Red Bird Ministries Board of Directors

Vice President
Ryan Antoine Breaux serves as Vice President of Red Bird Ministries, where he brings decades of professional experience, steady leadership, and a deep commitment to works of mercy for families who are suffering. He has been employed with Lafayette Coca-Cola for more than 24 years and currently serves as a Key Accounts Manager, overseeing and negotiating contracts for the independent grocery market across the region. His career reflects a reputation for integrity, relationship-building, and strategic problem-solving—skills he faithfully extends into his ministry and civic roles.

A lifelong resident of Breaux Bridge, Ryan was born and raised in the community he now serves as City Councilman for District A. His service on the City Council reflects a deep love for his hometown and a commitment to thoughtful, people-centered leadership. Ryan approaches public service with humility and a desire to listen well, advocate responsibly, and work collaboratively for the good of families and neighborhoods within the city.

In addition to his professional and elected roles, Ryan has served on numerous boards and committees dedicated to faith, education, and compassionate care. His past service includes participation on the Lay Support Committee for Fr. Stephen Pellessier, serving as Vice President of the Advisory Council at St. Bernard School, John Paul the Great Parent Advisory Council, and contributing as a board member with Hospice of Acadiana. These roles reflect his long-standing dedication to supporting institutions that accompany individuals and families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

At the heart of Ryan’s work—whether in ministry, public service, or professional life—is a quiet but steadfast commitment to serving the suffering. Shaped by personal experience with grief and loss, he brings a grounded presence, practical wisdom, and genuine compassion to those walking through hardship. His leadership within Red Bird Ministries is marked by faithfulness, service, and a belief that mercy, when lived out consistently, has the power to transform communities.

Ryan Breaux

Kelly Breaux

President
Kelly Bourque Breaux is a writer, author, and President of Red Bird Ministries, where she serves as a leading voice in the field of child-loss grief and pastoral accompaniment. She is currently completing her undergraduate degree at Liberty University in Christian Counseling, pursuing her vocation to bring meaningful, trauma-informed change to how the Church accompanies families after loss.

Kelly has been married to her husband, Ryan, for 23 years. Together, they carry more than 20 years of lived experience with profound grief, having lost four children—two after birth and two in utero. Their son Talon died at 15 days old in 2005, and their daughter Emma Grace died at 3 years and 10 months in 2009. They also experienced the loss of Christian Ryan at 11.5 weeks gestation in 2012 and Eva Catherine at 6.5 weeks gestation in 2022. These losses profoundly shaped Kelly’s calling and continue to inform her work with deep compassion and credibility.

For more than seven years, Kelly has worked exclusively within the loss community, personally accompanying over 500 families and reaching thousands more through Red Bird Ministries’ programs, retreats, and digital resources. She has played a strategic role in establishing grief support in more than 37 communities and has trained over 100 leaders nationwide to provide faithful, trauma-informed care to families after the death of a child. Kelly is a dedicated advocate for cultural and pastoral change within the Church, ensuring that no grieving family walks alone.

Kelly has authored several books and resources for Red Bird Ministries. She is especially proud of her memoir, Hiding in the Upper Room: How the Catholic Sacraments Healed Me from the Grief of Child Loss, which reflects her personal journey of sorrow, faith, and sacramental healing.

Kelly is a member of the Catholic Speakers Organization.

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Janet Morien Wood

  • Janet’s banking career has spanned 32 years with the community, regional, and national banking organizations. She’s served in both the commercial and retail sectors and was a market president for over 17 years, the first female bank president in the Lafayette community. She currently serves as an independent professional performance coach, focusing on organizational strategic vision.

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Edith Ray, PLPC

  • Edie has been married for 35 years. She and her husband Butch have 8 children, 7 girls, and one boy, ranging in age from 32 to 11. She is originally from Thibodaux, LA where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. After teaching first grade for 10 years, Edie began homeschooling her children, which she continued for almost 20 years. Her family relocated to Acadiana 22 years ago and they currently live in Carencro. Edie is a spiritual guide for the lay movement Regnum Christi. She is in her internship at Blumrich Counseling in Opelousas in order to complete her Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Divine Mercy University. Edie loves to read and lead book studies to help others deepen their relationship with Jesus.

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Pamela Stanford

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Neal C. Angelle, Esq.

  • Neal C. Angelle was born and raised in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where he currently resides with his wife (Raina), stepdaughter (Kilah), and adopted puppy (Jet). Neal attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana, where he majored in Biology (Pre-Medicine). After graduating from U.S.L. with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Neal matriculated to Southern University Law Center, where he earned his Juris Doctorate Degree. Neal has been practicing law for 20 years now, primarily in Oil and Gas, Real Estate, Succession, Estate Planning, and General Business Transactions.

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John Miller

  • John is a native of Scott, La where he resides with his wife of 14 years Dana, and 3 Children, William, Ella Rose, and John Luke. John is a graduate of Louisiana State University where he earned a B.Sc. in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. He co-founded The Integration Group of Americas, Inc. (TIGA) in 2017 where he is responsible for crafting and implementing business strategy and achieving financial objectives. He and his family or parishioners at St. Jules Catholic Church. John enjoys most spending time with his family in Toledo Bend and vacationing in Florida. He is passionate about helping other families know about the great resources available to them through Red Bird Ministries.

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Kathy Purpera

  • Kathy is a wife of 43 years and a mother of three adult children, one in heaven. She has been a member and leader of a Come Lord Jesus bible study group for over 25 years, which prepared her for the cross and the blessing of losing her middle child in a car accident at the age of 20. Currently she serves as a spiritual guide in Regnum Christi and is working on her certification through Divine Mercy University. Healing from the loss of a child is a continuous call to holiness. Kathy believes Redbird Ministries is and was divinely inspired and offers her spiritual guidance.

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Colette Billeaud Smith

  • Colette is a retired certified public accountant, having served for over 30 years in non-profit financial leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Foundation and Director of Finance at Lafayette General Medical Center.

    She recently completed a 10-year term of service for the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette Finance Board and currently serves on the City of Broussard/Louisiana Main Street Board. Prior Board roles include serving as a St. Cecilia Elementary School Board member and Advisory Board Member for the Business Department of Louisiana Technical College (now SLCC). Colette has also volunteered for Rebuilding Acadiana, Susan Komen Race for the Cure, Muscular Dystrophy, March of Dimes, Go Red for Women and United Way of Acadiana.

    Colette is married to James Smith, Jr. and resides in Broussard. Her hobbies include singing in her church choir (for over 30 years), fishing and gardening.

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Sr. Kathryn Maney, M.S.

  • Sr. Kathryn is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska and graduate of Pius X High School in Lincoln, NE. Upon the completion of her sophomore year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she discerned the call to enter religious life as a Marian Sister of the Diocese of Lincoln.

    Following her initial formation, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. And, later earned a Master of Arts in Moral Theology from the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia.

    Sr. Kathryn served in the offices of the Diocese of Lincoln for 21 years before she recently received an assignment to work in the Benedictine College Campus Ministry Office in Atchison, Kansas. She also received certification in spiritual direction from the Franciscan University of Steubenville through the Cenacle School of Spiritual Direction in Clearwater, Florida.

Brandi Hebert McKnight

  • Brandi is a mom of a teenage son who loves to travel. She has been selling residential real estate and investment property for over 15 years. Having been raised in South Louisiana, she has been a prominent community leader, safeguarding the community's unique history.