2025 Krewe | MKofL

1950 King Otto Passman & Queen Margie Gauthier and their court (2).jpeg

2026 Royal Court

Introducing the

Congressman Steve Scalise of Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District, chairman of the 77th Washington Mardi Gras, has announced that W. Gray Stream, a Lake Charles-based business executive and conservationist, will reign as King of the 2026 ball. Sarah Louise Heebe, a sophomore at Yale University and
New Orleans native, will serve as Queen of the celebration.

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Steve Scalise

2026 Chairman

Congressman Steve Scalise currently serves as the House Majority Leader, the second highest position in House Leadership, and represents Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. As Majority Leader, Scalise is charged with implementing the House legislative agenda: setting the Congressional floor schedule, guiding Committee Chairs on policy priorities, and working with his colleagues to advance conservative solutions that address our country’s toughest challenges.

Elected to Congress in 2008 and currently the longest serving member of Louisiana’s Congressional delegation, Scalise tirelessly advocates for the people of Louisiana. He knows the importance of energy development to Louisiana and the need to get back to American energy dominance. He is fighting to enact a national energy strategy that increases the supply of American energy through enhanced production and technological innovation to lower prices at the pump across the country and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. A steadfast defender of Louisiana’s coast, Scalise led the effort to pass the RESTORE Act, which was signed into law in 2012. The RESTORE Act dedicated the vast majority of Clean Water Act fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to coastal restoration. The legislation is widely regarded as the single most significant action taken to restore Louisiana’s coast. Majority Leader Scalise is also a strong supporter of energy revenue sharing and leads the fight in Washington to protect Louisiana’s GOMESA funding, ensuring Louisiana has access to hundreds of millions of dollars dedicated to restoring its coast.

A native of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Scalise graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School and Louisiana State University, where he earned a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Political Science. Scalise and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Madison and Harrison.

Congressman

Gray Stream

2026 King

W. Gray Stream is a Lake Charles based business executive, investor, conservationist, and philanthropist. Since 2013, he 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 currently serves as Executive Chairman of GCS.

Gray is passionate about serving the Louisiana community and has led numerous charitable and civic causes to improve the quality of life in the state. Most recently, Governor 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 Heebe

2026 Queen

Sarah Louise Heebe is currently a sophomore at Yale University where she is pursuing a B.S. in Environmental Studies with a certificate in Energy Studies. Sarah 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. Sarah contributed to the World Economic Forum’s Climate Crisis strategic intelligence briefing. 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. She is happy to be a part of the Seminar Selection Committee for her residential college, Benjamin Franklin.

Sarah is a graduate of Metairie Park Country Day School. At Country Day, she was president of the student body, a National Merit Scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and a member of the Cum Laude Society. She co-founded the Youth in Government and Current Events clubs and was on the student Honor and Discipline boards. Sarah served two terms on the Louisiana Legislative Youth Advisory Council, where she assisted in the creation and passage of Louisiana’s Act 334 (2023) and Act 656 (2024). She loves playing the trumpet and received the John Phillips Sousa Band Award. Sarah was honored to accept the Louisiana Volunteer Service Award, and she played varsity softball and basketball.

This summer, Sarah is studying abroad at the London School of Economics. She enjoys hiking, skiing, photography, reading, and trying to beat her mom at Wordle. Sarah is the twin sister of Anna Heebe and the daughter of Jennifer and Fred Heebe of New Orleans.