Gerard W. Barousse Jr.
Chairman of the Board
As a founding member of the Bayou District Foundation, Gerry Barousse serves as the organization’s Chairman of the Board. A native of New Orleans, Mr. Barousse is President of Monarch Real Estate Advisers and is a well known innovator in both civic and business arenas, with 25 years of commercial real estate and property development experience. Mr. Barousse also serves on the board of several local philanthropic and business development groups and is an alumnus of Washington & Lee & Tulane University.
David W. Perlis
Director
David is President and co-owner of Perlis Inc., a third generation family owned retail business in South Louisiana. The company operates three Perlis specialty stores offering apparel, accessories, and gifts for men, women and children. These full service stores are in New Orleans, Mandeville, and Baton Rouge. In addition, Perlis Inc. operates an ecommerce platform along with a smaller boutique which highlights the company’s Crawfish logo merchandise, in New Orleans’ French Quarter. David graduated from Isidore Newman School in New Orleans and received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. While at Rhodes David met his wife Suzanne. They reside in Metairie, Louisiana with their three children, Caroline, Wicker, and Lauren. David relishes his involvement in several charitable and civic organizations. In addition to the Bayou District board, David serves on the community advisory board of Ochsner/Baptist Hospital and is currently the board chair of the Fore!Kids Foundation.
Mike Rodrigue
Director
Mike Rodrigue is a founding member of the Bayou District Foundation, President and CEO of RODCO Insurance and the owner of the ACME Oyster House chain of restaurants. An alumnus of Tulane University, Mr. Rodrigue has been involved with Fore!Kids Foundation and other New Orleans civic and philanthropic initiatives for more than twenty years. Mike was Chairman of the Board for Fore!Kids Foundation from 1998 to 2006 and has extensive contacts throughout professional golf.
Gary Solomon Sr.
Director
Another of the founding members of the Bayou District Foundation, Gary Solomon is a venture capitalist with holdings in Crescent Bank and Trust, a restaurant chain and a shipping company. Mr. Solomon devotes more than half of his time to non-profit organizations throughout Louisiana and has led civic efforts with the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, New Orleans Business Council and St. Michaels Special School. Gary is also extremely involved in the reform and rebuild of Public Education in the City of New Orleans.
Cindy Howson Weinmann
DIRECTOR
Biography coming soon.
Greg Bensel
Director
Greg Bensel, Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans, is the team’s official spokesman, overseeing all internal and external communications and being the primary liaison between the club and national and local media. In addition to overseeing all communications/broadcasting and digital media efforts for the Saints, Bensel also serves in the same role for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. Bensel also manages the communications’ efforts of Owner Tom Benson’s community giving and business enterprises. He also serves as general manager of Tom and Gayle Benson’s thoroughbred racing enterprise, GMB Racing. Prior to joining the Saints, Bensel was director of media relations for the Super Bowl XXXI Host Committee and the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. A New Orleans native who graduated from Tulane University, Bensel started his professional career as a media relations administrator for the PGA of America in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the Stuart Hall School for Boys, he is a Member of the Board of Directors for the Preservation Resource Center, Board of Directors for WYES TV- New Orleans and Board of Directors for the Newman Athletics Green & White Club.
Nolan Marshall Jr.
Director, Advisory Board Chair
A community leader for over 25 years, Nolan Marshall has been involved in numerous efforts to improve public education most notably in his role as President of the Friends of McDonogh 35 High School. A Gentilly resident and graduate of St. Augustine High School; Nolan is also involved in a effort to bring better infrastructure, schools and health care to his still recovering community.
Adrienne Slack
Director
Biography coming soon.
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J.T. Crawford |