NEW ORLEANS - Today, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority's (NORA) Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to appoint Brenda M. Breaux Executive Director of the organization, effective, August 15, 2016.

Breaux's appointment follows the appointment of NORA's current Executive Director, Jeff Hebert, to the position of Deputy Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans. Hebert was appointed to the position by Mayor Mitch Landrieu in late June having served four and a half years as NORA's Executive Director.

Breaux has served as NORA's Chief Operating Officer (COO) since May 2012, where she has been responsible for the day to day operations of the Agency. As COO, she directly oversees the Real Estate Development, Disposition, Land Stewardship, Human Resources and Administrative functions.

"Under Jeff and Brenda's leadership, there has been a wealth of expertise at NORA to continue the work of returning unproductive properties into viable, affordable residential and commercial properties, to repurpose vacant land into innovative green infrastructure projects, and to carry on the work of revitalizing neighborhoods and commercial corridors in New Orleans," said James Singleton, Chairman of the NORA Board of Commissioners.

"I am delighted by the appointment of Brenda Breaux as the Executive Director for the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority," Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. "Brenda's experience alongside her professional accomplishments make her an ideal choice to lead NORA's work to continue to revitalize the City of New Orleans."

Breaux previously served as Senior Chief Deputy City Attorney for the City of New Orleans where her duties included management of 37 staff attorneys and support staff with direct responsibilities for housing, development and finance matters, the Mayor's Blight Initiative, DCDBG and CDBG projects, liaison between City, State and Federal entities for the downtown medical complex project and negotiations between the City and State regarding the former Road Home properties.

Breaux has worked on large-scale affordable housing and complex real estate development projects in New Orleans in addition to serving as Deputy Executive Director for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, responsible for Development, Construction, Section 8, Procurement, Human Resources and Administrative Services and other executive level positions.

Breaux received her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Spelman College and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law.

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1. Designate an out-of-town contact that household members can call if separated during an emergency. Ensure all family members memorize it.
2. Choose a predetermined place to reunite if separated during an emergency. Have one near home and one outside your neighborhood. Your predetermined contact will help you decide and communicate which is best.
3. Stock Up. Disasters can strike at any time and in many forms which may not require residents to evacuate, but would require them to shelter in place without power, running water or access to groceries. Gather Supplies for what you'll need to weather events from boil advisories to chemical spills to Category 1 or 2 hurricanes.
4. Practice alternate routes out. In a disaster roads may be blocked, buses and city transportation shut down or re-routed, or streets impassable. Each family member should know all possible exit routes from you home and your neighborhood.
5. Know how you will evacuate in the case of a man-made or natural disaster, whether it be through contraflow in your own car, or locating the closest evacuspot, where you can get transportation assistance out of town.
6. Get your business NOLA Ready. Apply for a reentry placard in case of a mandatory evacuation. Make sure your business has a business continuity plan, including where you and your employees go in case of a mandatory evacuation.

• Use life support systems such as oxygen, respirator, ventilator, dialysis, pacemaker, or are insulin dependent;
• Have mobility disabilities and use a wheelchair, scooter, walker, cane, or other mobility device;
• Are visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing, or deaf;
• Have speech, cognitive, developmental or mental health disabilities; and,
• Use assistive animals or a prosthesis.

NEW ORLEANS - The Administration of Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the City of New Orleans will conduct a Disparity Study to determine the affects that discrimination has had and still has on contracting opportunities and economic activity in the City.

Over twenty years ago, a Disparity Study of New Orleans led to additional economic development opportunities for businesses owned by members of racial and ethnic minorities and women. That study found anecdotal and statistical evidence of a systematic exclusion of minority and women owned businesses from some contracting opportunities in the City.

It is important that business owners and managers understand the coming Disparity Study and prepare themselves to offer input to the firm (Keen Independent Research) and the City that can help to develop any evidence that will facilitate the study.

Presenters include Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA-2), State Representative Joseph Bouie, Chairman of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus; Ashleigh Gardere, Senior Advisor to Mayor Landrieu for the Network For Economic Opportunity; Judith Dangerfield, CEO of Metrosource; Cynthia Beaulieu, Executive Director, SUNO SBDC; Steven Kennedy of the Justice and Beyond Coalition, Ernest Stalbert of The Collaborative, and Attorney Omar Mason, Aaron & Gianna, PLC. Eugene Green, owner of Nationwide Real Estate Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Good Work Network will host the event.

According to Green, the seminar will outline the reasons for and potential implications of the coming Disparity Study. Attendees should find the seminar and networking event to be informative and productive relative to the growth of your business interests.

Background information

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NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to all Louisianans, seeks an experienced professional to serve as Vice President of Education. The LEH's Division of Education houses a suite of programs targeting children, families and educators which fall under the umbrella of PRIME TIME, Inc., a subsidiary of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The VP will be a strategic thought-partner, and report to the executive director.

The VP of Education will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for all program areas in the division of education. The position will be a part of the senior management team that drives the overall strategy for the organization and represents the LEH and its subsidiary PRIME TIME Inc. on a local, regional, and national basis. With a program budget of $1 million and a staff of 3, the VP will initially develop deep knowledge of each initiative in the division of education, program operations, and business plan, and will focus on the following three areas: program leadership and management, external relationships, and knowledge management.

Click here for a full job description.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

To be considered for this position, please submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference to Restovic@leh.org. Application period closes September 15, 2016.

Visit www.leh.org  for additional information.

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NEW ORLEANS - Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu reactivated the NOLA Pay It Forward Fund in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation for New Orleanians to contribute to early recovery efforts following major flooding that started last week in most of northern Louisiana and parts of southern Louisiana.



"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this devastating flood," Mayor Landrieu said. "The people of New Orleans know what it's like to suffer through a disaster. We remember all of those who helped us when we needed it most, and through this fund, we hope to pay it forward to other communities that are starting to recover and rebuild."



Mayor Landrieu launched the NOLA Pay it Forward Fund in May 2011 to contribute to recovery efforts following the Mississippi River flooding disaster. It was also activated in 2012 in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy to support recovery efforts in the northeast and in May 2013 following catastrophic tornadoes in Oklahoma.



The fund is housed with the Greater New Orleans Foundation.



"We are pleased to partner with the City of New Orleans to administer the NOLA Pay It Forward Fund," said Martha Landrum, Vice President for Marketing & Communications. "The Fund will provide resources for rebuilding efforts for communities impacted by the catastrophic flooding throughout Louisiana."



Those interested in donating to the fund can go online to www.gnof.org/NOLApayitforward. Donors can also contact Allie Betts, donor relations manager at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, at 504-598-4663 or allie@gnof.org.

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