Marlin N. Gusman was elected Criminal Sheriff of Orleans Parish on November 2, 2004, nine months before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. He was re-elected to a four-year term in the April 2006 primary. The Criminal Sheriff is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated subjects in Orleans Parish, the Nation’s 8th largest correctional facility. The Sheriff is the Executive Officer for the Criminal Court, responsible for the service of subpoenas and courtroom security.
Sheriff Gusman is a graduate of the National Sheriffs’ Institute (NSI). He is a member of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and serves on its Crime Victims Services Committee; a member of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association (LSA); the American Correctional Association (ACA) and serves on its Adult Local Detention Committee, and is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). Sheriff Gusman is also a member of the National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
A New Orleans native, he attended the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree. He received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University and was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar in 1984. He is a graduate of the New Orleans Chamber Regional Leadership Institute (NORLI) and the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.
Mr. Gusman has worked for the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company (USF&G), and Laurance Eustis Insurance Company. He has been employed by Bruno & Tervalon, CPA, as the Executive Director of the New Orleans Business Development Center. He served as the City’s First Minority Business Counselor and as the Director of Property Management under the late Mayor Ernest “Dutch” Morial. He has been in private practice, an Associate Attorney in the late “Dutch” Morial’s law firm, and the Regional Tax Attorney for the Louisiana Department of Revenue and Taxation handling tax litigation and appeals.
Between 1994 and 2000, Mr. Gusman served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), of the City of New Orleans in the administration of Mayor Marc H. Morial. The CAO, the highest appointed City official, serves as the Mayor’s principal assistant and is the City’s Chief Financial Officer.
In his first run for public office in October 2000, Mr. Gusman was elected to fill the vacant City Council District “D” seat in a first primary victory from a field of six candidates. He was re-elected in February 2002. He served as Chairman of the Council’s Budget, Audit, and Board of Review Committee; and the Governmental Affairs Committee. He also served as a member of the Utility, Cable, and Telecommunications; Special Development Projects and Economic Development; Election Code and Reapportionment; Education; Competitive Selection; and Public Works Committees. He is a former Commissioner of the Orleans Levee District, City Park Improvement Association, and the Sewerage & Water Board.
He is a member and Past President of the Regional Loan Corporation; a member of the All State Sugar Bowl Committee, and on the Board of Directors for Longue Vue House & Garden, YMCA, and several other organizations.
Mr. Gusman and his wife Renee are the proud parents of, Robin (Christian) Gusman Rhodes and Marlin N. Gusman, Jr.
