Alice Craft-Kerney
Alice Craft-Kerney is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana with deep ties to the Lower 9th Ward. She is a product of the New Orleans Public School System and has lived most of her life in New Orleans. She continued her education by graduating with honors from Southern University in New Orleans with a bachelors degree in biology in 1980 and later a bachelors of science in nursing from LSUHC School of Nursing in 1985. She is extremely community oriented and without fail puts her nursing skills to work to benefit those in need of health education. She has spearheaded several citywide and community health fairs. As a leader in All Congregation Together, she was intimately involved in advocating for improved education and improved access to healthcare. She is a 20 year veteran of the state’s Charity Hospital System where she was employed as a supervisor of trauma surgery and the prison unit.
Currently, she is employed as executive director of the Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic which she and other members of the community founded as a result of inadequate primary healthcare in the Lower 9th Ward post Hurricane Katrina. She has many interests and is the member of several boards, including St. Margaret’s Daughters, New Orleans Community in Action, and Orleans Parish Hospital Service District. She is a vocal and committed member of the Lower 9th Ward Coalition.
She has been recognized as a leader in the community and was honored with several awards including, recognition of Outstanding Leadership for Restoring Health Services in 2006 by the Louisiana Public Health Institute—PATH group, City Business’s Healthcare Hero Award for 2007, and California Nurses Association’s Patient Social Advocacy Award in 2007.
After hurricane Katrina she was temporarily relocated to Albuquerque, New Mexico, then to Houma, Louisiana before returning to New Orleans in February of 2006. She lived in a FEMA trailer in the Lower 9th Ward until June 2007 while overseeing renovations to the newly established health clinic and rebuilding of her home. Currently, she resides in her eastern New Orleans home with her sixteen year old son, Aaron Gammage.
She is an active member of Original Morning Star Full Gospel Baptist Church where she serves as vice president of the deacon board.