Meet Seth Hamstead: Co-Founder and Board Treasurer of Fish in a Tree

At Fish in a Tree: Center for Neurodiversity Education, Advocacy, and Activism, we believe that movements are built not just on vision but on infrastructure, relationships, and the courage to innovate across sectors. Few people embody that intersection more fully than our co-founder and current Board Treasurer, Seth Hamstead.

Seth is a New Orleans–based entrepreneur and community leader whose career has woven together sustainability, cultural preservation, and systemic change. Today, he serves as Director of Special Projects at Canal Barge, one of the city’s historic, family-owned transportation companies, where he leads strategic initiatives and partnerships that strengthen regional economic and environmental resilience. His ability to navigate complex systems and move ambitious projects forward makes him an invaluable presence on our board, where he ensures that Fish in a Tree not only dreams big but builds responsibly for the future.

Before co-founding Fish in a Tree, Seth was best known for his pioneering work in New Orleans’ food systems. He co-founded Cleaver & Co., a whole-animal butcher shop that helped catalyze the city’s farm-to-table movement and demonstrated how local sourcing could drive both sustainability and community connection. Following that chapter, he went on to serve as Director of Operations at Camellia Beans, one of Louisiana’s most iconic and enduring food brands. Through these ventures, Seth cultivated deep relationships with the farmers, chefs, and cultural workers who keep New Orleans’ traditions alive, relationships that continue to shape his approach to leadership and advocacy today.

At Fish in a Tree, Seth’s role as Board Treasurer reflects his talent for grounding vision in sustainable infrastructure. He is committed to ensuring that our programs and initiatives, whether global platforms like the Neurodiversity Justice Bookshelf or local milestones like the first-ever Neurodiversity Pride Parade in New Orleans, are supported by strong financial stewardship and operational capacity. His background across sectors reminds us that justice work is not separate from the economies and cultures we live in; it is made real when we design systems that honor equity, access, and resilience.

Seth is also a co-founder of Shrimp Fest and Shrimp Aid, two local non-profits, and father to neurodivergent children. Seth’s story is one of building bridges, between tradition and innovation, local roots and global vision, family and community. His leadership at Fish in a Tree reflects the belief that movements must be both daring and durable. We are proud to have him as a co-founder, a steward, and a daily reminder that the work of neurodiversity justice requires not only advocacy but also the quiet, steady labor of building a house strong enough to hold us all.