As Chief Executive Officer, Flozell Daniels, Jr. manages the overall operations of the Foundation, from grantmaking to investing, communications and strategy, providing both organizational and field leadership. Flozell represents MRBF’s programs and vision for change to our grantee and philanthropic partners, as well as the general public. He engages the board of directors and its committees to ensure they are well informed to make sound strategic decisions for the Foundation.
Flozell previously served as CEO and President of the Foundation for Louisiana, which launched in 2005 to foster an equitable recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It has since grown to become a “catalyst for justice,” supporting communities statewide through grantmaking and loan products, leadership development programs, and advocating on myriad issues facing Louisianians, including climate justice, economic justice, criminal justice reform, racial and gender justice, and more.
Flozell has always worked with the understanding that the fates of all Southern people are tied together. From his early work on the Equity and Inclusion Campaign covering Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to his cofounding of Grantmakers for Southern Progress, Flozell holds a longstanding commitment to building the South’s infrastructure for justice and power.
A New Orleans native, Flozell brings expertise in public policy, community development, criminal justice reform, climate policy, transit equity and asset development. Before joining FFL, Flozell served as Tulane University's Assistant Vice-President and Executive Director of State and Local Affairs. Flozell serves as Chairman of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority and Orleans Public Education Network, is board member emeritus of the Urban League of Louisiana, and serves on the Louisiana Public Defender Board and the Governor’s Climate Taskforce. He is a 2013 graduate of University of Oxford Said Business School's Impact Investing Programme, 2011 Fellow of the Opportunity Agenda Communications Institute, a life Fellow of the Louisiana Effective Leadership Program, an alumnus of Leadership Louisiana and a graduate of the Metropolitan Leadership Forum. Flozell holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the A.B. Freeman School of Tulane University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from the University of New Orleans.
A New Orleans native raised in the Freret and New Orleans East neighborhoods, Flozell enjoys traveling, loves spending time with his family, and can typically be found at a second line, festival, or any other celebration of the South’s incredible culture.