Leger’s service provides New Orleans and Louisiana a seat at the national and international travel industry table, paving a path to the future
New Orleans, LA – Monday, March 10, 2025 – Walt Leger III, President & CEO of New Orleans & Company, has recently been reappointed to a second term of service on the U.S. Travel Association’s Executive Board. Leger has also recently been appointed to the Board of Directors and Trustees of Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel & Tourism Advisory Board.
With his re-appointment to a second term on the U.S. Travel Association’s Executive Board, Walt will continue to help guide the association’s strategy, ensure the success of U.S. Travel’s mission to increase travel to and within the United States, and advocate for policies that promote travel as essential to the broader economy.
In 2025, Walt was asked to serve for a two-year term as a Director and Trustee for PCMA and the PCMA Foundation. As a PCMA Board Member, Walt serves a globally diverse community that supports the association’s mission to drive global economic and social transformation through business events.
Walt was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to advise the Secretary on current and emerging travel issues and government policies and programs that impact the travel and tourism industry.
His leadership experience, prior public policy work and public service, and expertise in the travel industry ensure New Orleans’ seat at the table on the national and international stage. He helps shape critical decisions about the economic power of travel, bringing more meetings, conferences, conventions, major events, and international visitors to New Orleans, Louisiana, and the United States and fostering commerce, jobs, and quality of life.
“Walt’s focus is always on driving impact for the travel and tourism industry of New Orleans, but his recent appointments to these three positions is vital to the positioning of New Orleans not only as a go to destination but as a respected leader in the travel industry,” said Tom Leonhard, President and CEO of HRI Properties and 2025 New Orleans & Company Board Chairman. “These appointments give New Orleans a seat at the table shaping policy that will benefit the hospitality community and continue our efforts to make New Orleans a great place to live, work, visit and invest.”
In addition to his national appointments, Walt serves on the Boards of the Louisiana Travel Association, the Business Council of New Orleans, GNO, Inc., and the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, among other community organizations.
Over the past two decades, Walt has earned a reputation in Louisiana as a strategic thinker and fierce advocate. First as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans and later as an attorney with the law firm of Leger & Shaw, Walt has been a zealous advocate for his clients and victims of violent crime. Just out of law school, Walt served the people of the City of New Orleans as an Assistant District Attorney specializing in prosecuting violent offenders and drug traffickers. He tried countless cases before Judges and Juries and earned the respect of his peers and opponents as aggressive, fair, and just.
More Information about Walt’s Career
Walt served three terms in the Louisiana Legislature as a member of the House of Representatives from 2008 to 2020. For eight of those twelve years, Walt was selected by acclimation as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives, the youngest member to ever serve in this second-highest-ranking position.
Walt has been widely recognized and acclaimed as a problem solver, a consensus builder, and someone who gets results. Between 2008 and 2020, Leger passed over 125 pieces of legislation. His support for tax, revenue and budget reform and stabilization, strategic infrastructure investments particularly for our Ports, rail and multi-modal facilities, Criminal Justice Reform and Reinvestment, Early Childhood Care and Education, Education Reform and Economic Development has been recognized nationally and across the state with dozens of awards naming him a legislative champion, legislator of the year, or advocate of year.
Walt is regularly called upon to lecture at Continuing Legal Education programs for lawyers and Judges through the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, and other organizations. Walt is a founding board member and Vice President of the Louisiana Institute for Children in Families, which focuses on foster youth and adoption to ensure every child in Louisiana is loved and cared for.
Walt is a proud graduate of Louisiana State University. 2018, he was inducted into the LSU Hall of Distinction and chosen as the Young Alumnus of the Year. After graduating from Louisiana State University with numerous honors, Walt attended Tulane Law School, earning a certificate of specialization in Admiralty & Maritime Law and his Juris Doctor. At Tulane, Walt served as the Business Editor of the Tulane Maritime Law Journal, the Editor-in-Chief of the Tulane Environmental Law Newsletter, 1L Class President, and Student Bar Association Vice-President. He serves on the Tulane University President’s Council and the Ogden Honors College Advisory Board at LSU.
Walt has served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Judicial College. He has lectured regularly at Tulane University School of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, LSU Law School, Tulane University, the Loyola University Institute of Politics, and national conferences. Walt is also an adjunct professor of Law at Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law.
Leger resides in New Orleans with his wife, Danielle, and daughters Cate and Caroline.
About New Orleans & Company
New Orleans & Company is New Orleans’ tourism industry’s official destination sales and marketing organization. Founded in 1960, our mission is to inspire, promote, and encourage travel to our city for New Orleans and its people’s economic, social, and community benefit. We aim to ensure that New Orleans remains the most remarkable, unique, and welcoming city in the world. For more information, visit us at neworleans.com or on social media @VisitNewOrleans or @Neworleansandco.
