Desiree Mary Charbonnet is an American politician, attorney, former Orleans Parish Recorder of Mortgages, and former Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Municipal Court.
22 Facts About Desiree Charbonnet
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Desiree Charbonnet attended Cabrini High School, Loyola University New Orleans and Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
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Subsequently, Desiree Charbonnet clerked for Justice Johnson's successor, Judge Terri Love who currently serves on the Louisiana Fourth Circuit of Appeals.
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On February 7,1998, at age 29, Desiree Charbonnet defeated the incumbent Orleans Parish Recorder of Mortgages, Michael McCrossen, becoming the first woman and first African American elected to the position.
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Desiree Charbonnet immediately launched an initiative to educate renters about homeownership opportunities.
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Desiree Charbonnet, who served as Orleans Parish Recorder of Mortgages during Hurricane Katrina, kept the office open during the aftermath of the storm to ensure people would be able to readily access their mortgage records, even as most government offices closed or temporarily relocated out of New Orleans.
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In 2006, Desiree Charbonnet made headlines when she advocated and lobbied the Louisiana Legislature to merge the Recorder of Mortgages office and the register of conveyances within the Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil District Court's office.
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Desiree Charbonnet served as Orleans Parish Recorder of Mortgages for nearly 10 years.
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In 2007, Desiree Charbonnet ran to serve out the final 14 months of the 8-year term of Judge Bruce McConduit, who retired two years earlier.
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Desiree Charbonnet was the first woman elected to serve as an Orleans Parish Municipal Court Judge.
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In 2012, Desiree Charbonnet was selected by her colleagues to serve as Chief Judge of the Orleans Parish Municipal Court, the first woman to serve in that capacity.
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Desiree Charbonnet first got involved in creating new diversion court programs as part of the New Orleans task force of the American Bar Association's Racial Justice Improvement Project.
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Desiree Charbonnet led the charge to start a diversion court for mental illness in 2014, partnering with the city's health department for a two-year pilot.
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In 2014, in partnership with Women With a Vision and the Orleans Public Defenders, Desiree Charbonnet started a diversion court for people arrested on prostitution charges, called Crossroads.
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Desiree Charbonnet was a candidate in the 2017 New Orleans mayoral election.
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On May 22,2017, Desiree Charbonnet officially announced her candidacy for mayor before a large crowd of supporters who assembled in the Sheraton New Orleans ballroom.
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Desiree Charbonnet, whose father was a carpenter and grandfather was a baker at Leidenheimer Baking Company, had the support of New Orleans' local labor leaders and earned the endorsement of the Greater New Orleans AFL-CIO.
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Desiree Charbonnet attained the endorsement of the New Orleans Fire Fighters Association, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 632.
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Desiree Charbonnet has been nationally recognized as an advocate for alternatives to incarceration and has been featured in national publications including The Atlantic.
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In 2015, Desiree Charbonnet served as a faculty member for the National Human Trafficking Summit in New York.
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Desiree Charbonnet has been the recipient of the United States Department of Justice Byrne grant and Racial Justice Improvement Project grant.
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Desiree Charbonnet's office has established itself as a "victim's rights" law firm.