The YLC Leadership Symposium is back by popular demand!

On Thursday, November 9 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at Bayou Oaks City Park Club House, YLC will host a panel discussion featuring important New Orleans industry leaders, who will share their wisdom on defining leadership and career development. If you’ve missed out on any of our quarterly Leadership Luncheons, this is a great opportunity to learn from these amazing individuals.

This year’s distinguished panelists include Mark Romig, Poppy Tooker, Matt Schwartz, Robin Barnes, and more to be announced. Complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be provided prior to the panel discussion.

Tickets are $10 for YLC members and $20 for non-members. RSVP now while spots last!

YLC Members must be logged in first in order to select the members-only discount.

Questions? Contact us at info@ylcnola.org.

Meet The Panelists

Kenneth Polite

Kenneth Polite represents the pinnacle of leadership, as demonstrated by his distinguished career of public service. Appointed by President Barack Obama to U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 2013, Polite now serves as Entergy’s Chief Compliance Officer. Among his many achievements as District Attorney, Polite was responsible for the Crescent City Keepers Mentoring Program, the creation of an anti-corruption unit to address claims of civil rights violations and public corruption, and introduced the 30-2-2 reentry program for former inmates, which joined with local businesses to employ formerly incarcerated individuals.

Robin Barnes

With a voice that is as powerful with a whisper as it is with a scream, contemporary crossover singer Robin Barnes is here to stun audiences. Robin grew up surrounded by jazz sounds, as made evident by a #5 debut on the Traditional Jazz Albums Billboard charts in 2016, but her current sound, Robin Barnes & the Fiya Birds, is more Chaka Khan than Ella Fitzgerald. By captivating audiences with her renditions of popular songs and contemporary classics, she makes each song her own. Robin has appeared on ESPN, BET, NCIS and has been featured in Forbes, Southwest Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Marie Claire and Southern Living, to name a few. In addition to being an award winning artist, she’s also one of the city of New Orleans’ biggest ambassadors, proudly carrying the official distinction of the “Songbird of New Orleans.”

Mark Romig

Mark Romig is the President and Chief Executive Officer of New Orleans’ Tourism Marketing Corporation. His distinguished public relations career has spanned more than 35 years. Mr. Romig is Volunteer President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2018 NOLA Foundation, the non-profit agency organizing New Orleans’ tricentennial celebration. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, and as board member for the Audubon Nature Institute, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Travel Advisory Council, and many others.

Poppy Tooker

An acclaimed cultural ambassador, Poppy broadcasts her love of New Orleans food and culture through the NPR-affiliated radio show Louisiana Eats!, which New Orleans Press Club awarded Best Radio Show of 2014. As a culinary activist, Poppy has been instrumental in reviving endangered local foods. She was a key element in the success of the Crescent City Farmers Market and authored its official cookbook, which earned the Eula Mae Dore Tabasco Award. Poppy founded Slow Food New Orleans in 1999, and was recognized by the Times Picayune as a “Hero of the Storm” for her post-Katrina work in foodways.