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Marylee Orr
Marylee Orr
00:53

Marylee Orr

Louisiana Environmental Action Network

Baton Rouge, LA USA

"Most of us are in this temporary state and trying to do the best we can."

Career Roadmap

Marylee's work combines: Environment & Nature, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Executive Director

I manage budget, fundraising, and serve as the environmental community’s voice with local, state, and federal agencies.

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Had a host of different jobs-owned an art gallery, worked at Head Start, worked in real estate.

  • 2.

    Finally decided that maybe her calling was just to be the best wife and mother that she could be.

  • 3.

    Then, her son was born with a lung disease; after seeing him struggle to breathe, she swore she'd never take breathing for granted again.

  • 4.

    Today, her son is healthy, so her new mission is to pay back her personal luck by giving back to her environment.

  • 5.

    She, along with a small group of community members, started the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) to mend local environmental problems.

  • 6.

    She'd grown up hearing about the "big one," the hurricane that would flood New Orleans.

  • 7.

    In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, she watched her "New Orleans family" dying on the news; LEAN sprung into action.

  • 8.

    Says they, "begged, borrowed and stole" any supplies they could, delivered 10-12 thousand pounds of food each day to those in need.