Board Officers

Sidney H. Cates IV, President

Judge Sidney H. Cates, IV has served as Judge of Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division C, since September 2004. From January 2016 through December 2018, he was selected by his fellow judges to serve as Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Civil District Court. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Cates practiced as a litigator for 28 years, earning national recognition for his work as a trial and appellate advocate, particularly in products liability and statutory employment litigation. Judge Cates has a longstanding commitment to civic, cultural, and educational service. He has served on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Board of Directors since 2015 and on the WWOZ Board of Directors since 2016, where he has proudly served two terms as President and Chairman. An honors graduate of St. Augustine High School, Loyola University New Orleans, and Loyola University College of Law, Judge Cates has been a member of the Louisiana State Bar since 1976, marking 50 years of membership in 2026. Throughout his career, Judge Cates has remained actively involved in a number of community and educational organizations, reflecting a deep commitment to public service and the New Orleans community.

J. R. Pegues, First Vice President

J.R. Pegues recently retired as Managing Director of Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ: HURN), capping more than 35 years of experience specializing in strategy formulation and execution, strategic marketing, and new business development. His experience includes growing businesses in new markets and leading strategic turnarounds. He is skilled at establishing a clear organizational vision, building consensus among leadership, and securing commitment to pursuing that vision. Prior to joining Huron, Mr. Pegues held senior leadership roles with LSU, Aetna, CIGNA, Humana, and Coventry Health Care. He earned his Master of Business Administration from Tulane University, where the faculty awarded him the “Outstanding Graduate” honor. He joined the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Advisory Council in 2014 and was elected to the Board in 2017. He also served on the WWOZ Board, which he chaired from 2019 to 2021.

Ellen M. Lee, Second Vice President

Ellen M. Lee is retired from service with the City of New Orleans as the Director of the Office of Community and Economic Development, leading a portfolio of departments developing and implementing equitable programming and policy solutions for New Orleanians at the intersection of business, talent, housing, and arts and culture. Following Hurricane Katrina, Ms. Lee served nearly six years as Senior Vice President of Programs at the Greater New Orleans Foundation where she was responsible for the programmatic and grantmaking activity of the community foundation serving New Orleans and its 12 surrounding parishes. Ms. Lee takes her vast professional experience to her role as President of EML Enterprises, LLC, working with clients to identify, coordinate, and support multi-sector initiatives that strengthen communities and the people who live there. Ms. Lee is twice a graduate of the University of New Orleans holding B.S. in Finance and MBA degrees.  She has served on and held leadership roles on multiple boards of directors of national and local civic and service-related non-profit organizations including the Center for Community Progress, Louisiana Housing Corporation, UNO Foundation, Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Catholic Community Foundation, and since 2017, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

Brittany R. Major, Secretary/Treasurer

Brittany R. Major is a financial, economic development, and business leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning banking, public service, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship. A graduate of Spelman College with a B.A. in Economics and Tulane University with an MBA, she has managed treasury and financial portfolios exceeding $100 million, including leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Capital One. She later served with the City of New Orleans Department of Economic Development, overseeing a $40 million portfolio of Equal Business Opportunity programs supporting historically underutilized businesses, and with Enhanced Capital, where she co-managed the deployment of a $90 million New Markets Tax Credit allocation. Since 2019, Major has served as President and CEO of Major Services, Inc., a family-owned IT consulting firm where she leads the strategic direction of the multimillion-dollar company and its workforce of more than 40 employees. Her extensive civic leadership includes service as Board Secretary of WWOZ, Board Treasurer of both St. Augustine High School and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, and Board President of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2020, she was also appointed to the Governor’s Resilient Louisiana Commission’s Education & Workforce Development Subcommittee.

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Board Members

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Advisory Council