In 2006, I found myself facing the terrifying prospect of being separated and my future unknown. I was  a stay-at-home mom for two children and had not worked outside the home for over six years. I felt frozen and had no idea where to start. Thanks to a team of family, friends and experts, I made it through a long divorce process.  Once I made it to the other side, I realized that there needed to be a place in New Orleans where women are able to get the support, education, resources, and empowerment they need while going through separation, divorce, and post-divorce.

I created the DRC to meet women where they are in this process and offer whatever level of support is needed to make it to the other side, where they can get on with living. I have enlisted a team of mostly female experts to be part of your TEAM – lawyers, therapists, financial professionals – as I believe in the power of women helping women. Most importantly, I want you to know that you are not alone. The DRC is here to help you.

Amy Duncan is Access to Justice Training and Projects Counsel at the LSBA and directs the Legal Innovators for Tomorrow (LIFT), a statewide legal incubator and accelerator program that provides young attorneys with resources to develop innovative, public interest-focused, solo law firms. LIFT teaches its lawyers how to cost-effective legal services to those unable to afford legal representation. She emphasizes the “business” of lawyering and the importance of branding, networking, and marketing. Prior to obtaining her MBA and JD from Loyola University, she was a service quality auditor for the Hertz Corporation and a market research analyst for Univision Communications Inc. in Los Angeles.

Parker Sternbergh is the Assistant Director of the Porter Cason Institute for the Family and the Center for Lifelong Learning in the Tulane School Of Social Work.  She trains masters students and licensed professionals in clinical mental health .She is a licensed clinical social worker and social work supervisor. She has an active practice with individuals couples and adolescents. The focus of her practice is family, women, life change, trauma, grief and attachment. She has her masters in health administrationfrom Duke University and her Masters in social work from Tulane University.

Amy brings 18 years of personalized wealth planning experience to The Divorce Resource for Women, as a certified financial planner™ practitioner and as a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist™. Not only does she bring her strong financial knowledge, she brings relatability, as she has been through the process of divorce in 2010. She understands the financial concerns divorcees are facing and she is passionate about helping women – a large part of her practice consists of single, professional women.

Early in life, Amy began her career in 1999 with Ameriprise Financial Advisors where she acquired her CFP® designation in 2005, then moved her practice to Morgan Keegan & Company in 2007.  She became a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist in 2007. After a short break to focus on her family after her divorce, Amy joined Gulf Coast Wealth Management in 2014.  She believes hard work, superior customer service, and knowledgeable advice will produce lifelong customer relationships. 

Amy is a 1997 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a strong concentration in Accounting. She is also a 2011 Fellow Graduate from the prestigious Loyola University Institute of Politics, as well as a 2012 Graduate of the FBI Citizen’s Academy in New Orleans. She holds her Series 7 & 63 licenses with LPL Financial and licensed in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Kentucky. She is also a licensed insurance agent in Louisiana. At the moment, she is candidate for the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation.

She lives in New Orleans, a mother to Allyson, Madylin and Sophia and is a dedicated volunteer in many community programs. She also works part time with the New Orleans Saints as an Entertainment Coordinator for Saints game days.

Securities offered through LPL Financial, member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates. The Divorce Resource for Women, Gulf Coast Wealth Management and LPL Financial are separate entities.  Not FDIC Insured | Not Bank Guaranteed | May Lose Value | Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency | Not a Bank Deposit

Ellen Kramer is a business coach who specializes in working with busy female professionals and business owners to be more focused, efficient, and effective in achieving their goals. Her expertise is in operations, including the use of technology and social media marketing. Ellen was instrumental in helping take Emily’s idea of a divorce support organization and developing it into the Divorce Resource Center for Women we have today.

Stephen is a long time resident of the Kenner/Metairie area having attended Kehoe France and Archbishop Rummel High School.  His career began as a police officer in Jefferson and St. Charles Parishes.  Just before his daughter was born, he resigned from police work and began college at the age of 27.  He attended Delgado Community College and the University of New Orleans where he majored in Chemistry.  He obtained is Juris Doctorate at Tulane Law School. 

Stephen started his private practice almost immediately after graduating and passing the bar exam.  He has been the Director of Code Enforcement and Inspections as well as the Chief Prosecutor for the City of Kenner. His approach to legal representation is one of problem solving and simplifying complex issues and troubling times in the lives of his clients.  He recently became certified in Family Law Mediation and hopes to help families navigate the process both economically and emotionally.  “The process is tough enough by definition.  An attorney doesn’t have to make it any tougher than it already is.  A good mediator can bring people together to reconcile their own differences within the bounds of the law without the need for expensive and emotionally brutal fights in a court room.”