The Idea Village Team
The Idea Village’s executive team is comprised of experienced entrepreneurs and business development professionals, many of whom have either personally started or participated directly in starting and growing for-profit businesses.
Tim Williamson: tim@ideavillage.org
President/Co-Founder of The Idea Village
Tim returned to New Orleans in 1998 after 11 years away to become the General Manager of the New Orleans Internet Studio for Cox Interactive Media. Tim has successfully started and managed two multi-media companies and began his career as a Vice President and financial advisor with Bear Stearns in Boston. A New Orleans native, Tim received a B.S.M in Finance from Tulane University in 1987.
Allen Bell: allen@ideavillage.org
Chief Operating Officer/Co-Founder of The Idea Village
Allen returned to New Orleans from Atlanta in 1994, relocating the marketing agency, StrategyBase, which he founded in 1987. In 1998 Allen became General Manager of New OrleansNet, publisher of NOLA.com and MardiGras.com. Allen served as a board member for New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity from 1997 - 2003 and was Board President in 2001. A New Orleans native, Allen received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University in 1980.
Keith Crawford: keith@ideavillage.org
Chief Financial Officer
Keith Crawford, a New Orleans native, received his BA from Louisiana State University in 1987 and MBA in 1991 from Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business where he serves as a board member of the Tulane Association of Business Alumni. He has worked as the CFO of a clinical research company, where he worked extensively with the Idea Village as an entrepreneur in their program. Keith held financial management roles with Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis and returned to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to found a managerial consulting practice focused on disaster recovery and implementation
Lauren Baum: lbaum@ideavillage.org
Director of Marketing
Lauren Baum, a New Orleans native, returned from New York after Katrina, with the intention of becoming “temporarily” involved in rebuilding her hometown before returning to her job as a publicist for eBay. After realizing the tremendous challenges and inspiration in her hometown, Lauren decided to declare the move permanent. Lauren completed her undergraduate degree in Communications and Chinese from Stanford University where she continued her studies to earn a Masters degree in Business and Organizational Sociology.
Miji Park: miji@ideavillage.org
Community Development & Urban Planning Associate
Miji Park came to New Orleans initially expecting to volunteer gutting houses for a couple weeks before beginning her career at a real estate and economic research firm in Berkeley, CA. Her plans were intentionally derailed after volunteering at The Idea Village. Upon investing a small amount of herself in New Orleans, she realized that it would be impossible to walk away from the post-Katrina challenge and potential legacy that one could have on the City. Miji is a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania where she dual-majored in Urban studies and Economics.