Colette Pichon Battle is the Executive Director of Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. A native of Slidell, Louisiana, which is just north of New Orleans, she was raised in a Creole heritage in one of Louisiana's last Creole enclaves, Bayou Vincent. Colette earned her B.A. in International Studies and World Religion in 1997. Upon completing university Colette was selected as a Thomas J. Watson Fellow for an independent study in North and West Africa. In 2002 Colette earned her Juris Doctor and is a member of the Louisiana Bar. Her law practice specializes in international human rights, environmental justice and immigration law. Since Katrina she has been instrumental in the development and implementation of direct assistance projects with the Louisiana Network, Inc. and Operation Gulf Coast, a national coalition of private companies, concerned individuals, faith-based organizations and non-profit organizations to match resources to the needs of people in the Gulf Coast.
