NEW ORLEANS – Catherine Koppel has joined the Ehrhardt Group as a senior counselor. In this role, Koppel will provide strategic guidance to the firm’s leadership team and staff in the areas of client development, firm operations and public affairs.
Koppel returns to New Orleans to join TEG after nearly a decade of working in television news for Reuters in New York; Washington, D.C.; and Moscow.
“Being local and knowing local is more important than ever in the Gulf South. Catherine brings a wealth of global expertise. As a native New Orleanian, she speaks the language of the Gulf South and understands the distinct dynamics of our region,” said Marc Ehrhardt, president of the Ehrhardt Group.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Koppel started her career as an assignment editor for WVUE-TV. She was also previously the managing editor and multimedia director for WGNO-TV, and associate director of public affairs for Loyola University New Orleans.
In 2010, Koppel moved to Moscow to participate in the Alfa Fellowship Program, a professional development initiative for Russia specialists aimed at improving relations between the US, Britain and Russia. Following her fellowship, Koppel worked for Reuters Video News as a television producer in Moscow and Washington D.C., covering some of the most important stories of the decade including the Olympics, the World Cup, the Russian and American presidential elections, and the annexation of Crimea.
In 2016, she was named senior producer, overseeing Reuters’ video coverage of the New York region and the United Nations.
Although Koppel’s career has taken her all over the world, her ties to the Gulf South – especially New Orleans – have remained strong. Her family lives here, her daughter attends school in the city and her deep-rooted passion for the region has remained with her throughout her travels.
Koppel holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Russian and Eastern European Studies from Boston University.
“The Gulf South is a misunderstood land of opportunity if you can speak the language. Catherine’s inherent knowledge of our region, combined with her 25 years of experience in public and internal relations, strategic planning and image development, will enhance our scope of offerings to our clients and the organizations we do business with and expand our footprint in the Gulf South,” said Ehrhardt.
