Who We Are

What We Do

Our core focus areas are climate justice, land stewardship, and disaster readiness and response. With the issues we’re facing today, we know that our communities need immediate support and the ability to work toward a better future, at the same time. We support these efforts by providing resources that keep people more safe before, during, and after both natural and manmade disasters. We create opportunities to connect with others and merge art with science in a deeply authentic and personal way. And we create freedom spaces where everyone has the opportunity to explore, imagine, and share their solutions for our future.

Some of our current projects include:
The Trans Clippers Project, the Mutual Aid Response Network, an “Anonymous Storm Prep Q&A” on Instagram, The Queer/Trans Guide to Hurricane Season, Working With Water: An Art/Science Symposium, The Little Library of Water, and Watermark: A Monthly Water and Climate News Briefing. 

Chenier “Klie” Kliebert co-founded Imagine Water Works and has since been its Executive Director, envisioning and leading the majority of IWW’s programs from their inception to today. Klie is a 2023 Obama Leader USA and a multi-generational native New Orleanian with deep family ties to St. James Parish (also known as “Cancer Alley”) who brings a unique blend of experience in communications and grassroots organizing, social and community science, and nonprofit management to the team. As a Creole, Cajun and Indigenous person, Klie also has a passion for telling the story of Louisiana, in particular with an intersectional racial and gender analysis.

In their role as Executive Director, Klie not only leads the organization’s daily work but is also the lead organizer for the Mutual Aid Response Network (MARN). Klie is the creator of the MARN, Storm Zine Project / Queer Trans Guide to Storms, Trans Clippers Project, Storm Prep Q&A, Hurricane Laura Emergency Cash Program, Public Health Workers Fund, and the Community Care Circle (formerly MA4MA). Klie is a co-creator of all of IWW’s storm guides and the Community Power Map.

While at the Foundation for Louisiana, Klie supported efforts toward climate justice, immigrants’ rights, criminal justice and bail reform, housing justice, and more. Prior to FFL, Klie worked for the Public Laboratory for Open Science and Technology, an open source international community of scientists and resident activists focused on using simple DIY tools to collect data about our local environments. In an effort to eliminate stigma for their community, Klie served as the Communications Director for Transilient — a storytelling project that documented the everyday lives of transgender, non-binary and two-spirit people — and implemented a digital strategy for Transilient’s Deep South Tour that engaged millions of people globally as the project was featured by Buzzfeed, HuffPost, OUT Magazine, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and more throughout 2017.

Klie was selected by Gambit Magazine as part of New Orleans’ Top 40 Under 40 in 2021. They are a published author, and as part of their ongoing effort to uplift mutual aid strategies and change the U.S. relief and recovery system to one that is more efficient and equitable, they co-authored “Mutual Aid: A Grassroots Model for Justice and Equity in Emergency Management” in 2022. Their pieces on housing justice in New Orleans (2019) and ending the cash bail system (2018) were featured by the Times Picayune/nola.com. In 2024 they were selected by the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South at Tulane University as a Monroe Research Fellow for their project entitled “Water Is Not the Enemy: Creating Space for Livingness, Sacred Places, and Bayou Futures Against the Narrative of Climate Despair.”

Klie is a Fellow with Project South’s first BAM (Building A Movement) Institute for Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (2019-2021); a Grantmakers United for Trans Communities Leadership Fellow (2019); a Loyola University Institute for Environmental Communications Fellow (2016); and was the first Safety Officer for the Gathering of Open Science and Hardware (2017). They have co-written multiple Codes of Conduct specifically within science and tech spaces, and they are a contributor to the Global Open Science Hardware Roadmap. Klie is a volunteer grant reviewer for several local and national philanthropic organizations; a former programmer for the New Orleans Film Society in the “Louisiana Shorts” and “Southern Shorts” categories (2018-2023); and an Administrator for the “Nonprofit Happy Hour” (2016-present), an online peer learning group of over 55,000 non-profit professionals.

Sometimes a writer and sometimes a photographer, Klie was accepted as a 2019 Artist In Residence with Works On Water in NYC, exploring concepts of consent with our bodies and with nature — and how these relationships drive our current water management practices. In their spare time (?!) Klie enjoys being outside with friends and family (usually with crawfish), casting net, reading everything, and experimenting on the farm.

Contact Klie at klie@imaginewaterworks.org.

Storm Wells (they/them) is native to the southeast, with deep roots from bayou country to Southern Appalachia. Queering traditional binary spaces is what motivates them in all the work they do. Storm is an award-winning poet, photographer, and multi-media artist evolved into an unwavering community advocate who focuses on urban food systems, Indigenous sovereignty, and disaster resilience in the gulf south.

Storm has found a home at Imagine Water Works which combines their past experiences working in urban farming and community outreach; while calling on their lived experiences with disaster resilience research and disaster preparation work, as a born and bred Southeastern Louisianian.

They are a part of the Imagine Water Works Climate Team as the Culture and Disaster Resilience Coordinator, working to uplift those who are most experienced in resilience efforts in the gulf south but often disregarded in a capitalistic colonial system.

In their free time Storm enjoys being a plant parent, cooking new recipes, trying new ways to brew decaf coffee, visiting coffee shops with their girlfriend, partaking in textile arts and thrifting for their newest home project.

Storm received their B.A in Sociology with a Concentration in Social Justice and Inequality from Loyola University New Orleans and is currently pursuing a M.S in Disaster Resilience Leadership at Tulane University, where they work full time as a Service-Learning Program Coordinator.

Contact Storm at storm@imaginewaterworks.org.

Cherry Rangel is a cultural strategist, resource organizer, cultural producer, and equity coach. For over 15 years Cherry’s work has helped transform organizations, ecosystems, and fields towards justice. As a resource organizer, Cherry’s advocacy has ensured that millions of dollars have been redirected to Southerners, BIPOC communities, and TGNC and queer communities. As Director of Strategic Initiatives for Foundation for Louisiana, Cherry launched FFL’s arts and culture program, and utilized her expertise in organizational growth, cultural strategy, racial justice, and LGBTQ organizing to inform Louisiana’s future. With Ron Ragin, she co-authored Freedom Maps: Activating Legacies of Culture, Art, and Organizing in the US South. With Sage Crump, she co-authored the forthcoming Queer (Re)public: a QTBIPOC Liberatory Artistic Aesthetics Framework for the Theater Offensive. Cherry was a 2018-19 Intercultural Leadership Institute Fellow and wrote her first arts grant at the age of 15 in support of her father’s application to be a folklife artist, and after that success, hasn’t stopped.

Contact Cherry at cherry@imaginewaterworks.org.

Jenna Vagts-Galindo (she/her) is a former teacher, a loving wife and friend, an American Sign Language interpreter, and excited to be a part time farmer on the Imagine Water Works team! Jenna was part of IWW’s first group of Imagination Farmers in 2023 and supported supply distributions in Lower Plaquemines throughout the saltwater crisis before becoming our Imagination Farm Lead in early 2024. In her role, Jenna supports IWW’s commitment to land stewardship and coordinates a smooth functioning of the facilities, as well as assisting IWW’s programmatic staff with a variety of community-facing projects.

Jenna was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she has fond memories of gardening with her mom as a child. She went on to college in Chicago and after graduating in 2013 moved to New Orleans. She formerly taught kindergarten and performing arts in both New Orleans and in Minneapolis. For the last few years Jenna has worked with the Deaf community as a Support Service Provider for DeafBlind adults and as a Sign Language interpreter. Jenna began as a volunteer at the Imagine Water Works farm and is looking forward to growing a strong continued relationship with the land.

Contact Jenna at info@imaginewaterworks.org.

Zane Frentress is a geographer from New Orleans whose work focuses on socioecological fluidity, and the complex ways that people and water continuously shape one another in more-than-material ways. They are interested in how queer praxis and mixed methods in research can support ways of living within transitional places in the context of the climate crisis. Zane specializes in utilizing different mapping techniques to represent the multilayered relationships between people and place. They are currently pursuing a graduate degree in geography at the University of Georgia, and hold a B.A. in Urban Sustainability from Northwestern University. 

Contact Zane at zane@imaginewaterworks.org.

Born in Leon, Nicaragua and raised in New Orleans, Maria-Alejandra Arauz has a deep appreciation for languages and diverse cultures. Her personal background is what ultimately led her to become a dedicated professional with a passion for bridging communication gaps and fostering understanding across linguistic boundaries. 

As an accomplished educator, she brings over 10 years of experience working with migrant students and families in New Orleans and its metro area. Her commitment to enhancing language acquisition skills through the love of learning and creative thinking among English Language Learners (ELL) has been a driving force throughout her career. Serving as an ESL Program Coordinator at ReNew Schools from 2017-2023, Maria-Alejandra identified and implemented effective interventions and curricula, ensuring that diverse learners were equipped with the tools they need for success. She was one of nine “Pass the Mic” teacher fellows in 2023 to create an audio visual project that encouraged students to record their memories of home, their journey to the United States, and reflect upon their identity and what growing up as an immigrant means to them now. You can listen to ‘Conectar’ here. 

Maria-Alejandra’s passion for teaching goes beyond the classroom and from 2015-2017, she successfully served as a community liaison and implemented the parent education program, “Padres Comprometidos’ through Puentes NOLA. This program not only empowered students and families to pursue higher education, but provided them with the resources, workshops, and essentially a deeper understanding of the education system in order to help their child succeed despite the obstacles. Maria-Alejandra’s ability to model instructional practices and provide valuable feedback to educational leaders, teachers, families, and community members underscores their commitment to  advocacy and development within the educational sphere.

In her new role as Language Access Coordinator, she continues to hold popular education in high regard and reinforces that we are the biggest resource we have. She will be aiding Imagine Water Works so that relief efforts and recovery are accessible to all.

She attended Loyola University New Orleans with a background in Sociology and Environmental Sciences.

Contact Ale at ale@imaginewaterworks.org.

Sarah Tuttle Goff is a Southwest Louisiana native, born and raised in the Lake Charles area. In addition to her skills in Accounting and Business, Sarah brings a deep understanding of, and love for, rural Louisiana to the team. In 2007 Sarah moved to New Orleans to complete her Bachelors of Science in Accounting from the University of New Orleans and began bookkeeping and managing client relationships for Heinz & Macaluso in 2009. At the time of the BP oil spill in 2010, she successfully managed the accounting processes for several cleanup and support sites responding to the disaster. From 2012-2018, Sarah acted as Controller for RingStreet LLC, a local startup born from the need to keep business telephones operational through hurricanes and evacuation. RingStreet’s innovative VoIP approach to phone systems was specifically tailored to the service industry and emergency services and was used in Emergency Operations Centers, as well as hospitals and restaurants across the Greater New Orleans Area. During her time at RingStreet LLC, Sarah tracked inventory and was ultimately responsible for managing a revenue growth of more than $3 million over the course of 7 years.

As a supporter of Imagine Water Works from our founding, Sarah has influenced our work beyond providing Accounting support. When IWW responded to Hurricane Laura in August of 2020, she connected the team to local organizations supporting individuals on the ground in Southwest Louisiana — creating a pathway for IWW to respond quickly and efficiently before many other resources were made available. In her role as IWW’s Finance Manager, Sarah is responsible for the management of all Accounting functions, insurance policies, audit preparation, and the financial components of grant tracking and reporting.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys passing a good time and cooking Cajun recipes passed down from her family over generations.

Contact Sarah at sarah@imaginewaterworks.org.

Coleen Murphy is a community organizer, sex educator, youth camp director, and zine maker living in New Orleans.

She is part of the Imagine Water Works team as compiler of the New Orleans Community Resource Guide for Resistance & Renewal, a project born out of community-led Katrina response. Her other current roles include anti racist organizer with the People’s Institute for Survival & Beyond, Headmistress of Camp HeartWings, publisher of the annual Mama Calendar, and mother of two amazing grown up people.

Coleen loves talking about herself in the third person, making rad youth camps happen, eating Thai food, and engaging in the ongoing collective struggle to take down the white supremacist cishet patriarchy and build beloved community.

Coming from several generations of Florida gulf coast shrimpers and fishers, she found home in New Orleans in 2001 and has worked with outreach programs at the Common Ground Health Clinic and the Center for Ethical Living and Social Justice Renewal.

Déja Jones connected with Imagine Water Works in 2019 and was integral in powering our work through 2024, when they transitioned onto IWW’s board. Déja is an artist and community organizer native to New Orleans, La. Raised by a community of Black entrepreneurs, teachers, artists, and radicals, they graduated from McKinley Sr High School Baton Rouge in 2014 and began their career through the intersection of advocacy and art. 

In 2017 Déja showcased their first interactive installation at the New Orleans Art Center. The space was dedicated to southern Black communities’ advocacy during the Civil Rights Era as a love letter from the following generations. They were part of the IWW crew at our first “Art of Science / Science of Art: Working With Water in a Changing World” symposium in NYC in 2019. The symposium brought together artists, scientists, and engineers who (1) are concerned about water management and climate change and (2) recognize that we need to fundamentally shift who has a seat at the decision-making table. In 2020 Dèja Jones completed their fellowship with the New Orleans Youth Alliance where they now work on policy advocacy with a focus on New Orleans youth. Alongside several community partners such as the Children’s Youth and Planning Board, Louisiana Children’s Museum, and Arts New Orleans, Jones supports community events, programs, and initiatives that integrate art and healing while addressing community needs. 

Déja has supported IWW behind the scenes and on the ground, working on everything from admin and social media to community outreach, mutual aid, and supplies distribution. As part of our Programs Team, they painted the cover image for the “Queer/Trans Guide to Storms” and was the zine’s graphic designer and lead Editor. In their role as IWW’s first Imagination Farm Lead, Déja helped heal the land and coordinated a team of Imagination Farmers to bring the farm back to life. Déja continues to support IWW’s work in a variety of ways while also pursuing their passions in art and youth organizing. You can see more about Dèja’s work here.

Ida Aronson (they/them) is an activist, theatre maker, herbalism student, cultural apprentice, and active member of the United Houma Nation. Their activism is informed by their multiple identities and first found form in the theatre, where they have worked to produce diverse, queer, and/or ‘radical’ theatrical productions for over 15 years. Ida is a cofounder of Bvlbancha Collective, founder of the short-lived Yakani Ekelanna Community Garden, and is currently involved with organizations including the Houma Language Project, Okla Hina Ikhish Holo, Power Shift Network, and Network of Ensemble Theaters. They have given talks and sat on panels at Tulane University, Linguistic Society of America, Neighborhood Story Project, Tunica-Biloxi Intertribal Basketry Summit, Northwest Indian Language Institute, and more. Ida lives in the Yakani Tcetu region (Houma area) with their partner and animals.

Photo by Fernando Lopez.

Daniela “Dani” Capistrano (they/them) is a queer trans non-binary latinx storyteller, entrepreneur, media literacy activist, and proud co-parent to #ourkiddodax.

Through their company DCAP MEDIA, an NGLCC Certified LGBTBE® Enterprise, they have helped businesses and nonprofits tell power stories with measurable results since 2015. Dani has called the New Orleans area their adopted home since 2013 and has served on multiple boards, most recently Fund 17, as part of their mission to help Black and brown people in Louisiana level up their side hustles into livelihoods that support economic growth. 

Driven by their curiosity and activism goals, Capistrano strives to combine their entrepreneurship with their advocacy. Dani is a Goldman Sachs 10KSB alum (2022), an alum of the first ever Nike “The Academy” program for diverse suppliers (2022), a member of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, and has been a co-admin of Queer Exchange NOLA (a mutual aid resource for queer & trans New Orleanians) since 2015. Dani is honored to help further Imagine Water Works’ mission in an advisory capacity in 2023 and beyond.