Ted Selogie is general manager of the JW Marriott New Orleans hotel in Louisiana. The 26-year Marriott veteran is a two-time award winner for North American Lodging Awards including The Leadership Excellence Award for the Central Region – one of Marriott’s highest awards for sales and marketing achievement and operational excellence. He was also named General Manager of the Year for New Orleans in 2010 by Where Magazine.

Selogie joined Marriott International as a captain and assistant banquet maitre d’ of the Chicago Marriott Downtown hotel. He quickly advanced through the ranks and held various catering, food and beverage and marketing positions in hotels throughout Illinois and Iowa. In 1995, he was named director of marketing at the Schaumburg Marriott hotel in Illinois and later appointed as assistant general manager of the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel at Public Square. In 1999, he was named general manager of the Chicago Downtown Courtyard, which he held for two years before his appointment as area general manager of the Oakbrook and Southwest Cluster in Illinois.

Ted is an active member in his community. He works with various organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Jones House for Battered Women, Proviso East Public Schools, and Homes for Children with Downs Syndrome. For the past 20 years, he has served as an instructor for Marriott’s sales and catering schools. Currently, he serves as a board member for the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience and Marriott Business Council’s Committee Chairman for the DonorsChoose.org “Spirit to Serve New Orleans” service project that will help fund teacher projects for the upcoming school year. He was president for the Greater New Orleans Hotel and Lodging Association in 2009 and currently, committee chairman for government affairs for GNOHLA and the Louisiana Hotel and Lodging Association.

Selogie studied Industrial Engineering and Marketing at the University of Illinois. He is a triathlete, an avid sailor – 7th in Penguin Class for Two-Man Sailing World Open—and enjoys playing the trumpet. He currently resides in New Orleans and has a 15 year-old son, named Zachary.

Volunteer Opportunity with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra November 17-19

NOJO Presents: A Hometown Concert featuring Grammy Award-winning Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra

Our November 18th and 19th shows will feature music from the past nine years of NOJO, as we prepare to enter our 10th year. We are calling it “Honoring the Past & Transforming the Future,” since we will discuss 2012 plans during the course of the night.

Help is needed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the areas of Merchandise and Box Office.  Extra credit will be given for your participation.

• Thursday, 11/17: NOPL Main Library (219 Loyola Avenue 70112), 3-6pm
• Friday, 11/18: Ogden Museum’s Taylor Library (925 Camp Street 70130)
  • Shift 1: 4-7:30pm
  • Shift 2: 7-10:30pm
• Saturday, 11/19: Ogden Museum’s Taylor Library (925 Camp Street 70130)
  • Shift 1: 4-7:30pm
  • Shift 2: 7-10:30pm

Former NOPD Police Chief

William Rouselle was born in New Orleans on August 3^rd, 1946.  His current standing in business circles as one of New Orleans’ most sought after public relations and marketing specialists is the natural outgrowth of a life of leadership and building strong alliances.  Likewise, his standing in the local community as a committed voice for justice and change is evidence of his compassion and commitment.  He is in a good place:  sought out for his expertise, and respected and admired for his principles.

A man with many options, perhaps the only thing in life that wasn’t optional for Rouselle was leadership.  He has always ascended to a leadership roll in whatever he’s chosen to be involved in.  In high school he was class president, and later, student body president at Xavier University.  Accustomed to “firsts” Rouselle was hired by Time magazine after graduating from Xavier in 1967.  He would come home in 1968, accepting an offer from WDSU TV6 to become New Orleans’ first African American television news reporter.

But Rouselle’s heart was in the community. He was always looking for a way to help those who couldn’t help themselves.  In 1970, he accepted the job as Deputy Director of the City of New Orleans Human Relations Committee. And in 1972, under the mentorship of Oretha Castle Haley, whom Rouselle credits with teaching him everything he knows about community organizing, he switched gears and began grass roots organizing with the Free Southern Theater and the Parent Community Alliance, a community-based public education advocacy group. During this period, Rouselle was asked to join the board of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the first of many boards he would sit on.  He would eventually serve as president and help oversee the development of the festival into one of the world’s premier music events.

After working as an editor and publicist for the Black Collegian Magazine in the early 80s, Rouselle and his partner, Kalamu Ya Salaam founded Bright Moments, Inc. in 1984.  In the early years the company focused more on public relations, eventually moving into marketing and advertising. For almost 30 years now Rouselle and his company have provided these services to a long and growing list of clients including enduring clients like The Dryades YMCA, Total Community Action (TCA), the City of New Orleans, Entergy New Orleans, Pizza Hut/Lundy Enterprises, The Louisiana Department of Education, and New Orleans Public Schools.

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, Rouselle’s company has developed a new list of clientele as well as a decided niche as the go to agency for community outreach.  Katrina and her aftermath thrust Rouselle’s company into a pivotal role few could have filled.  With community interest and input at an unprecedented high after the storm, no major initiative dare move forward without consulting the community. Utilizing a “grassroots” marketing approach, Bright Moments has been the primary source for reaching out to the community and keeping them informed as initiatives progress. In summary, since Hurricane Katrina, Rouselle and his company have singlehandedly organized and produced more than 2,000 community meetings for clients that include Jacobs/CSRS, The Recovery School District, the City Planning Commission, the New Orleans Public Library, the BioDistrict and a bevy of private concerns. In the process, Rouselle has developed a finely tuned system of outreach that can be put into motion quickly and efficiently. It includes media outreach, and all forms of marketing and outreach into the community, including radio and television, direct mail, flyers, door hangers and street signs.

Rouselle was honored with the local advertising industry’s highest honor, the Silver Medal Award, presented to him at the 2007 New Orleans Ad Club’s ADDY Award Ceremony.  Equivalent to a lifetime achievement award, the award honored him for his many firsts and for his significant contribution to the industry and the City of New Orleans over the last 25 years.