FLEUR DE LIS AMBASSADORS TO TAKE NEW ORLEANS’ STORY TO THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

November 6, 2009, New Orleans, LA - Tulane University President Scott Cowen and New Orleans City Council President Arnie Fielkow, cofounders of the Fleur de Lis Ambassador program, will take the message of New Orleans’ recovery to the National Press Club in Washington D.C., where they will hold a news conference on December 3 at 10 a.m.

 “Since Katrina made landfall on August 29th, 2005, New Orleans has made a lot of progress in its recovery but we still have challenges to confront.  As we approach the fifth anniversary, we feel it is critical as Ambassadors to take our message to a national audience.” Cowen said.

Cowen and Fielkow started the Fleur de Lis Ambassador Program in 2007 to share a balanced view  of New Orleans’ economic and cultural revitalization and combat misperceptions about the city’s recovery. The ambassadors are New Orleans citizens who have contributed to the recovery of the city in significant ways.  Ambassadors have travelled to eleven major cities to speak to editorial boards and organizations about New Orleans, including New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.  Their trips have received coverage in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and CNN.

“It is our responsibility as ambassadors for New Orleans to continue to reach out to news media and organizations to remind them that New Orleans has come a long way and much of that progress is due to the resiliency and fortitude of our citizens,” Fielkow said.  “We still have much work to do but our citizens continue to roll up their sleeves to rebuild their homes and lives. We need to remind the rest of the country of the tremendous strides we have made, the challenges we still face, and how we are continuing to rebuild every day.”

Funding for the Fleur de Lis Ambassadors Program is being provided by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the New Orleans Business Council, Tulane University and Bill Goldring, Republic Beverage.

The program is named after the fleur de lis, a stylized representation of an iris with three petals tied by a band, which has become an enduring symbol of the city of New Orleans. 

For more information visit www.fleurdelis.tulane.edu