Jefferson Parish Pulse: Pontchartrain Conservancy

This week on the Jefferson Parish Pulse, we feature an interview with Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy.  The Pontchartrain Conservancy is a non-profit designed to support an environmentally sustainable, prosperous and resilient region through scientific research, education and advocacy. As the Louisiana coastline continues to vanish, which opens us up for flooding and more dangerous impacts from hurricanes, we are lucky to have this leading organization using science, data and a deep passion for our waterways to sustain our coast. This interview felt especially timely given this year’s very active hurricane season.

A former engineer, Kristi followed her passion, which led her to this important work. She’s been with the organization since 2016, but has followed the Pontchartrain Conservancy’s mission for much longer than that. Since taking over the organization, she has helped to advocate for our coast to and to care for our precious waterways and the areas surrounding them.

On this episode, Kristi and I talk about the impacts of the 2020 hurricane season on our coastline, how the Pontchartrain Conservancy’s work is tied to the prosperity of our region, and the importance of our coasts and our waterways to the rest of the country.

About Kristi
Kristi Trail is the Executive Director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, and has been since 2016. She earned her BS and MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Kristi is responsible for all aspects of governance and day-to-day operations for Pontchartrain Conservancy. Prior to joining Pontchartrain Conservancy, Kristi worked as an engineer in various capacities in the energy sector and as a private consultant.

She is active in the New Orleans community, serving on many nonprofit boards including LSU Health Foundation, and the Audubon Area Zoning Association. She is also an active member of the Louisiana Women’s Forum & the Women’s Professional Council of New Orleans. Additionally, she is a fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics (2005) and the Institute of Environmental Communications (2005). Kristi is a native of New Orleans and lives in Uptown New Orleans with her husband and two children.

Feel free to listen to the full interview below (or you can click here). 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.