Hines Charter CEO Michelle Douglas rebuilt schools and community after Katrina

Dr. Michelle Douglas, founding CEO of Hines Charter School Corporation, began teaching in New Orleans in 1990 and now leads three Hines campuses in Orleans Parish.

In the segment, Douglas recalled Hurricane Katrina’s impact on her neighborhood and school community: "Katrina came and really it just devastated everything," she said, describing how the crisis led local leaders to charter Hines and urged her to take on school leadership.

The program says Douglas rebuilt Hines through storms, relocations and change. It lists three campuses now operating — Hines Lake View, described in the segment as an A-rated school, plus Hines UNO and Hines Park View — and notes that each has grown faster than many comparable schools in the state.

Douglas emphasized the role of relationships in student success. "The people. The people make this school a success," she said, adding that building leaders "at the student level, at the adult level" and making school engaging helps students’ sense of efficacy.

An unnamed student in the segment credited teachers and Douglas directly: "They're all of them are so nice to me ... Miss Douglas is really nice," the student said, saying teachers pause to help classmates who are stuck.

The segment highlights long-term alumni ties: "once a husky, always a husky," it said, noting graduates send back milestones such as college and professional school graduations. Douglas framed the work as a long game: after more than three decades, she said, adults still have the power to change children’s future trajectories.

The segment closed by saying Douglas "rebuilt hope, one caring relationship at a time," and that the husky spirit among students and staff feels "unbreakable."