A new executive director who is also a familiar face has been announced by the Bayou Teche Museum. 

Ana Moreno-Bellomy has been appointed as the museum’s new director and said she is excited to work in the position. She is replacing retiring Director Marcia Patout who served as Bayou Teche Museum executive director for 11 years. 

According to a prepared statement, Moreno-Bellomy has worked in the fast-paced tech industry and most recently worked as administrative assistant at the museum for several years. 

Moreno-Bellomy said Thursday that time at the museum has given her a deep familiarity with the goal and mission of the museum, which she is excited to bring into the future. 

The new director comes at a particularly exciting time in the history of the museum. The eight-year project to expand the museum with the Doc Voorhies Wing is in its final stages, and Moreno-Bellomy said next year will likely be largely devoted to filling the new wing with exhibits and educational materials for future visitors. 

“The most exciting part will be Gov. (Kathleen) Blanco’s exhibit,” she said. “That’s the most exciting for me because it’s going to be so interactive, we’re going to have her desk and chair and she’s going to be projected so you can ask her questions.”

“Filling in” the new wing of the museum is expected to take place in the future once construction workers are completely done with the work that has already been deemed substantially complete. 

Bringing the George Rodrigue exhibit to the new second floor of the museum is on the agenda as well. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Ana to this new role in our museum,” Bayou Teche Museum Board President Larry Hensgens said in a prepared statement. “We are confident that her skills will be an asset to the museum’s growth and we are confident that together, we will achieve remarkable milestones and create new opportunities for the museum.”