NEW ORLEANS (February 28, 2025) – Dorothy "Dottie" Reese, a prominent New Orleans business owner and civic leader, has been selected as the Sugar Bowl Committee's President for the 2025-26 year. Reese earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from Pomona College of the Claremont Colleges in Claremont, Calif., and earned master's degrees in public health and social work from Tulane University and her certification in strategic diversity management from Cornell University. She is the 67th president of the organization and will preside over the 92nd playing of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff (CFP) Quarterfinal on January 1, 2026.
 
"I'm honored by, and excited for, the opportunity to serve as the President of the Sugar Bowl Committee this year," Reese said. "Change is the recurring theme in the college football world, and the Sugar Bowl remains committed to working closely with the leaders of the game to ensure that we remain an integral part of the postseason structure while continuing to make a significant and measurable impact on our city, state and region."
 
The upcoming year will be highlighted by the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl – the sixth time that the Sugar Bowl has doubled as a CFP Game. The other five CFP Games (four Playoff Semifinals and this past January's Playoff Quarterfinal) combined for over 100 million viewers on ESPN.
 
The field of teams for the 2025 season's College Football Playoff will be announced on Saturday, December 7. The Allstate Sugar Bowl will host the higher-ranked champion from the Southeastern Conference or the Big-12 Conference against an at-large selection in one of the four Playoff Quarterfinal games.
 
In addition to her duties with the football classic, Reese will oversee the Allstate Sugar Bowl's hosting and sponsorship of multiple events that meet the organization's mission in 2025. Among these events are the Manning Award, which honors college football's top quarterback; the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, which recognizes the top college football coach in the nation; the Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet, which honors top local athletes across all sports; and many competitions in a wide range of youth sports. The Sugar Bowl also awards over $100,000 in scholarships on an annual basis and has worked with the College Football Playoff Foundation to provide over $4 million in funds to support area teachers since 2019.
 
Reese is the co-founder and principal of DMM & Associates in New Orleans, an award-winning consulting firm specializing in creating high-performance organizations through human capital strategies. She is an advisor and strategic leader who creates and implements methods to assist public, private, and non-profit organizations in developing sustainable practices to increase organizations' and businesses' competitive advantage.
 
The Sugar Bowl Committee was founded as the New Orleans Mid-Winter Sports Association in 1934 for the purpose of promoting amateur sporting events that would stimulate tourism and have a positive economic effect on the New Orleans metropolitan area.  Over the last decade, the Sugar Bowl has had an economic impact of more than $2.5 billion for the city and state.
 
Since being elected to the Sugar Bowl Committee in 2007, Reese has served on a wide range of committees, including multiple years on the Bowl's Executive Committee. Additionally, Reese has served as a Sugar Bowl officer for the past five years and previously been highly effective in chairing the Bowl's Sponsor Committee for its long-time title sponsor, Allstate. 
 
Reese succeeds Walter F. Becker, who directed the organization through the past year, and will serve with fellow officers Riley Busenlener, President-Elect; Sam Zurik, III, Vice President; W. Scott Duggins, Treasurer; and Brian A. Jackson, Secretary.  Furthermore, Richard C. Briede, the Sugar Bowl President for 2023-24, was elected Chairman of the Executive Committee, and joining the 25-member Executive Committee for 2025-26 are Sean Bruno, Meghan Donelon, Cappy M. Johnson, and Renny Simno.
 
Outside the Bowl, Reese is a board member for the LCMC Health System and a member of the Loving Cup Selection Committee, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Convention Host Committee, Louisiana Women's Forum, Crescent City Chapter of the Links, Inc. and the Tulane School of Social Work Dean's Advisory Council. She is a past board member of the LSU Board of Supervisors, the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, and the Urban League of Greater New Orleans – a group for which she served as Chairman of the Board. Her many honors include the Weiss Award, Tulane University Distinguished Alumni Community Service Award, and the Distinguished Board Service and Leadership  Award from the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, The Young Leadership Council- YLC Role Model, New Orleans Magazine recognized her among its Outstanding Women Leaders and St. Charles Avenue Magazine named her its Community Activist of the Year.
 
Reese and her husband, Judge Kern Reese, are the proud parents of two adult sons and four grandchildren.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, hosting 29 national champions, 107 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 91-year history. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting more than $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.