> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # NORD Commission Appoints Patrice A. Bell as Chief Executive Officer - URL: https://www.evanscutchmorepress.com/nord-commission-appoints-patrice-a-bell-as-chief-executive-officer/ - Published: 2026-10-08T23:59:36.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T23:59:36.000Z - Description: The NORD Commission appointed Patrice A. Bell as chief executive officer Thursday, skipping a planned executive session. Her base salary is $200,000, effective December 1. In an interview after the vote, Mayor Helena Moreno said Bell's sense of urgency set her apart. - Author: Kim M. Braud - Tags: News, All Stories, NORD *The commission skipped a planned executive session and approved Bell at a base salary of $200,000, effective December 1\. Mayor Helena Moreno said Bell's sense of urgency set her apart.* By Kim M. Braud | October 8, 2026 --- NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Recreation Development Commission tonight appointed Patrice A. Bell as its next chief executive officer. The appointment ends a search that began in June and drew 176 applicants. The motion selects and employs Bell as CEO at a base salary of $200,000, effective December 1, 2026\. It also directs the interim CEO to complete the administrative steps needed to finalize the appointment. Commissioners approved it by voice vote. Bell is chief administrative officer of Louisiana Gateway Port. She previously held senior roles at Xavier University of Louisiana and with the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. She was one of two finalists, along with Corey K. Wilson, former superintendent of the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). Mayor Helena Moreno attended the meeting and was recorded present at roll call. ## A shorter meeting than planned At Wednesday night's finalist forum, the commission said it would take public comment Thursday, move into executive session, and then return to vote. Instead, the first action tonight was a motion to forgo the executive session. It passed, and the commission went straight to public comment and the vote. The meeting lasted about 16 minutes. ## Public comment Ryan Berger, vice chair of the NORD Foundation, said the foundation hired and paid AMCorp International to run the search. He thanked Anita Tillman of AMCorp for what he called a publicly engaged and transparent process. He also thanked interim CEO Natasha Robinson and her staff for supporting a search for her own potential successor. Renard Thomas, Board Member of Voice of The Experienced, urged commissioners to act independently of whoever appoints them. A volunteer youth football coach returned for a second night to dispute a suspension. He was joined by parents of players on his team, who said he had a positive effect on their children and questioned whether the discipline was proportionate. The commission did not address the matter during the meeting. In an interview after the vote, Moreno called both finalists exemplary and noted Wilson's recreation experience at BREC. > What I appreciated so much about Ms. Bell is her level of urgency. Moreno said she and Bell connected on making NORD easier for families to use. She gave two examples: the NORD website should show when a pool is closed before residents arrive, and parents should be able to register children for camps online instead of standing in line. She said Bell spoke about the need for a real maintenance strategy and a path to financing it. She also said Bell embraced Moreno's "we're one team" approach, in which City workforces doing similar work coordinate on fixes. Moreno named Property Management, Parks and Parkways, NORD, the Department of Public Works and the Sewerage and Water Board. Moreno credited AMCorp with holding community meetings and bringing the finalists to the Council Chamber. Asked whether she had confidence in Bell, she said she did. > I think she's going to be great. ## What Bell said at the forum At Wednesday's forum, Bell laid out a 180-day plan. The first 60 days would focus on listening sessions by district, stabilizing programs and securing facilities. After that, she would align staff, volunteer and financial resources. She said she would not overpromise immediate change. Asked by a Step Up Louisiana organizer whether she would keep NORD centers from being privatized, Bell said privatization was not a conversation she had had with anyone about NORD. She said she had no intention of adding fees for school children using parks or for NORD summer camps. ## What is next Bell takes office December 1\. Until then, Robinson remains interim CEO. Bell will inherit several reviews already underway: - The Office of Inspector General released an athletics oversight report in September, and NORD expects a park maintenance audit later this fall. - The Bureau of Governmental Research is examining NORD's relationship with the Department of Parks and Parkways. - The mayor's NORD Reform Task Force is expected to recommend changes through legislation, administrative policy and intergovernmental agreements. At Wednesday's meeting, residents also opposed a proposal to have an outside organization run programming at NORD's indoor pools. That proposal had not been acted on as of Thursday. --- *Kim M. Braud is the Founder & Editor of Evans Cutchmore Press, an independent newsroom covering Louisiana and the Gulf South. Her reporting focuses on government accountability, infrastructure, business, culture, and the public policies that shape communities.* *© 2026 Evans Cutchmore Press. 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