Bureau Of Governmental Research Inc

Breakfast briefings: bgr's breakfast briefings are public forums where experts and decision-makers are invited to share their thoughts on major public policy issues in the area. These events keep citizens informed and motivate civic engagement and an informed public policy dialogue, all of which are key components of bgr's mission and essential ingredients for effective government. In 2024, bgr hosted 4 breakfast briefings. On march 21, bgr presented a breakfast briefing with the director of the health department for the city of new orleans dr. Jennifer l. Avegno, the director of homeless services and strategies for the mayor's office nathaniel e. Fields and city councilmember for district b lesli harris who discussed addressing homelessness through health and public-private (cont'd on sch o) partnerships. On april 16, bgr presented a breakfast briefing with cynthia lee sheng, jefferson parish president, and mark drewes, director of the jefferson parish department of public works, who discussed upgrading aging infrastructure in jefferson parish. On june 26, bgr presented a breakfast briefing entitled "french quarter in focus: a conversation on the state of the vieux carre as new orleans prepares to host super bowl lix." bgr's president and ceo becky mowbray moderated a conversation with three individuals offering different perspectives on the french quarter: nathan chapman, president of vieux carre property owners, residents & associates, inc.; daniel hammer, president and ceo of the historic new orleans collection; and michael hecht, president and ceo of greater new orleans, inc. On september 10, bgr hosted its fourth and final breakfast briefing of the year. Our speaker was ghassan korban, executive director of the sewerage and water board of new orleans. Mr. Korban provided an update on the utility's ongoing efforts to address infrastructure challenges, improve operations and billing, and develop plans for stronger water, sewer, and drainage systems for new orleans. With the utility facing tropical storm francine, he also provided a status update on the drainage pumps and staff preparations for the storm. Following mr. Korban's presentation, bgr's president and ceo rebecca mowbray moderated the audience q&a.