Dennis Lauscha, a native New Orleanian, has been a fan of the Saints since he was a young boy. He attended Jesuit High School and received degrees in Business, first from the University of Alabama, followed by an M.B.A. from Loyola University. Starting out his career as a C.P.A, Lauscha worked for a major global financial services firm before his decades long career with the Saints. He first joined the Saints in 1998 as Treasurer and as a result of his hard work, loyalty and business acumen, Lauscha rose through the executive ranks to serve as Vice President, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President before reaching his now esteemed post as President since 2012. In his role, he oversees the club's financial operations, government affairs, marketing, ticket and suite sales, legal, stadium, community affairs, human resources, business intelligence and information technology. He also serves as a representative for both clubs at National Football League and National Basketball Association Owners meetings, also serving as president of the Pelicans franchise.
In addition to his duties with the Saints and Pelicans, the New Orleans native maintains multiple roles within other holdings of Mrs. Benson, maintaining a role in the management of her automotive dealerships, real estate holdings, GMB Racing, Benson Capital Partners, Faubourg Brewing Co. and other investments.
Lauscha's collaborative style, financial acumen and long-term view has played a key role as a member of a contingent that has negotiated agreements for both the Saints and Pelicans with the state of Louisiana that has resulted in long-term lease agreements, continuous improvements to their playing and practice facilities, revitalization of the areas around them and generated revenue for the state without any new taxes for citizens.
In 2009, Lauscha helped negotiate the partnership with the Louisiana Governor and a subsequent extension of the agreement that continues the Saints' long-term commitment to the state. The deal included the purchase and redevelopment of the former New Orleans Centre, which has been transformed into Champions Square and the Benson Tower property adjacent to the Caesars Superdome, with the stadium undergoing extensive renovations and improvements. Since playing a key role in Mr. and Mrs. Benson's purchase of the Pelicans in 2012, Lauscha has helped broker agreements with the state to upgrade the team's playing and practice facilities. Following successful negotiations, the Pelicans have a long-term commitment to the state and the Smoothie King Center has undergone over $50 million in renovations and improvements.
In 2015, Lauscha helped negotiate an agreement with the state that resulted in $40 million in enhancements for fans of both the Saints and Pelicans. The Caesars Superdome had state-of-the-art video boards added in 2016 in addition to renovated suites and other fan amenities, while a new center-hung HD video scoreboard was installed in the Smoothie King Center. Most recently Lauscha brokered an agreement with the state that has resulted in a long-term lease extension for the Saints and a multiple-phase transformative renovation of the Caesars Superdome, to keep the stadium among the world's elite sports facilities, with field level suites making their debut in 2021 one of the first of many enhancements. He has played a key role in finalizing 2021 and 2014 ground-breaking naming rights and sponsorship agreements for both teams' playing facilities with Caesars Entertainment and Smoothie King.
Lauscha was instrumental in the 2003 expansion of the Saints training facility. He later oversaw a renovation and expansion of the facilities and administrative offices for the Saints and Pelicans from 2012-13, while directing the construction of a basketball practice facility. The clubs are now housed on the same site at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, featuring some of the top facilities in professional sports.
Lauscha's committed to help attract major sporting events to New Orleans. He's a key member of the team that actively pursues future Super Bowls and NCAA Basketball Final Four Championships for New Orleans – and was instrumental in landing Super Bowl XLVII, which was played in 2013 and the guarantee of Super Bowl LIX to be played at the Caesars Superdome in February, 2025, which was awarded by the NFL in 2018. After Mr. and Mrs. Bensons' 2012 purchase of the Pelicans, the city has hosted NBA All-Star Games in 2014 and 2017.
Lauscha has continually responded to unique challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak, constantly communicating with staff to manage the unprecedented uncertainty of the pandemic. He and his staff have worked closely with government officials, the NFL and the NBA to develop the proper protocols for both organizations and its fans, with safety the utmost priority, with the organization having been recognized as having the best overall safety and security score in the NFL in 2020-21 in the league's annual "Voice of the Fan" rankings.
In 2008, Lauscha was a primary member of the negotiating team during the purchase of WVUE FOX 8 and its subsequent relationship with Raycom Media. Prior to Mr. and Mrs. Benson's sale of a majority interest to Raycom in 2017, Lauscha helped steward the station's growth in the Nielsen ratings in the New Orleans market. During their ownership, FOX 8 received numerous honors for their programming and investigative reporting, including a George Foster Peabody Award, two Dupont Awards and eight national Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Active throughout sports and the community, Lauscha currently serves as a member of the Business Council of New Orleans & The River Region, as a board member of the Audubon Nature Institute and Loyola University New Orleans, and as a trustee of the National World War II Museum. Lauscha has completed terms as board president of the Preservation Resource Center, president of the regional chapter of the Boy Scouts of America and as a member of the Blight Transition New Orleans Task Force, the Mayor's Transition Committee, the Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee, the 2014 and 2017 NBA All-Star Game Host Committees, the 2012 NCAA Final Four Host Committee, the Loyola University New Orleans School of Business Visiting Committee, the NBA's Team Advisory Council of Presidents and Team CBA Advisory Committee, the NFL's Ticketing Strategy Working Group, the NFL's 100th Anniversary Committee, the NFL's Sports Betting Committee, the Stuart Hall School Board of Trustees and on the New Orleans Museum of Art Board.
Lauscha's dealings with the teams, state officials and local organizations have provided an opportunity for community involvement. His professional and charitable work was recognized by New Orleans CityBusiness, when he was selected as one of the 40 Most Influential Members of the Community. The honor is bestowed on those who are laying the groundwork for a better city. In 2010, he was named the Alumnus of the Year by Loyola's College of Business and was named to the 2010 Class of Role Models by the Young Leadership Council. He was honored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation/ College Football Hall of Fame with its 2014 Distinguished American Award. In 2015, Lauscha gave the commencement address to the graduates of the University of New Orleans. In 2016, he was inducted into the Order of West Range for the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation. He was honored as a 2019 Laureate of Junior Achievement's Greater New Orleans chapter. Lauscha has also completed the NFL Managers Program at Stanford University's Executive Education Graduate School of Business.
