New Orleans & Company Adds Kevin Ferguson to its Executive Line-up
New Orleans & Company has appointed Kevin Ferguson as vice president of external affairs and the newest member of the company’s leadership team. Ferguson will be responsible for creating membership strategies, leading community partnerships, community engagement, and leading a team that interfaces with cultural entities across our City and region. Strengthening community partnerships and engaging our membership in innovative ways will help the $10 billion tourism industry emerge from the pandemic.
Prior to joining New Orleans & Company, Ferguson worked for the New Orleans Pelicans and New Orleans Saints in the areas of new business development and service and account retention. Earlier in his career, he served as group sales account executive with the New Orleans Zephyrs and worked in restaurant management.
“Kevin is an awesome addition to our talented team at New Orleans & Company,” stated Stephen Perry, President and CEO of New Orleans & Company. “We are committed to improving our outreach to and relationship with our community, and we believe Kevin has the skills and experience to be very successful in this effort.”
Ferguson added, “It is an honor to join the talented team at New Orleans & Company. I am thrilled to join an organization that supports such a vital industry for our city. I look forward to serving our members, partners, and the community.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Kevin, a respected sales and business development executive to our leadership team,” said Walt Leger III, President-Elect of New Orleans & Company. “He will play a vital role in helping our current members and all those who make their living in the cultural economy survive and thrive.”
Judge Robin D. Pittman Appointed Chief Judge for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court
Judge Robin D. Pittman was recently appointed the new Chief Judge for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. The two-year chief judgeship consists of a mix of administrative duties, policy decision-making, and outreach to other agencies.
Judge Pittman is a New Orleans native who has been serving as the Judge in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Section F, for 13 years since January of 2009.
She has been serving for the past two years as Deputy Chief Judge.
Pittman was recently appointed to the Louisiana District Judges Association Executive Board and also appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana. Pittman previously served on the Louisiana Judicial College Board of Governors and the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics.
Pittman graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor of Arts, and later received a juris doctorate from the Loyola University New Orleans School of Law. Before taking the bench, Pittman worked in the litigation section of the firm Baldwin, Haspel, Burke & Mayer. Judge Pittman maintains numerous memberships in professional associations including the following: American Judges Association, National Bar Association, Louisiana Judicial Council, Louisiana State Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, Louisiana District Judges Association, National Association of Women Judges, Fourth & Fifth Circuit Judges Associations, Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, and the Association of Women Attorneys.
“I am honored that I have the opportunity to become Chief Judge. I am committed to ensuring that Orleans Parish Criminal District Court continues to run in an organized, efficient, and effective manner. I am looking forward to continuing to give back to the community that has given so much to me,” said Pittman.
Judge Pittman has received various awards throughout the years. Recently, the GNO Louis A. Martinet Legal Society awarded her the 2021 Ernest N. Morial Award which is presented to a judicial pacesetter for her contributions to the bench and bar. Additionally, Judge Pittman was honored by Crimestoppers GNO as a 2021 Public Safety Champion for her commitment to the community and public safety efforts.
She has also received other business and civic awards over the years such as the highest honor bestowed to Loyola graduates, the 2020 Adjutor Hominum Award from the Alumni Association of Loyola University, the YMCA Role Model Award, the City Business Power Generation Award, the Community Action Hero Award from Total Community Action, Inc., and the City Business Leadership in Law Award.
Judge Terri Fleming Love to Serve as Chief Judge of Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal
Judge Terri Fleming Love has become Chief Judge of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal following the retirement of former Chief Judge James F. McKay III. She ascended to the position on Jan. 4/
Chief Judge Love was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in 2000, and is the senior member of that court. She joined the Fourth Circuit after having served on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court bench since 1995.
Chief Judge Love earned her Bachelor of Arts from Jackson State University in 1983 and her juris doctorate from Tulane University Law School in 1986. She additionally earned a Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004. She participated in the Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law in 2001; George Mason School of Law Collegium in 2002; and the International Judicial Academy, The Hague, Netherlands in 2007.
She is Past Judicial Committee Chair of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, and a member of the National Bar Association, American Judges Association, National Association of Women Judges, the American Bar Association Appellate Judges’ Conference, New Orleans Bar Association, and the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Chief Judge Love is engaged in community service through various volunteer activities. She has chaired the City of New Orleans’ annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Planning Commission. She is a certified instructor and active member of the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education. Since 2008, she has volunteered as a mentor for the College Track program to help high school students prepare for college and expose them to different professional pathways. Chief Judge Love has served as the Activity Director for the Senior Citizens Ministry of her church, the Greater Saint Stephens Full Gospel Baptist Church. She is also an active member of the Omicron Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and is a board member of the Amistad Research Center.
Chief Judge Love is married to Ellria Love and they are the proud parents of two children.
Convention Center Executive Leslie Lotten Named One of the Nation’s Best Up-and-Coming Professionals
Leslie Lotten, assistant director of event services at the Morial Convention Center, was named one of the nation’s best up-and-coming professionals by Facilities and Destinations, a news source for professional planners of conventions, meetings, entertainment, and special events.
This honor, voted on by members of the conventions and events industry, recognizes the “rising stars” on the supplier side of the meetings industry, ranging from event coordinators to sales managers to chefs. These individuals are integral to the various stages of any meeting, from booking to execution.
Lotten, who is entering her 36th year as a member of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center team, has won other industry awards.
In 2018, she received the “Tourism Matters” award from New Orleans and Company, which is granted to select tourism industry professionals who have distinguished themselves through hard work, dedication and years of service.
