A former business development analyst, ad agency executive, magazine publisher, and art gallery owner, Marguerite Oestreicher took a unique and circuitous path into nonprofit management. While this doesn’t sound like a likely resume for a nonprofit housing leader, she credits every life experience she’s had as helpful and relevant to where she is today.
At a young age, Marguerite accompanied her father on a genetics research trip to the Mississippi Delta, where he conducted interviews with sharecropper families about sickle cell anemia. This early exposure to abject poverty—something she didn’t fully understand at the time—left an impression on young Marguerite that would influence her future.
Later, during Hurricane Katrina, Marguerite lost her home like thousands of others, triggering a reset of priorities and purpose.
“Recognizing our mutual dependence on one another and on access to contacts and opportunities made me want to effect change and make a positive impact,” she says. She went back to school to study nonprofit management and never looked back.
Despite the pandemic, Marguerite and her team are focused on building a stronger future for the city they all love. New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity will be introducing new ways to build and new programs later this year.
New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity
2900 Elysian Fields, New Orleans
504-861-2077
habitat-nola.org
