NEW ORLEANS – The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) has chosen Celeste Coco-Ewing, a local attorney with experience dealing with diverse and complex issues, as their new President & CEO.
Coco-Ewing will replace Janet Howard at the helm of BGR, the independent, nonpartisan voice of good government in greater New Orleans.
“We are pleased to have Ms. Coco-Ewing’s leadership of BGR,” said BGR Chairman Mark A. Mayer. “She is well-qualified to build on the organization’s work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local government.”
Coco-Ewing brings strong analytical and leadership skills to her new position. She joined in the formation of Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, engaging in complex litigation practice for 12 years. Prior to that, she was an attorney at Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann and clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She launched her career in the national office of U.S. Senator John Breaux.
“This is a great opportunity to use my experience to serve the public interest in New Orleans,” said Coco-Ewing. “I am proud to join a team with a history of excellence in research and reform.”
This announcement marks the beginning of the transition in leadership and concludes an in-depth search to find Howard’s replacement. BGR's Vice Chairman, Hardy Fowler, led the effort.
“We conducted a national search to recruit the best possible candidate, but the hunt led us right back to New Orleans,” said Fowler. “Ms. Coco- Ewing has the right talents to make BGR even more effective.”
The President & CEO of BGR leads and directs a team of research professionals to analyze government policies, finance, management and
administration, present the facts to the public, and advocate for the implementation of its recommendations.
BGR is a private, nonprofit, independent research organization. Since its founding in 1932, it has been dedicated to informed public policy-making and the effective use of public resources in the Greater New Orleans area.
