Jefferson Parish Pulse: Cynthia Lee-Sheng

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we released a very special interview with Jefferson Parish President Elect, Cynthia Lee-Sheng. Cynthia was elected to become the next Parish President earlier this year and she will be sworn into that new role in early January 2020. Cynthia has served on the Jefferson Parish Council for 10 years in various capacities. On this episode, Cynthia and Kelsey talked about her plans for the next four years, top priorities for the incoming Parish Administration, and the projects she’s most proud of during her time as District 5 Councilwoman and Councilwoman-at-Large for District B. Cynthia had lots to say about housing, infrastructure and economic development. It was an illuminating and exciting conversation with the next leader of our Parish.

About Cynthia Lee-Sheng

Cynthia showed an interest in public service early in her life and obtained a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from George Washington University. She is a graduate of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and served for 10 years as a federal law enforcement officer with the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland and Newark, New Jersey. Before running for office and serving on the Jefferson Parish Council Cynthia practiced as a CPA specializing in litigation support.

Cynthia advocated for the revitalization of Fat City by sponsoring major zoning changes and working directly with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office to combat illegal activity. She established the Fat City Friends committee and funded landscaping improvements to bring over 200 new trees to the area. She also funded the Fat City mural program and commissioned 10 beautiful murals by local artists. Cynthia was also instrumental in bringing the first Trader Joe’s to the greater New Orleans area by working for nearly 2 years with the property owners and neighborhood group over the controversial Tolmas Tract property that has been in litigation for decades.

Cynthia’s family is well known to Jefferson Parish residents. Her grandfather opened the House of Lee Restaurant in the 1950s at the corner of Causeway Boulevard and Veterans Memorial Boulevard. Cynthia’s father was Sheriff Harry Lee who proudly served and protected Jefferson Parish for over 28 years. Cynthia was educated at St. Angela Merici, Mount Carmel Academy, Loyola University and George Washington University. Cynthia has two teenage children, Gavin and Miranda who live with her in Metairie.

Feel free to listen to the full interview below. You can also hear us anywhere you listen to your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts,  Spotify and Stitcher. We would LOVE your feedback. Please send your thoughts, questions and show requests to Kelsey Scram at kscram@jedco.org.