Join this year’s Opening Session to kick-off your conference experience! In addition to orienting you to all that PastForward and the host city of New Orleans have to offer, the session will also leave you inspired to strengthen your preservation skills and techniques over the next two days.

To inspire your creativity, former Louisiana Poet Laureate John Warner Smith will read a poem appropriate for the occasion. In March 2023, John brought his years of managerial experience and his knowledge and love of history to New Iberia’s Main Street District as the new Executive Director of Shadows-on-the-Teche.

To rejuvenate your spirit, hear inspiring stories about individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, and corporations bringing new life and meaning to their communities through the power of preservation during this year’s National Preservation Awards.

In addition to serving as the National Trust’s annual membership meeting for the purpose of electing new members to the Board of Trustees, this jam-packed session will feature Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser sharing his enthusiasm for heritage tourism, the highly successful Louisiana Main Street program, and the state’s tax credit for rehabilitation.

Finally hear from one of the biggest supporters of historic preservation in Congress today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy will share how the federal Historic Tax Credits are revitalizing older neighborhoods and communities economically, socially, and sustainably across the country. He will also provide advocacy advice as a new Congress heads into “the super bowl of tax.”