Board Officers

Rachel F. Cousin, President

Rachel Ferrouillet Cousin retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2013 after 35 years of employment. Of her 35 years, she spent 32 years in various management positions, with 27 years in the Sales and Marketing arenas. Since retiring, she has become a home-based travel agent and enjoys finding the perfect vacation for her clients. She fills her time traveling, spending time with family and friends and community volunteering. She presently serves on the boards of the Boy Scouts Diversity Gala and Eldercare Services. She has volunteered with the Jazz & Heritage Foundation since 2008. A New Orleans native, Rachel attended St. Joseph Academy and Dominican College. She is married to Alan Cousin, with whom she shares four children and two grandchildren.

Sidney H. Cates IV, First Vice President

Judge Sidney H. Cates, IV has served as judge of Civil District Court, Division C, since September 2004. He was chosen by his colleagues to be Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Civil District Court for a two year term from January 2016 through December 2018. Prior to his election, Judge Cates was a litigator for twenty-eight years, earning national recognition for his success as a trial and appellate advocate, particularly in products liability and statutory employment litigation. He has served and continues to serve on various community and educational boards. Judge Cates has been a member of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Board of Directors since 2015. He has also been a WWOZ Board of Directors member since 2016. Judge Cates is an honors graduate of St. Augustine High School, Loyola University, and Loyola University Law School in New Orleans and has been a member of the Louisiana State Bar since 1976.

J Pegues, Second Vice President

J Pegues recently retired as Managing Director of Huron Consulting Group, capping over 35 years’ experience specializing in strategy formulation and execution, strategic marketing and sales, and new business development.  J’s experience includes growing businesses in new markets and leading strategic turnarounds.  He is expert at setting a clear vision for organizations, building consensus among leadership, and securing commitment to pursuit of that vision. Prior to joining Huron, Mr. Pegues held senior leadership roles with LSU, Aetna, CIGNA, Humana, and Coventry Health Care.  J earned his Masters in Business Administration from Tulane University, where the faculty awarded him “The Outstanding Graduate” honor.  He joined the Jazz & Heritage Advisory Council in 2014 and was elected to the Jazz & Heritage Board of Directors in 2017.  He also serves on WWOZ’s Board of Directors, which he chaired from 2019 until 2021.

Ellen M. Lee, Secretary/Treasurer

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.

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Board Members

Advisory Council