Gray Stream. (Special to the American Press)

Special to the American Press

Lake Charles businessman and philanthropist W. Gray Stream has been named king of the 77th Washington Mardi Gras celebration.

The event will be held Jan. 29-31 at the Washington Hilton.

Since 2013, Stream has served as president of the Stream Companies, which manages several operating companies and a sizable land position in Louisiana, primarily comprising timberland, agriculture and coastal marshes. Gray also oversees an investment portfolio on behalf of the Stream Companies, which focuses on early-stage companies, venture capital, private equity and structured credit. The Stream investments concentrate on Louisiana-based companies and those providing solutions for the energy transition.

In 2018, Gray founded Gulf Coast Sequestration (GCS), which is developing world-scale capabilities to permanently store captured CO2 emissions in deep geologic formations. He serves as executive chairman of GCS.

Gov. Jeff Landry appointed Gray as chairman of the Louisiana Economic Development Partnership. Previously, he served on
the Louisiana Innovation Council, the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration, and Conservation, the Board of Directors for the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, and the Governor’s Climate Initiatives Task Force.

Gray is a member of YPO and is a past chair of the Louisiana Committee of 100 for Economic Development. He formerly served on the Louisiana Board of Regents as Regent for the 3rd Congressional District and as chairman of the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center. He also previously served as a trustee for the National World War II Museum. In 2010, Gray received the Southwest Louisiana Civic Service Award from the Chamber of Commerce.

Sarah Louise Heebe, a sophomore at Yale University, will serve alongside Gray as queen. Heebe is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in environmental studies with a certificate in energy studies. She serves on the executive board of the Yale Student Energy Association and is co-president of the Renewable Future Alliance. She worked in the Hazari lab creating catalysts to reduce CO2.

She is a fellow with the Yale Entrepreneurial Society and was a part of the Center for Business and the Environment’s Green Innovators Cohort. She is the co-lead of communications for Christian Union and a photographer and writer for the Yale Scientific Magazine.