The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) today announced the appointment of five new members to its board of directors and the election of the board’s officers for the 2024 year.
BGR’s board of directors provides essential support for our organization’s mission to pursue better local government in the New Orleans area. We are honored to have an engaged group of civic, community and business leaders who bring a diverse range of expertise and insight to the table. The recent appointment of our five new board members promises to enhance that perspective.
The board’s newly elected members, who will serve for a three-year term beginning in 2024, are:
- R. Foster Duncan, Operating Partner, Bernhard Capital Partners
- Elizabeth Hefler, Greater New Orleans Regional President, Hancock Whitney Bank
- Nathalie Simon, Special Counsel to CEO & Director of Public Policy and Governmental Affairs, Laitram
- Kenneth St. Charles, development and fundraising consultant
- Syrita Steib, Founder and President/CEO, Operation Restoration
Officers of the board for 2024 are:
- Merritt Lane, Chair
- Steven W. Usdin, Vice Chair
- Anne P. Baños, Secretary
- Louis M. Freeman Jr., Treasurer
- Nathalie Simon, Assistant Secretary
- Vanessa Claiborne, Assistant Treasurer
The following directors have begun a second three-year term, running through the end of 2026:
- Patty Riddlebarger, Vice President of Social Responsibility, Entergy Corporation
- Lamar Villere, Partner and Portfolio Manager, Villere & Company
These board members are joined by returning members Ryan Adkerson, Elizabeth Boh, Melanie Bronfin, Carlin Conner, Mollye Demosthenidy, Ben A. Dupuy, Perry Eastman IV, Norma Grace, Jessie Haynes, John Landrum, Ileana Ledet, Ronald P. McClain, Graham Ralston, David C. Rieveschl, Jennifer Roberts, Douglas M. Stokes, Vera Triplett, Charles West, and Jonathan Wilson.
To learn more about BGR’s board members and their work in the New Orleans area, please visit our website at https://www.bgr.org/about-us/board-of-directors/.