Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees Officers 2024–2025

Suzanne T. Mestayer, Board Chair

Managing Principal
ThirtyNorth Investments
New Orleans, Louisiana

James E. Maurin, Chair-Elect

Founder and Past Chairman
Stirling
Covington, Louisiana

John M. Hairston, Secretary

President & CEO
Hancock Whitney Corporation
Gulfport, Mississippi / New Orleans, Louisiana

Pete November, Treasurer

CEO
Ochsner Health
New Orleans, Louisiana

Ted Weggeland, Immediate Past Chair

Founder
Raincross Corporate Group
Riverside, California

Stephen J. Watson, President & CEO

The National WWII Museum, Inc.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Board of Trustees 2023–2024

R. Ryan Adkerson

Vice President and Financial Advisor
CAPTRUST
New Orleans, Louisiana

Jacquelin Sewell Atkinson

 

Partner and President
Sewell Automotive Companies
Dallas, Texas

Justin T. Augustine III

Regional Vice President
Transdev Services, Inc.
New Orleans, Louisiana

 

Lawrence E. Bathgate II

 

Senior Managing Partner
Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf, P.C.
Lakewood, New Jersey

Brandon B. Berger

Owner & CEO
Wild Air Ventures LLC
Boston, Massachusetts

Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger

 

Chairman & CEO
Bollinger Enterprises, LLC
New Orleans, Louisiana

Jessica Brandt

CEO
Ray Brandt Auto Group
Metairie, Louisiana

Michael S. Bylen

 

President
Bylen Golf Company, LLC
Rochester Hills, Michigan

The Hon. Louis E. Caldera

Former Secretary of the Army
Bethesda, Maryland

Kevin G. Clifford

 

Retired Chairman and CEO
American Funds Group
Las Vegas, Nevada / New Orleans, Louisiana

James A. Courter

Vice Chairman: Genie Energy, Ltd
Of Counsel: Lavery, Selvaggi, Abromitis & Cohen
Sanibel, Florida

Arnold W. Donald

 

Former Vice Chair and President and CEO
Carnival Corporation & PLC
St. Louis, Missouri

Peter N. Foss

CEO (Retired), Healthcare Trust of America
Sr. Commercial Leader, GE (Retired)
Kiawah Island, South Carolina

John D. Georges

 

CEO
Georges Enterprises
New Orleans, Louisiana

James N. Gianopulos

Founder/CEO
Muses Media Enterprises
Los Angeles, California

William A. Goldring

 

Chairman
Sazerac Co.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Charles W. “Chip” Goodyear

President
Goodyear Investment Company
New Orleans, Louisiana

Thomas A. Gruber

 

Senior VP & CMO (Retired)
McDonald's/Blockbuster/AutoNation USA
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fleur C. Harlan

Trustee
The Manhattan Institute
New York, New York

J. Tyler Herbert

 

Founding Partner
Gravel Road Partners
Washington, D.C.

Jeffery D. Hildebrand

Executive Chairman and Founder
Hilcorp Energy Company
Houston, Texas

C. Paul Hilliard

 

Chairman Emeritus
Badger Oil Corporation
Lafayette, Louisiana

LTG Charles W. Hooper, USA (Ret.)

Senior Counselor
The Cohen Group
Washington, D.C.

Jessie J. Knight, Jr.

 

CEO & Managing Director
Knight Angels
Charlotte, North Carolina

John E. Koerner III

President
Koerner Capital, LLC
New Orleans, Louisiana

Gregory W. Kowalski

 

President & CEO
The RK Group
San Antonio, Texas

H. Merritt Lane III

Chairman of the Board, President and CEO
Canal Barge Company, Inc.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Dennis P. Lauscha

 

President
New Orleans Pelicans & Saints
New Orleans, Louisiana

Peter J. Merlone

Founder, Co-Owner, and Managing Partner
Merlone Geier Partners and Merlone Geier Management
Ketchum, Idaho / New Orleans, Louisiana

David Nierenberg

 

Founder & President
Nierenberg Investment Management Co.
Camas, Washington

William M. Osborne III

Chairman
New World Symphony
Coral Gables, Florida

Stephen G. Oswald

 

Chairman, President & CEO
Ducommun Incorporated
Santa Ana, California

Robert J. Patrick

Managing Partner
Patrick Family Foundation
New Orleans, Louisiana

Lisa Pearl, PhD, JD

 

Head of US Content and Philanthropic Initiatives
Ancestry
Washington, D.C.

Sonia A. Pérez

President (Retired)
AT&T Southeast States
Mission, Texas

Robert L. Priddy

 

Chairman
RMC Capital
New Orleans, Louisiana

James J. Reiss Jr.

President
Reiss Companies LLC
New Orleans, Louisiana

Todd Ricketts

 

Board of Directors
Chicago Cubs
Chicago, Illinois

Deanna Rodriguez

President & CEO
Entergy New Orleans, LLC
New Orleans, Louisiana

Caren L. Rubin

 

Executive Director
Mosaic Law Congregation
Sacramento, California

Philip G. Satre

Chairman
Wynn Resorts Ltd.
Reno, Nevada

Glenn J. Solomon

 

CEO & Founder
Simbol Commercial
Dallas, Texas

Laura Stephens

Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Stephens Inc.
Little Rock, Arkansas / Dallas, Texas

Sharon Estill Taylor, PhD

 

Educator, Speaker, Author
Scottsdale, Arizona

Jason De Sena Trennert

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Strategas Research Partners
New York, New York

Massey Villarreal

 

President/CEO
PTG
Houston, Texas

St. Denis J. “Sandy” Villere II

Portfolio Manager
Villere & Co.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Governor Christine Todd Whitman

 

President
The Whitman Strategy Group
Oldwick, New Jersey

Governor Pete Wilson

Wilson Walsh George Ross Consulting, LLC
Ellis George LLP
Los Angeles, California

Founding President & CEO Emeritus

Gordon H. "Nick" Mueller, PhD

Founding President & CEO Emeritus
The National WWII Museum, Inc.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Chairmen Emeriti

Herschel L. Abbott Jr.

Richard C. Adkerson

Arthur Q. Davis

Robert E. Howson

MajGen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.)

Lee H. Schlesinger

David R. Voelker

Trustees Emeriti

The Honorable Diana Bajoie

James L. Barksdale

Harold J. Bouillion

The Honorable Jacquelyn B. Clarkson

William M. Detweiler

Richard  L. Duchossois

Louis M. Freeman

Robert T. Hayes

John E. Kushner

John P. Laborde

T.G. “Teddy” Solomon

Frank B. Stewart Jr.

Bruce N. Whitman

Honorary Members of the Board
Medal of Honor recipients

Col. Jack Jacobs, USA (Ret.)

MajGen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.)