The National Urban League selected Marc H. Morial as its new President and CEO effective May 15, 2003.  Mr. Morial succeeds Hugh B. Price as the League's eighth Chief Executive. 

Mr. Morial served two distinguished 4-year terms as Mayor of New Orleans from 1994-2002. During that time, he also served as President of the United States Conference of Mayors in 2001 and 2002.

As New Orleans chief executive, he was one of the most popular and effective mayors in the city's history, leaving office with a 70 percent approval rating. 

After being elected as one of the youngest mayors in the city's history, crime plummeted by 60 percent, a corrupt Police Department was reformed, new programs for youth were started, and a stagnant economy was re-energized.

Under his watch, 7,000 new hotel rooms were added, and 15,000 new homeowners resulted from his progressive and innovative programs. 

In his final months in office, he orchestrated the return of the National Basketball Association to New Orleans, with the relocation of the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans.

In addition, the Morial Convention Center was expanded to one of the largest in America, a downtown Sports Arena was built, and over 200 miles of streets were reconstructed, or resurfaced through Morial's far reaching "Rebuild New Orleans Now!" bond issues which provided funding for nearly $400 million in City, School Board and Criminal Justice System infrastructure improvements.

Many of these infrastructure improvements will be completed long after the end of his term, a testament to his long-range planning and management abilities.

Marc H. Morial also served two-years in the Louisiana State Senate where he was recognized as Conservationist Senator of the Year, Education Senator of the Year and Legislative Rookie of the Year for his accomplishments.

Prior to his elected service, he was a lawyer in private practice, involved in many high profile and noteworthy cases, for which the Louisiana Bar Association honored him in 1988 with its Pro Bono Publico Award. 

Among those cases was the U.S. Supreme Court case of Chisom vs. Roemer, that established that the Voting Rights Act applied to the election of judges. This case led to the election of the first African-American judge in Louisiana history.

He earned a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1983 and also earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and African American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1980. He graduated from Jesuit High School in 1976.

In 2002, Xavier University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He is the son of the late Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial, New Orleans' First Black Mayor, and Sybil Morial, a teacher and university administrator.

Marc Morial is the father of a 20-year old daughter, Kemah, who is a junior at Tufts University. He is married to news anchor Michelle Miller and together they have a son, Mason who was born in April 2002.

In 2002, he joined the law firm of Adams and Reese, one of the Gulf South's leading law firms.