Featured Panelists
1984 Louisiana World Exposition: The Legacy of New Orleans on the World Stage
June 2, 2022 | 6:00 PM CST | Register Now: bit.ly/39MNj9b
Anna F. Kaplan, PhD, renowned oral historian, Dr. Kaplan is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Department of State, and will be discussing her extensive interviews with organizers and attendees of Expos in New Orleans, San Antonio, New York City, and Seattle.
Maggie Lemere, 2021 National Geographic Explorer, documentary filmmaker, oral historian and storytelling and social change strategist has worked across the U.S., Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. Maggie is the co-founder of Rhiza, a women-led collective that uses storytelling, healing, organizing, and research to support social transformation and environmental justice.
Peggy Scott Laborde, Senior Producer and host on WYES-TV and producer of over 40 documentary films featuring New Orleans culture and history, Peggy produced the 2003 film, A World's Fair to Remember, spotlighting the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition and exploring the activities and highlights of the fair as well as some of the issues that arose in the planning and execution of the event. Peggy is also host of the arts and entertainment weekly show, Steppin' Out on WYES-TV.
Keith Twitchell, journalist, writer, NGO management and community engagement expert, Keith was deeply involved with the World's Fair in 1984 as a regular volunteer for the event, spending time in the USA and Louisiana pavilions of the event and interacting with a wide variety of representatives from diverse nations who attended the event on behalf of their own countries' diplomatic efforts. Keith is Vice President of the Global New Orleans 2022 Board of Directors.
Liz Williams, founder of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum and culinary historian, Liz participated in the World's Fair as a static and habitual visitor, attending the Louisiana pavilion and local cultural displays. At the time of the 1984 World's Fair, Liz was a practicing lawyer who owned and operated a law office in downtown New Orleans. Liz is a past member of the Global New Orleans Board of Directors.
Kara Snesko, Senior Coordinator in the International Expositions Unit at the U.S. Department of State and was the project manager for the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. Kara is a veteran State Department public affairs leader with 15+ years of experience initiating and securing global strategic partnerships and managing large-scale events in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Snesko was the Deputy Coordinator for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, co-hosted by the Government of the Netherlands in June of 2019. Kara served as the Senior Advisor for the USA Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015, managing strategic communications and advising interagency partners on behalf of the U.S. government with private sector partners for U.S. participation in World’s Fair in Milan, Italy. She supported visits to World’s Fair for First Lady of the United States, Secretary of State John Kerry, two Presidential Delegations, three Congressional Delegations, and five U.S. governors, coordinating across six government agencies and organizations.
Ethan Stanton, Program Analysis Officer for the International Expositions Unit of the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy & Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Ethan joined the Department of State as a program analysis officer in the International Expositions Unit (Expo Unit) in August 2021 after previously serving in the Expo Unit as a contractor since May 2019. Most recently, Ethan was the project coordinator for the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, where he assisted efforts to develop the exhibition and content inside the Pavilion, as well as finalize the Pavilion’s inter-agency elements, monitor the project’s budget and contract, and report on real-time visitor engagement and media coverage to Department leadership.