01/31/2026
Over the last decade, Sheila Broussard has been featured multiple times in regional news outlets including American Press, KPLC 7News, and Southerly Magazine, and has appeared on the public record in dozens of City Council and Charter Commission meetings.
But her very first appearance in the news came much earlier, when she was ten years old.
While her father was working abroad in the oil industry, Sheila’s family was living overseas when the Middle East conflict erupted in 1967. Within hours of the outbreak, evacuations began. The family moved from villa to villa before finally reaching a military base.
Sheila slept in military barracks and ate in the mess hall while waiting to be evacuated to safety. The servicemen slept in offices to make room for the families.
Eventually, the civilians were loaded onto military cargo planes, often seated on temporary netting and hammocks, allowed to carry only limited belongings, and flown to unknown destinations. Her father’s company arranged onward travel through the American embassy in Spain.
When her sister Sharon said, “we watched bombs go off and burn the town,” Sheila corrected her, “it was the ships.” What they were witnessing was offshore naval activity, not aircraft bombing overhead. Even as a child, Sheila was paying close attention to what was happening, observing details of an active war-zone and distinguishing perception from reality in real time.
That experience left a lasting imprint. It taught Sheila that stability, safety, and strong institutions do not happen by accident. They are built through leadership that plans ahead, protects people, and respects the real-life consequences families face.
It’s a perspective she brings to public service today, focused on preparedness, accountability, and protecting the trust between citizens and their government.