Black PR Wire Power Profiler on LaToya Cantrell

LaToya Cantrell is the mayor-elect of New Orleans, LA. On September 18, 2017, Cantrell was elected the first female mayor in the city’s 300 year history. Claiming 60 percent of the vote, she is also the first outsider elected to the office since 1961.

Prior to being elected mayor, Cantrell served as president of the Broadmoor Improvement Association, where she led efforts that expedited the neighborhood’s recovery after Hurricane Katrina. The group developed a blueprint for the neighborhood and secured $5 million in pledges from the Clinton Global Initiative.

In addition leading the nonprofit, Cantrell was also elected to the City Council in 2012. Her best-known accomplishment was an ordinance to end smoking in city bars and casinos.

A native to Los Angeles, Cantrell relocated to New Orleans in 1990 to attend Xavier University, where she earned a sociology degree.