Haley Burns (she/her) is a Senior Advisor at Trepwise, where she leverages more than ten years of experience in entrepreneurship, nonprofits, and community development to support a variety of clients and internal projects.
Haley is passionate about advancing equitable outcomes in New Orleans and globally through data, systems, and organizational efficiency. Haley’s client portfolio includes major projects in education, social impact, and research and evaluation.
Haley’s diverse background spans various sectors and continents, having experience in mission-driven work in Ghana, Singapore, Colombia, France, as well as here in New Orleans. Prior to joining Trepwise, she worked as a Community and Economic Development Specialist for Extension at Alabama A&M University. There, she designed and managed state-wide curricula on entrepreneurship, workforce development, and nonprofit governance, as well as co-led the Voices for Vaccines campaign to increase access to COVID-19 resources in vulnerable communities across Alabama.
As the Founder of the New Orleans nonprofit Fund 17, Haley oversaw the strategy, fundraising, execution, and evaluation of a wide portfolio of programs including microfinancing, technical assistance, and a physical incubator space for small business entrepreneurs. Over the course of her seven years of leadership, Haley conducted multiple research projects to collect and communicate hard-to-find data, ensuring program design was informed by community needs. Fund 17 has now successfully gone through two Executive Director transitions and continues to empower BIPOC entrepreneurs with transformative resources for their livelihoods.
Haley holds a BA in History and International Development from Tulane University. She obtained her Masters in Urban Planning from Université de Grenoble Alpes while a Fulbright Scholar in France. Her studies included workshops on urban resilience, an internship with a Paris-based housing advocacy organization, and a thesis on informal waste management systems in urbanizing West Africa.
Haley currently resides outside of her hometown, Huntsville, Alabama, where she enjoys small farm life with her two hound mixes and a backyard flock of chickens. She returns to New Orleans often to support her Trepwise clients.
