DALLAS — Recovery efforts in New Orleans show two totally different sides, said Peter Ricchiuti, who still has vivid memories of Hurricane Katrina.

Ricchiuti, finance professor and assistant dean of Tulane University's A.B. Freeman School of Business and Louisiana's former assistant state treasurer and chief investment officer, will speak at Southwest Corporate Federal Credit Union's Economic Forum on Oct. 16. Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina had just turned Ricchiuti's world upside down when he spoke at Southwest Corporate's 2005 Economic Forum. Personal experience enabled him to give a poignant account of activity in the storm-affected region.

"Many misconceptions still exist," Ricchiuti said of New Orleans' sustained recovery efforts. "It really is a tale of two cities. Tourist spots have been cleaned up, rebuilt and are better than before the storm. Six blocks in any direction from that central area, though, it's a different story."