Residence Texas Name Rita LeBlanc Years active ca. 2002 2015 | Other names Rita Benson LeBlanc Nationality American Education Texas A&M University | |
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Full Name Rita Mae LeBlanc Alma mater Texas A&M University (B.S, Agribusiness, 2001) Occupation Formerly employed by Tom BensonFormer vice chairman of board, New Orleans Saints, fired by Tom Benson in 2015 Parents Russell LeBlanc, Renee Benson Similar People Tom Benson, Mickey Loomis, Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Pierre Thomas Profiles | ||
Conversation lesa kennedy and rita benson leblanc
Rita Mae LeBlanc, also known as Rita Benson LeBlanc, (born January 11, 1977) is a former Vice Chairman of the Board of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League.
Contents
- Conversation lesa kennedy and rita benson leblanc
- Early life and education
- Career
- Lawsuit against grandfather
- References
Early life and education
LeBlanc is the daughter of Russell LeBlanc and Renee Benson, the daughter of Tom Benson, the principal owner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. and his first wife Shirley. She has a brother, Ryan LeBlanc.
Born in Houma, Louisiana when her family lived in nearby Cut Off, she was raised on a ranch near Johnson City, Texas, where she attended Lyndon B. Johnson High School before receiving a bachelor of science degree in agribusiness at Texas A&M University in 2001.
Career
LeBlanc began interning for the Saints and in various league offices while still in high school, and went to work for the Saints after college. 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. (The VooDoo ceased operations in 2008.) In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, she began to take on a more public role and greater responsibilities in the management of the Saints.
She chairs the NFL Employee Benefits Committee, and was previously identified as Tom Benson's intended successor as principal owner of the team. LeBlanc is on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
In 2012, Tom Benson suspended LeBlanc from her jobs on account of her "sense of entitlement."
Lawsuit against grandfather
It was announced on January 21, 2015, by current Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson that Rita Benson Leblanc was no longer in consideration for future ownership of either franchise. She then sued him for control of his companies, claiming he is "incompetent." Tom Benson calls the lawsuit meritless and false.