Rita Benson LeBlanc, March 2010
Rita (Mae) Benson LeBlanc (born January 11, 1977[1]) is Vice Chairman of the Board of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.[2] She is the granddaughter of Tom Benson, the principal owner of the Saints.[3]
Born in Houma, Louisiana[4] when her family lived in nearby Cut Off,[5] she was raised on a ranch near Johnson City, Texas, where she attended Lyndon B. Johnson High School[1] before receiving a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness at Texas A&M University. She began interning for the Saints and in various league offices while still in high school, and went to work for the Saints after college.[5][6] In 2003 she took over management of the New Orleans VooDoo, the Arena Football League team also owned by Benson, and was named the indoor league's top executive.[4] (The VooDoo ceased operations in 2008.[7]) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she began to take on a more public role and greater responsibilities in the management of the Saints.[6] She chairs the NFL Employee Benefits Committee,[2] and she has been publicly identified as Tom Benson's intended successor as principal owner of the team.[8] http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2012/04/rita_benson_leblancs_conspicuo.html
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Maria C. Montoya, "The Saints' heir apparent Rita Benson LeBlanc has a nose for books, a passion for her BlackBerry, and an admitted grumpy streak", Times-Picayune, July 26, 2009.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Orleans Saints - Rita Benson LeBlanc at New Orleans Saints official website (accessed April 1, 2010).
- ↑ Granddaughter of Saints’ Boss Is Getting Ready to Call the Plays - New York Times
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Franz Lidz, "Rita's Hail Mary Pass", Portfolio, September 17, 2007.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sue Stachan, "Persona: Rita Benson LeBlanc", New Orleans Magazine, September 2007.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tom Orsborn, "LeBlanc works her way up Saints’ ladder", San Antonio Express-News, February 6, 2010.
- ↑ "Arena Football League's VooDoo folding", Associated Press in USA Today, October 13, 2008.
- ↑ James O'Byrne, "Rita Benson LeBlanc is climbing to the top of the Saints roster with hard work, not just pedigree", Times-Picayune, July 26, 2009.
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