In recognition of her contribution to New Orleans and beyond through her years of service as a New Orleans City Councilwoman, business owner, developer and non-profit manager, the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc has named Kristin Gisleson Palmer to portray Queen Yolande in its 2018 parade.  By special invitation of the Queen, you’ve been invited to accompany her!   Lineup is at 5 p.m. Members of the Queen’s Entourage will need to provide their own costumes appropriate for medieval nobility. The Queen will provide her court with largesse to distribute to the masses (throws), but her entourage may opt to supplement those throws if they wish.  

The world of Joan of Arc — 1400s France — was a man’s world, yet the young Joan managed to lead French troops to throw out the English occupiers.  Her work wouldn’t have been possible without another strong woman ahead of her time, Yolande of Aragon, Duchess of Anjou, Countess of Provence, Queen of Four Kingdoms, and mother-in-law of King Charles VII.  One of the most respected political leaders of her time and a trusted adviser of King Charles VII, she urged the King to accept Joan’s leadership and financed Joan’s army.  Each year in her honor the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc selects a strong female community leader who mentors and empowers other women to portray Yolande’s character in our parade. Queen Kristin was selected not only for her community service and leadership on the New Orleans City Council (District C, French Quarter, 2010-2014, re-elected for 2018), but also for her numerous other projects to improve our community.  As the Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc enters its 10th anniversary year, we particularly cherish fond memories of Queen Kristin’s early support as she paraded with us in our early years on horseback dressed as the golden Joan of Arc statue. As Executive Director of Rebuilding Together New Orleans, Kristin developed one of the largest AmeriCorps and Vista programs and led over 10,000 volunteers to help rebuild Katrina-damaged homes. She developed an annual $6 million dollar rebuilding operation and leveraged over $7 million in public funding to create a model for long-term sustainability in our communities. She founded Confetti Kids, a non-profit that improves the quality of life of the children in Algiers Point through the renovation of parks and playgrounds, and was a founding board member of Evacuteer.org. In 2014, Kristin founded a housing construction and renovation company focused on reducing blight and promoting sustainability and smart growth in Algiers.