Atchafalaya Intracoastal Coalition Events

April 2024 Monthly Meeting

Event Date: April 8, 2024 12:00 pm
Event Location: Petroleum Club - Morgan City, LA
Guest Speaker: Colonel Cullen Jones & Durund F. Elzey, Sr., Commander & District Engineer New Orleans District & Deputy District Engineer for Project Management

Colonel Cullen Jones became the New Orleans District’s 65th Commander and District Engineer on September 16, 2022. On assuming command, he became responsible for one of the largest civil works programs in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at over $1.1 billion annually. The New Orleans District encompasses 2,800 miles of navigable waterways – including five of the top fifteen ports in the nation, 1,300 miles of levees and floodwalls, 11 navigation locks, six major flood control structures, and other projects designed to create and protect coastal wetlands. Also under Colonel Jones’s management is the District’s effort to reduce risk for South Louisiana by executing comprehensive and integrated flood control, ecosystem restoration, and hurricane and storm damage risk reduction projects.

Mr. Durund Elzey currently serves as the DeputyDistrict Engineer for Programs and ProjectManagement Division for the United States ArmyCorps of Engineers, New Orleans District. In thisposition, Mr. Elzey is responsible for managementdecisions related to all of the District’s major Civil,Environmental, and Support for Others programs andprojects. Programs and projects under his purviewinclude flood risk management, storm damageprevention, navigation (channel improvement, and lock & dam construction),environmental and coastal restoration/sustainability, river stabilization, harbordevelopment, Mississippi River & Tributaries Project, $14.7B Hurricane and Storm RiskReduction System, IIJA, BBA-18 Program, the Environmental Infrastructure Program,Interagency Support Program, the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP), the PlanningAssistance to States (PAS) Program, and other projects. Mr. Elzey is responsible forexecution of the aforementioned project portfolio which averages an annual appropriationof ~$450M.

The New Orleans District’s jurisdiction includes 2,800 miles of navigable waterways,1,300 miles of levees and floodwalls, eleven navigation locks, six major flood controlstructures, and numerous other projects designed to create and protect coastal wetlands.The District is responsible for providing comprehensive water resources management thatincludes navigation, hurricane and storm damage risk reduction, flood risk management,and environmental stewardship for south Louisiana to ensure public safety and benefit thenation. Our team is also prepared to conduct contingency operations as well as supportthe national response plan.

Mr. Elzey continued his post-secondary education at the University of New Orleanswhere he received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2004. During hiscollegiate career, he worked as an aid to the Dean of Engineering, served as the presidentof several engineering societies, and joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)as an intern in 2001. Mr. Elzey is also a 2010 graduate of the Planning AssociatesProgram which is the equivalent to obtaining a master’s degree in Water Resources.

During his tenure at USACE, Mr. Elzey has been afforded many opportunities to work ona broad range of projects and initiatives while building strong relationships, internal andexternal to the organization, that have enabled effective and efficient delivery andimplementation of water resource projects that are sustainable, increase public safety, andimprove quality of life. Mr. Elzey has also served as Acting DPM for the Institute forWater Resources.Mr. Elzey is also actively engaged in the community and serves as a mentor. His hobbiesinclude working out, playing basketball, traveling, and real estate. He is married to Mrs. Courtney Elzey and has two children, Durund II and Madison.

 

Colonel Cullen Jones & Durund F. Elzey, Sr.