U.S. Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office in New Orleans will commemorate Women's History Month with a presentation by a distinguished speaker, an awards ceremony, and a social gathering on Wednesday, March 11.  The Honorable Martha E. Sassone, Judge, Division K, 24th Judicial Court of Jefferson Parish, is scheduled to make her keynote presentation at 10:00 a.m.

Judge Sassone was one of the first two women elected to the District Court for Jefferson Parish in 1990.  She was reelected in 1996 and is serving her second term.  A graduate of the University of New Orleans, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University Law School.  Judge Sassone's professional affiliations and civic involvement reflect her dedication to public service in the community.

This year's Women's History Month theme is "Living the Legacy: Women's Rights Movement 1848-1998."  The MMS Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, headquartered in Jefferson Parish and employing over 500 area residents, will recognize its "Women of the Year" in several categories.  For program information on this year's MMS-sponsored Women's History Month Celebration, please contact Ms. Mimi Griffitt at (504) 736-2975.

The MMS is the Federal Agency that manages and regulates the Nation's natural gas, oil, and other mineral resources on the OCS, and collects, accounts for, and disburses about $6 billion yearly in revenues from the offshore Federal mineral leases and from onshore mineral leases on Federal and Indian lands.