NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Ludovico Feoli has been a member of Rex for over 15 years, but 2023 will be extra special. He will reign as Rex, King of Carnival.

Feoli says that he joined Rex for the organization’s sense of duty to the community.

“For me that’s easy – the civic purpose of the organization. Rex is not only the keeper of carnival traditions that started way back in the 1800s together with all the artistry that it involves but also it’s devotion to it’s civic purpose.”

Professionally, Feoli is a research professor of Political Science and Latin American Studies at Tulane. Public Duty is important to Feoli, having served on a number of local boards including the Greater New Orleans Foundation and the Audubon Institute, to name a few. He sees service as a means to improve the quality of lives for all residents.

“It may sound cliché but when someone is given much there is an obligation to give back and that’s part of it. The betterment of the state, the betterment of our civic organizations has always interested me. I’ve always been curious about it and being engaged firsthand is the best way to learn more about it and to have a meaningful role in it”

We arrived on the day that last year’s Rex James Reiss presented him with the official Rex flag that now flies at Feoli’s home. We asked did he ever think he would reign as Rex.

“No, that’s the short answer… never in my life did I believe that I would,” said Feoli.

Feoli is a native to Costa Rica and lives Uptown with his wife Stephanie whose family has long-standing ties to the Rex organization. He went on to say what being recognized as King of Carnival means to him.

“It’s a tremendous honor. I think that in a way it reflects upon the fact that people have noticed that my engagement has been meaningful for the city and that is a tremendous tribute and I am humbled by it.”