NEW ORLEANS, LA, USA - The World Trade Center of New Orleans on Monday announced its new board of directors for 2015.

The WTC appointed Hon. Edward T. Hayes, a partner at the Leake and Andersson law firm and the Honorary Consul of Ukraine, as its Chairman of the Board, and Robert G. Evans, president of Con-Tech International, as Vice-Chairman.

Domink Knoll, the CEO of the WTC, also appointed four new members to the board, including: Paul Aucoin, executive director of the Port of South Louisiana; Tom Cole, president of Republic National Distributing Company; Jason French, director of the Government and Public Affairs for Cheniere Energy; and Stephen Hanemann, a partner at the New Orleans law firm Kean Miller.

The WTC has provided capsule biographies for its newest board appointees, as well as a full list of the board members, below.

Paul Aucoin has served as Executive Director of the Port of South Louisiana since July 2013. The Port of South Louisiana, which stretches 54 miles along the Mississippi River, is the largest tonnage port district in the western hemisphere. A year before Mr. Aucoin's appointment as Executive Director, he was the Port's Legal Counsel. Mr. Aucoin has practiced law since 1970, having his own private practice since 1971. He has affiliations with the American and Louisiana State Bar Associations, St. James Parish Economic Development Board, Louisiana Housing and Community Development Corporation, River Parishes Community College Board, River Parishes Tourist and Visitors Commission, and River Region Chamber of Commerce Board.

Tom Cole has served as President of Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) since its creation in 2006. RNDC is the second largest distributor of premium wines and spirits in the United States with operations in 22 states plus the District of Columbia. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America and its Government Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the New Orleans Business Council and a Director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Council.

Jason French, Director, Government and Public Affairs, Cheniere Energy is responsible for government relations, public affairs, and community outreach at the state and local levels, as Cheniere works to develop LNG Export facilities in Louisiana and Texas. Mr. French joined Cheniere Energy in November 2011. Prior to joining Cheniere, Mr. French was Director of Government and Public Affairs for BP America where he held several key public affairs roles during the Deepwater Horizon Spill Response.

Stephen Hanemann is a partner in the New Orleans law office of Kean Miller. With more than 150 attorneys, Kean Miller is one of the largest full-service law firms in Louisiana, and the largest in the Capital Region. His practice areas include admiralty and maritime; banking and finance; municipal law; oil, gas, and pipelines; NORM defense; insurance coverage; general and commercial litigation; and construction. Stephen was selected by New Orleans CityBusiness as a 2012 Leadership in Law Award recipient. He is listed in Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2012-2015.

The full board of directors list includes:

WTC Chairman: Hon. Edward T. Hayes, Partner, Leake and Andersson LLP and Honorary Consul of Ukraine
WTC Vice Chairman: Robert G. Evans Jr., President, Con-Tech International
Dominik Knoll, CEO, World Trade Center of New Orleans
WTC Secretary: Jerry Hingle, President & CEO, International Trade Associates
WTC Treasurer: Tom Spiers, Chief Administrative Officer, Gulf South Eye Associates
David Fennelly, Director, Associated Terminals LLC and Turn Services, LLC
Gary LaGrange, President & CEO, Port of New Orleans
Sakari Morrison, General Manager, Public Affairs, Gulf of Mexico, Chevron
Marty Quist, Assistant General Counsel, Tidewater, Inc.
Michael Olivier, CEO, Committee of 100 Louisiana
Robbert Vorhoff, Director of Corporate Planning, Laitram, LLC
Shelby Westfeldt Mills, Vice-President, Westfeldt Brothers Coffee
Lizette Terral, President, New Orleans Region, JP Morgan Chase
Charles Smith Jr., Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, S. Cubed Pacorini Logistics
Scott Howard, President, New Orleans Region, Regions Bank
Stephen Hanemann, Partner, Kean Miller, LLP
Tom Cole, President, Republic National Distributing Company
Paul Aucoin, Executive Director, Port of South Louisiana
Jason French, Director of Government and Public Affairs, Cheniere Energy
David Kearney (ex-officio), President, The Kearney Companies
Corrado Giacona II (ex-officio), President and CEO, Giacona Container Company, Inc.

To learn more about WTC New Orleans, click on the source link below: