Meet Alexis Annis

OPAL’s new Director of Finance & Operations

For Alexis Annis, joining OPAL marks a kind of homecoming. After nearly 30 years in New Orleans, Alexis has returned to the Pacific Northwest, close to her childhood roots in Oregon. Coming to Orcas is an easy landing place, as her family has been connected to the island for many years.

“Returning to Orcas feels like home,” Alexis says. Her mother and stepdad have lived on Orcas for three decades, and her daughter spent many summers at Camp Nor’wester.

Now, she’s here to stay and she’s bringing a wealth of experience with her. Before joining OPAL, Alexis spent her career working across nonprofit organizations, higher education, and even a startup brewery. Most recently, she served as Director of Finance and Operations at the Cowen Institute at Tulane University, where she worked to strengthen financial systems, support organizational growth, and build processes that helped teams work better together.

During the pandemic, Alexis returned to school and earned a Master of Public Administration in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of New Orleans. She also spent years volunteering in New Orleans, particularly around food security. Affordable housing is a new field for Alexis, but the mission behind it feels familiar. “I have a strong belief in community and community building,” she says.

As OPAL’s Director of Finance & Operations, Alexis will help strengthen the systems and financial foundation that allow OPAL’s work to grow, supporting the organization behind the scenes so we can continue creating and preserving permanently affordable homes and building a stronger island community. This new position is another puzzle piece in OPAL’s succession planning process: finding the next generation of leadership to sustain OPAL’s promise of permanently affordable housing for islanders.

And while Alexis may know finance and operations, she’s excited to learn more about island life. She’s looking forward to getting back to her Pacific Northwest roots, spending more time in nature, and learning what grows well in an island garden. After years of growing things like okra and hot peppers in New Orleans, she’s ready to discover the possibilities on island and, as our new Volunteer Garden Lead, she’ll be using the Reddick Community Garden as her test plot.

Please join us in welcoming Alexis to OPAL and to the Orcas Island community!

We’re so glad you’re here, Alexis. Welcome home.