New Orleans
Lior Sekler has been hired by HRI Hospitality as the company’s first chief commercial officer.
Sekler has been with HRI for 15 years, most recently as senior vice president of revenue management. Before that, he held senior revenue leadership positions at several top hotels.
He earned a bachelor’s in hospitality administration and management from Cornell University.
—
Three new members have been added to the Tulane Cancer Center leadership team.
Matthew E. Burow has been named associate director for translational research. He is an associate professor of medicine and assistant chair for research in the John W. Deming Department of Medicine at Tulane University.
He earned a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi and a doctorate in molecular and cellular biology from Tulane.
Dr. Jessica Shank has been named associate director for clinical affairs. Shank is section chief of gynecologic oncology and Maxwell E. Lapham Chair in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Tulane.
She earned a bachelor’s in art and biology from Tulane and a medical degree from Tulane’s School of Medicine. Shank completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and a fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the University of Michigan’s Rogel Cancer Center. She served as a staff gynecologic oncologist at the Naval Medical Center San Diego before retiring from the Navy and returning to Tulane.
Zachary Pursell has been named leader of the Genes X Environment Research Program at Tulane Cancer Center as well as co-leader of the Genes X Environment Research Program at the Louisiana Cancer Research Center. Pursell is an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.
He earned a bachelor’s in biological chemistry from Tulane and a doctorate in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley.
—
Sidney Rillieux III has been promoted to assistant director of facility management for the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
Rillieux joined the Convention Center staff in 1994 as an officer in the public safety department. He progressed through the ranks and became assistant director of facility management for building maintenance in 2024.
Before being hired at the center, Rillieux was in the Army, serving stateside and in Germany as a heavy wheel diesel mechanic. He earned the rank of sergeant before receiving an honorable discharge.
—
Rebecca Fontenette has been promoted to director of engineering and strategic operations for Haptech Defense Systems.
Fontenette was hired by Haptech in 2022 as a project manager. Before that, she was an engineer and project manager at Chevron for eight years.
She earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering with a minor in business administration from LSU.
—
Rampart/Wurth Holding has made changes to its leadership team.
Michael Ricci is a partner and director of Rampart/Wurth Holding. He will be active in all aspects of the company’s operations, including newly acquired NAI Latter & Blum Commercial Real Estate, Wurth Real Estate Services, Rampart Commercial Management and Rampart Multifamily Management.
Karl Landreneau is head of commercial sales and leasing at NAI Latter & Blum Commercial Real Estate. Landreneau has managed the NAI/Latter & Blum Commercial group for more than 20 years.
—
Jonathan Schultis has been named managing partner of Ricci Partners.
Schultis has been with the law firm since it was founded in 2014.
Mervatt Eljaouhari has joined Ricci Partners as an attorney assisting with its transactional, corporate counseling and real estate/development practices.
She will also spearhead the estates and successions practice.
Baton Rouge
Melissa Ott has been promoted to president of Pelican State Credit Union.
She replaces longtime President and CEO Jeffrey K. Conrad, who is transitioning to a CEO role after 38 years with the company.
Ott has been with Pelican since 2000, when she was an accounting student at LSU. She has worked in a variety of departments at the credit union, including marketing, financial outreach and electronic service. She was named executive vice president in 2022.
—
Ryan Duffy and Evan Alvarez have joined the government relations team at the Tatman Group.
Duffy previously worked in Boards and Commissions under former Gov. John Bel Edwards, where she worked closely with legislators and state agencies. She earned a bachelor’s in political science and government from LSU.
Alvarez is government relations director. He worked for Edwards and former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and has experience doing advocacy work for the American Heart Association and the NFL. He is a Millsaps College graduate.