On Sunday, January 13, New Orleans Saints Owner Gayle Benson dedicated the lobby of the Mercedes Benz Superdome to former Governor Kathleen Blanco in recognition of her important contributions and leadership in getting the Superdome reopened following Hurricane Katrina.

Kathleen Blanco was the Governor of Louisiana when Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005 and devastated New Orleans.

She is the first woman ever elected Governor of Louisiana and served one term from January 2004 until January 2008.  

Blanco is from New Iberia and currently calls Lafayette home.  

In December, 2018 she announced that she had been diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 2011, and that the disease reappeared during a checkup in 2017.