Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will serve as President Joe Biden’s senior advisor and coordinator to implement his administration’s infrastructure law, the White House announced Friday.
As coordinator, Landrieu will oversee the infrastructure investments covering all modes of transportation from road, bridges, and rail to ports and airports to mass transit, water, wastewater to energy systems, broadband internet, and climate resiliency.
As Mayor of New Orleans, Landrieu took office during the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Once in office, he fast-tracked more than 100 projects, secured billions in federal funding for roads, schools, hospitals, parks, and critical infrastructure, overseeing the city’s comeback story. Landrieu also chaired the U.S. Conference on Mayors and was recognized by Governing Magazine as Public Official of the Year in 2015.
“I am thankful to the President and honored to be tasked with coordinating the largest infrastructure investment in generations,” said Mitch Landrieu. “Our work will require strong partnerships across the government and with state and local leaders, business and labor to create good-paying jobs and rebuild America for the middle class. We will also ensure these major investments achieve the President’s goals of combating climate change and advancing equity.”
Landrieu also served as the Lt. Governor of Louisiana. Landrieu also gained national prominence for his decision to take down four Confederate monuments in New Orleans, earning the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. Author of the book, In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History, Landrieu is the founder of E Pluribus Unum, an initiative created to break down the racial and class barriers that separate us. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, where they raised their five children.