People Directory

Photo of Joseph Ceponis Joseph Ceponis Recording Instructor
Photo of Tia Clark Tia Clark Creative Writing Faculty: Fiction; College Guidance

Tia Clark’s fiction has appeared in The Offing, American Short Fiction, Kenyon Review, Fourteen Hills, and elsewhere. They have received funding and fellowships from The Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing, the Lambda Literary Foundation, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the Elizabeth George Foundation. They have taught writing at The University of Wisconsin, the New Orleans Writers Workshop, and Indiana University, where they received their MFA in fiction.

Photo of Blake Coheley Blake Coheley Director of Admissions
(504) 940-2840

Blake started dancing at the age of three and has been in the studio ever since.  He has toured internationally with “Tops in Blue,” and has toured nationally with “Oliver,” “West Side Story,” “Gypsy,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Bye-Bye Birdie,” and “Annie.”  Blake has taught all over the world and his unique teaching styles, combined with his personality and strong varied techniques, keep him in constant demand on the road. …

Photo of Silas Cooper Silas Cooper Interim President | CEO
(504) 940-2836

Mr. Cooper received his MFA in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program, University of Washington and his BFA in Theatre from Tulane University.  Raised in Abbeville, Louisiana, Mr. Cooper moved on to tour nationally in NOISES OFF, was featured in 80 network commercials, and has several film and television credits including a starring role in the film “Snakeskin Jacket.”  He has also performed in London, Moscow and Los Angeles.

Betty Coulon Procurement & Operations Manager
Photo of Rachel Cox Rachel Cox SPED Coordinator
Photo of Yvette Cuccia Yvette Cuccia Administrative Coordinator

Yvette is very happy to be immersed on a daily basis in such a wonderful creative environment.  Born and raised in New Orleans, she has always been an avid lover, and participator, in the arts.  Her spare time is spent in nature and walking every dog in the neighborhood!

 

Photo of Danita Cummings Danita Cummings Payroll & Finance Specialist
(504) 940-2814
Photo of Mai Dao Mai Dao Administrative Coordinator
Photo of Lotte Delaney Lotte Delaney Chief Financial Officer
(504) 940-2826

I have a B.S. in Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of New Orleans. If it concerns money, I am your first stop.  As the Chief Financial Officer, I am responsible for budgeting, expending, accounting for and safeguarding all of our funds here at NOCCA.  This includes purchasing, accounts payable and receivable, payroll, budgeting and strategic planning. …

Photo of Terry DeRoche Terry DeRoche Visual Arts: Digital Media, 2-D Exploration
(504) 940-2884

Receiving his B.F.A. from Maine College of Art and M.Ed. from the University of New Orleans, Terry DeRoche works digitally, making images that typically blend photography, painting, and text.  Terry is a fellow of the Surdna Art Teachers Fellowship Grant and also a recipient of a Louisiana Division of the Arts individual project grant.  Mr. DeRoche has also presented at national education conferences, co-authored a paper published in the Teaching in Higher Education Forum, and published photographs in the Gambit, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, and Greater Portland magazine. …

Photo of Sarah Devlin Sarah Devlin Film & Animation Instructor
Photo of Dr. Zorica Dimova Dr. Zorica Dimova Classical Instrumental Instructor: Violin/Viola, Strings

Zorica Dimova is originally from Bulgaria. She started playing the violin when she was 5 years old. At 9 she joined the Youth Orchestra with which she toured Europe and won various awards. Mrs. Dimova graduated from the National Music Conservatory “Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia, Bulgaria. She was featured as a soloist of the Symphony Orchestra in Stara Zagora and the State Academy Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart Violin Concerto No.5, Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major and Brahms Violin Concerto in D major.…

Photo of Dr. Jean-Marc Duplantier Dr. Jean-Marc Duplantier 11th Grade Humanities

Dr. Jean-Marc Duplantier (Integrated Humanities) holds a bachelors degree in Comparative Literature (Colorado College, 1996), a PhD in French Studies (LSU, 2006), and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science (LSU, 2010). He was awarded Fulbright and Social Science Research Council grants to conduct dissertation research in Haiti. He has extensive experience teaching English at the high school level in the New Orleans area, and he continues to pursue research interests in the history and culture of Louisiana and the Caribbean.

Photo of Jason Foster Jason Foster Media Arts Faculty

Jason Foster was born in Kingston, Jamaica but has lived most of his life in the American South. Overall, his work, which includes but isn’t limited to feature films, short films (narrative and documentary), and music videos, centers around the uplifting of Black people as well as focusing on people and communities who are typically overlooked, underserved, or fall somewhere within the realm of chicanery. …

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