Owner/Executive Vice President Rita Benson LeBlanc is the leader of the of the business and administrative operations of the New Orleans Saints, with a myriad of daily responsibilities that includes overseeing all sales and marketing efforts, the club’s community and youth programs, game day entertainment and stadium operations.

LeBlanc also represents the club at NFL Ownership Meetings, where she chairs the NFL Employee Benefits Committee and serves on the NFL International Committee – which has brought the NFL International Series to London to expand the popularity and reach of the NFL around the globe. She also works tirelessly in New Orleans’ efforts to host future Super Bowls.

LeBlanc played an integral role in the Saints playing the San Diego Chargers at London’s Wembley Stadium on Oct. 26, 2008, with one of her primary objectives being to stimulate the economy of the Gulf South on an international level. During the week-long trip, she helped build partnerships between local and international business leaders and stressed the importance of Louisiana tourism.

For years, LeBlanc has worked in various areas within the Saints organization as well as the League office. She has served in nearly every department within the club, and has also spearheaded fiscal responsibility, business development and stadium research. Her past sports experience includes roles with the NFL in New York, the NFL Properties Publishing Group in Los Angeles and NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J. She was a member of the inaugural class of the NFL Managers Program at Stanford University’s Executive Education Graduate School of Business.

LeBlanc’s leadership in the New Orleans community has become increasingly evident in recent years. During and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, under the leadership of Saints owner Tom Benson, she played a critical role in securing the return of the Saints to New Orleans. Since the team’s return, LeBlanc has focused her efforts on fulfilling Mr. Benson’s pledge to Saints fans throughout the Gulf South “to build a winning team, on and off the field, and be leaders in the rebuilding of the Gulf South.”

In the immediate days following the storms, LeBlanc helped establish the New Orleans Saints Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, which raised over $1 million dollars to assist the citizens of the Gulf South. She also coordinated the continuing refurbishment of the Superdome and joined the New Orleans Business Council to work for economic growth and development in the area.

Recently, the Benson family again displayed their unwavering commitment to the region, announcing a new partnership with the state of Louisiana that calls for the club to make a long-term investment that will dramatically revitalize the neighborhood around the Superdome.

The partnership includes the Benson family purchasing and redeveloping the New Orleans Centre and Dominion Tower, two properties that have sat largely dormant and in disrepair since 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The Saints and the LSED will join into an innovative co-development agreement to create a Sports Development District downtown, which will feature an interactive entertainment venue, commercial office space and parking. The Superdome will be modernized to make it competitive with the newest stadiums in the NFL, and the club’s lease with the stadium has been extended through 2025.

LeBlanc is also a member of the Board of Directors of Louisiana Entertainment Company, where she is actively involved in the operations of WVUE FOX-8 – purchased by Mr. Benson in 2008 and the only network-affiliated television station in the New Orleans market that is wholly locally owned – and the film and production projects of Horizon Entertainment.

The Louisiana Media Company has increased jobs, revenue and exposure for the state, and Horizon has brought feature film projects to the region. As an executive producer with Horizon, LeBlanc has been a creative influence with projects such as the MTV series “Two-a-Days,” films such as “Father of Invention” and special events such as “Fuse’s Live from the VooDoo Fest.”

LeBlanc’s close working relationship with the League office has proved to be beneficial in securing League grants and programs that benefit Gulf South youth and charitable initiatives. Since 2006, the Saints distributed over $1.5 million dollars to high school and youth football organizations to help in their post-Katrina rebuilding process.

Under LeBlanc’s direction, the Saints maintain an active presence throughout the Gulf South region by developing and implementing programs that not only allow children to experience the excitement of Saints football but also teach important life skills. Over 5,000 charities, schools, churches, foundations and festivals receive in-kind donations from the club annually. Over 50,000 young people are reached yearly through Saints Youth Programs, over 700 instructors, coaches and athletic directors receive training and over 130 schools and playgrounds in the region are visited.

For her dedication and efforts in youth football development, LeBlanc was awarded the 2008 “Star Performance Award” by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society. Continuing to help foster the growth of the sport among the region’s youth through education, LeBlanc was honored with the 2008 Pop Warner Female Achievement Award by the Pop Warner Little Scholars organization.

LeBlanc has directed the team’s marketing development efforts that have lead the club to new heights in season ticket sales. The club sold-out on a season-ticket basis for the first time in 2006, and has duplicated the feat each year since. The team was named “2006 Marketer of the Year” by the American Marketing Association’s New Orleans region chapter and received the MAX award for its 2006 “Winning Is An Attitude” advertising campaign.

In addition, LeBlanc is committed to bringing additional international events to the city of New Orleans in an effort to increase the city’s global exposure. LeBlanc played an integral part in hosting the first U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team match in the state of Louisiana versus the Brazilian Women’s National team on July 13, 2003. This game was also the first full international soccer match in the state, and was televised live by ESPN both domestically and internationally.

Previously she aided the preparation and execution of a trade mission to Honduras to explore the potential of an international market for professional football. As a direct result, the Saints signed a partnership agreement with Olimpia Deportivo, Honduras’ largest sports club. This partnership included bilateral exchange programs, marketing visits, and training seminars. This trade mission also resulted in the playing of a soccer match in New Orleans between the Dallas Burn of the MLS and a Honduran club.

LeBlanc was recognized for her work on behalf of the team and community by being named one of the forty most influential sports executives under the age of forty by Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal in both 2007 and 2008. She was also recognized by Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu with the inaugural “Changing Louisiana Award” for her volunteerism and social entrepreneurship on behalf of the state. In 2008, LeBlanc was also honored in New York as one of three selections by vote for WISE’s (Women in Sports and Events) “Women of the Year” for 2008.

In addition to leading the team’s expansive community, youth and charitable efforts, LeBlanc serves on the New Orleans Business Council, the United Way Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees of Loyola University, the Shirley Landry Benson PACE Center at St. Cecilia, and the Oblate Missionary Partnership. She is also involved with significant efforts to support coastal preservation and flood protection, working with Women of the Storm and The Coast Guardians to raise public awareness of these critical environmental conservation issues. These efforts have included lobbying members of Congress in Washington, DC, creating public service announcements and recruiting players and their families to lend their support to the mission.

LeBlanc is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Agribusiness – studying abroad for a semester in Italy focusing on international finance and art – and also received a certificate in International Business from the Lowry Mays School of Business.