NEW ORLEANS — The National World War II Museum announced the election of Suzanne T. Mestayer as Chair of its national Board of Trustees, as well as its newly elected board officers and trustees. Mestayer follows outgoing Board Chair Ted Weggeland, whose tenure from 2022 to 2024 saw the world premiere of Expressions of America, the conclusion of the museum’s $400 million Road to Victory Capital Campaign, and the grand opening of Liberation Pavilion, the museum’s final permanent exhibit hall.
Mestayer has been a steadfast supporter of the WWII Museum for years, first joining the Board in 2012. Her term as board chair commences as the institution begins a new chapter following years of expansion and transformation. The museum continues to evolve its campus and experiences to leverage new technology to remain at the forefront of immersive storytelling and maintain its standing as one of the world’s top museums. From planned gallery renovations and refreshed special exhibitions to an increased emphasis on educational outreach and digital engagement, audiences of all ages and backgrounds will be able to connect to history and learn about “the war that changed the world” in new, innovative ways.
The newly elected officers charged with leading the Board of Trustees through 2026 include:
Board Chair: Suzanne T. Mestayer
Managing Principal, ThirtyNorth Investments, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mestayer is Managing Principal of ThirtyNorth Investments and serves on the boards of Pan American Life Insurance Group Inc. and Ochsner Health, which she previously chaired. She is also past Chair of the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, Loyola University New Orleans, Greater New Orleans Inc. and United Way of Greater New Orleans.
Chair-Elect: James E. Maurin
Founder and Past Chairman, Stirling, Covington, Louisiana
Maurin is one of the founders of Stirling Properties and served as Chairman for 30 years. He serves on the boards of Ochsner Health, Highland Cashiers Hospital, International Council of Shopping Centers Foundation and the LSU Real Estate Facilities Foundation. He is also a member of Tulane’s Freeman Business School Council, Young Presidents’ Organization and Chief Executive Organization.
Secretary: John M. Hairston
President & CEO, Hancock Whitney Corporation, Gulfport, Mississippi / New Orleans, Louisiana
Hairston has served as CEO of Hancock Whitney Corporation since 2006, having joined the company in 1994. He serves on the New Orleans Business Council Board of Directors and Greater New Orleans Foundation, and he has previously chaired the Mississippi Gaming Commission, the Gulf Coast Business Council, and is incoming chair of the Mississippi Economic Council.
Treasurer: Pete November
Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, Louisiana
November serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Ochsner Health. He was named CEO in 2022 after serving in numerous senior leadership positions within the organization since 2012. He serves on the boards of Son of a Saint and Vale Health and is a member of the Business Council of New Orleans and the River Region, the Committee of 100 and the University of Kentucky Visiting Committee.
Immediate Past Board Chair: Ted Weggeland
Founder, Raincross Corporate Group, Riverside, California
Weggeland is the Founder of Raincross Corporate Group in Southern California. He is an active civic leader, having served on the California Travel & Tourism Commission, the California Fish & Game Commission and the California State Commission on the Political Reform Act of 1974, in addition to serving as co-chair of the 1999 Congressional Medal of Honor Society National Convention and as the youngest member of the California State Assembly in the 1990s.
The three newly appointed members of The National WWII Museum’s Board of Trustees, who will serve three-year terms, include:
Jacquelin Sewell Atkinson, Partner and President, Sewell Automotive Companies, Dallas, Texas
Atkinson is a Partner and President at Sewell Automotive Companies, where she has worked for 20 years. She serves on the Cadillac Dealer Council and the Dealer Executive Board for General Motors, and as Education Chair of the Dallas Chapter of Young Presidents’ Organization. Atkinson has previously been a member of the boards for The Hockaday School, the AT&T Center for the Performing Arts and TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) and served on the Audi Customer Experience Council.
H. Merritt Lane III, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO, Canal Barge Company, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
Lane is Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Canal Barge Company, Inc.; he joined the company in 1986 and was appointed President in 1994. He serves as Board Chair of both the Bureau of Governmental Research and The Water Institute of the Gulf. Lane also is a member of the boards of Hancock Whitney Bank, the National Waterways Foundation, the US Coast Guard Foundation and the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition. He previously has served as Chairman of the boards of the American Waterways Operators and Waterways Council, Inc.
Jason De Sena Trennert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Strategas Research Partners, New York, New York
Trennert is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Strategas, which he founded in 2006. He is a member of the advisory board of Hollow Brook Wealth Management and previously served as Chief Investment Strategist and a Senior Managing Director at International Strategy & Investment (ISI) Group. A regular guest on business news television, Trennert is the author of three books about investing and the investment business.
The museum’s newly appointed trustees bring the board’s total membership to 55 business and philanthropic leaders representing Washington, D.C. and 19 states. For a complete list of members, visit the Museum’s national Board of Trustees webpage.
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