Award-winning investigative reporter David Hammer has been a professional journalist since 1997, beginning first with the Times-Picayune and then joining the WWL-TV Eyewitness News team in New Orleans in 2012.
Mr. Hammer also has won seven Emmy Awards over the course of his career, the latest being in December 2025 for his hour-long documentary about his investigation with fellow T-P alum, Ramon Vargas at the Guardian, of serial pedophile priest Lawrence Hecker called “Losing Faith: Preying from the Pulpit.” This was one of a part of the overall "Losing Faith" series with Mr. Vargas, in which they uncovered evidence of a massive clergy-abuse coverup by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which series won the Society of Professional Journalist's Green Eyeshade award for the best TV investigation in the southeast US.
He's also won three Environmental News Emmys: In 2020 for "Stench of Failure", an investigation of the Jefferson Parish Landfill; in 2018 for "Toxic Truth," looking at air pollution in the so-called Cancer Alley between New Orleans and Baton Rouge; and in 2017 for "Oil and Water," his investigation of illicit oil dumping in the Gulf of Mexico.
While at the T-P Hammer won major national and international journalism awards for his coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in 2010. His stories about key engineering decisions that contributed to the BP well blowout won him first prize for the world's best environmental beat reporting of 2010 from the Society of Environmental Journalists.
A seventh generation New Orleanian, he is proud of his New Orleans heritage and makes it his mission to help improve his community by holding area leaders accountable and exposing fraud and abuse.
At our last meeting we were proud to present a donation check towards supporting literacy. Sabrina Marsh was present to receive the donation to The Center for Literacy and Learning, a non profit that support projects and education in the Southeast Louisiana Region. Our donation will purchase up to 250 books that will be donated using a book vending machine that has been installed in the emergency area of the New Orleans East Hospital (an LCMC facility). This is an innovative method to distribute book that children can keep.
The new project adds to the continued support that the New Orleans Rotary Club has focused on adding books to the Warren Easton Library project. We have been adding books that are dedicated by weekly speakers to the club. This year we were able to increase the number of books due to a generous Rotary District grant along with our current and past members.
The Program Committee is seeking members who are interested in helping coordinate speakers for our upcoming meetings. This is a great opportunity to get involved, share ideas, and help shape the engaging programs our club is known for.
We’re also seeking input from all members on the types of speakers and topics you’d like to see in the months ahead. Your suggestions are valued and appreciated!
Please forward all ideas or your interest in joining the committee to Angel Cutno a.chung.cutno@gmail.com
The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages, and Rotarians recite it at club meetings: Of the things we think, say or do:
If you would like to be featured in our member spotlight, please upload your photo and complete your bio in our member directory. You can access the directory here . When complete, just send an email to alanc@ldcv.com and let me know you’d like to be added to the rotation.
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