division. She furthered her expertise by obtaining the FINRA Series 7 certification and pursuing additional education in accounting at Louisiana Christian University. While studying, she also contributed her exceptional organizational skills to assist the Vice-President of Academic Affairs with document organization for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools during the reaffirmation process.

Despite her impressive professional background, Elisabeth finds true joy in spending time with her family. They enjoy immersing themselves in diverse activities such as theatre productions, concerts, dance competitions, swim meets, golf tournaments, football games, and frequent trips to the lake, beach, Disney World, and LSU sporting events. Additionally, she has a passion for cooking and is always eager to share her favorite recipes featuring Louisiana seafood. 

Elisabeth's devotion to working with children and teens is demonstrated by her leadership positions in Children's Ministry and her involvement in various volunteer roles within nurseries, preschool classes, and teen activities.

Iriel Edwards is the Value Chain Coordinator for Louisiana Mid-Market Agriculture at Louisiana Central. As Value Chain Coordinator, Iriel is responsible for managing the Louisiana portion of the Delta Regional Food Business Center activities, including supporting small-scale farmers in accessing grants and connecting them to intermediated markets. She collaborates with various stakeholders to foster a sustainable agricultural network that benefits small, socially disadvantaged farms and promotes equity and financial success.

Iriel graduated from Cornell University with a BSc in Entomology and a BSc in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences in 2020. While in school she received a Distinction in Research for her multi-year study on the role of hunters, fishers, and foragers in providing food security to their rural communities and through that process fell in love with exploring food systems. 

At the start of the pandemic, she moved back to her home state of Louisiana to work as the Farm and Project manager for Jubilee Justice, a non-profit organization that supports Black farming communities throughout the Southeast through organic growing practices and cooperative ownership models. She also served on the board of Potlikker Capital, a charitable, integrated capital fund created to serve BIPOC farmers operating at the intersection of racial and climate justice.

 In 2023, she took a year to work as an organic certifier with the Real Organic Project, visiting over 60 Organic farms in the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast. She also started her own farm, Dancing Radicle Farm, in Boyce, LA where she grows produce and regionally-adapted vegetable seeds. 

Iriel is passionate about understanding complex systems and uplifting social connection as a means of overcoming systemic challenges, specifically through the lens of social justice, land access, and food sovereignty.

Keisha Hamilton is a Program Coordinator at Louisiana Central where she is responsible for workforce programs and other special initiatives. She is focused on regional workforce development efforts, including the coordination of Louisiana Central's ACT Work Ready Communities initiatives and other projects connecting area employers and training and educational providers. Keisha also supports and coordinates Louisiana Central Healthcare Career Highway project, and is a key contact and resrouce for the Louisiana Central Healthcare Alliance. She brings both prior communications and customer service experience to this role with our team. 

Keisha stays active with her children in their school and sports activities, while also pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Operations Management with the University of Pheonix. As a proud resident of Central Louisiana, she is excited to continue investing into the community as she plans to open her own business in the future.

Spending quality time with her family and friends is something Keisha highly values. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and being involved with philanthropic endeavors.

One of her favorites quotes is "It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

Chris Richmond is the Vendor & Market Specialist for the Alexandria Farmers Market on the Farm and Food Team at Louisiana Central. As the Vendor & Market Specialist, Chris’s responsibilities range from providing assistance to our vendors and potential vendors to supporting our market to ensure successful market days, data management, and community outreach.

Growing up in Leesville, LA, Chris learned from an early age to appreciate the skills of a good hunting dog, the joy of fishing, and the value of being in the woods. As a true Louisianaian he has a fondness for food and has always had a large home garden where he specializes in spicy peppers, and a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in addition to poultry.  

After careers in construction and deep water offshore operations, he opened his own business growing and selling gourmet mushrooms which provided him the opportunity to be at home to raise his two children. Artemis Gourmet Mushrooms quickly grew from a small local operation selling at farmers markets, to a statewide business supplying restaurants, stores, and direct to consumer sales. Chris is a graduate of the Louisiana Food Fellows program, a program provided by Louisiana Central’s Farm & Food program,  in 2017; he learned about food systems policy and development and learned about the importance of intentionally developing a viable specialty crop industry in Louisiana in order to support food security. 

Chris has several hobbies, enjoys teaching classes on knife making, and supports programs for active duty military and veterans in partnership with the Chaplains office at Fort Johnson. He believes in being neighborly and kind, lending a hand to help folks with tree work, planting gardens, stocking freezers during hunting season, fencing, and just being a good listener when folks need someone to talk to. 

Chris is looking forward to serving small scale fruit and vegetable growers and helping them earn income from their gardens and small farms while also ensuring that the Tuesday Alexandria Farmers Market continues to grow and remains a reliable food hub for the region. 

He welcomes you to join him at the market, which takes place every Tuesday, year-round, from 3-6 pm at 2727 Jackson Street!

Learn more about the Alexandria Farmers Market here.
Follow AFM on Facebook to learn more about the market and the vendors, to see who will be at the market each week, and to stay informed of special market events!