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In 1999, Karen Carter Peterson beat a diverse field of candidates to fill the legislative seat of Louisiana Civil Rights legend Reverend Avery C. Alexander. Her legislative district encompasses the heart of New Orleans and includes the city's most famous areas: the French Quarter, the Superdome, downtown and the port along the Mississippi River. In the Louisiana House of Representatives, Rep. Carter Peterson serves on the Ways & Means Committee, House and Governmental Affairs Committee, Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs Committee, House Executive Committee and Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay. During her first year as a legislator, Rep. Carter Peterson was selected by her colleagues as "Rookie of the Year". She currently serves as a legislative floor leader for Governor Mike Foster and for New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.
Rep.Carter Peterson is associated with the New Orleans law firm of Carter & Cates, where she represents clients on matters related to public utility regulatory compliance, litigation, agency rulemakings and appeals, casualty defense, personal injuries, real estate and successions. She has also worked along with the principals on many commercial and financial matters, including commercial litigation, contracts, bond issuance and corporate restructuring. Rep. Carter Peterson also advises emerging businesses on a full range of legal matters, including incorporations and financing.
Rep. Carter Peterson is a 1991 graduate of Howard University School of Business, where she received a degree in International Business and Marketing. While at Howard, Rep. Carter Peterson was an officer of the International Business Society and a member of the International Business Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi. During college, she also worked as an intern for both United States Senator John Breaux and Congressman Billy Tauzin. She is a graduate of Tulane University Law School and attended both Boston College Law School and the University of Virginia's Law School as a visiting student.
Rep. Carter Peterson's professional and civic activities include board membership with the Louisiana Trial Lawyers Association, Kingsley House, the Blood Center, the Vieux Carré Alliance, Coliseum Square Association, the YWCA and the Association of Women Attorneys. She is a former member of the New Orleans Bar Association's Young Lawyers Board of Directors, the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society's Executive Board, where she served as both President and Vice President, and the Louisiana State Bar Association's Committees on Public Information and Bench-Bar Liaison. She has served as a volunteer for the Free Tutoring Program, Inc., the Young Leadership Council's Recreate New Orleans program and as an adult advisor to St. Monica's Christian Youth Organization. She also served as the Second Vice President on the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library Board and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Council for International Visitors, the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the National Conference of State Legislators and the Dryades Street YMCA Black Achievers and Industry Program.
Beginning at the age of 18, Rep. Carter Peterson began serving as a delegate to Democratic National Conventions. She was elected in 1988, 1996 and 2000 to represent Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, respectively. Since 1996, she has served on the Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee. She currently serves as Vice President of Elected Officials for the Louisiana Democratic Party. She is the former Statewide Committee Chair for Young Democrats and serves on the Executive and Finance Committees. She also serves on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, where she holds the position of Rules Committee Chair.
Earlier this year, Rep.Carter Peterson was selected to serve on the Executive Board of the National Democratic Leadership Council's State Legislative Advisory Committee.
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house.legis.state.la.us
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