In the heart of a community long overlooked, Dina Johnson is leading a transformation that is not just structural, but also deeply personal. As the new executive director for the Jewel J. Newman Community Center in north Baton Rouge, she is cleaning up a neglected facility and reviving a legacy.

When Johnson stepped into her new role in January, the center was pure chaos, she said. There were boxes piled in showers, a rat infestation and a terrible sense of abandonment.

With encouragement and financial support from the administration of Mayor-President Sid Edwards, Johnson and her staff immediately began to pick up the slack around the center. These early efforts laid the groundwork for restoring the center back to a renewed sense of pride and purpose, she said.

“It was heartbreaking, b

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