John M. Barry is an American author and historian, perhaps best known for his books on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the development of the modern form of the ideas of separation of church and state and individual liberty. His most recent book is Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty. His book on floods got him involved in policy, and from January 2007 until October 16, 2013, he was a member of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - East, the levee board responsible for protecting the New Orleans metro area on the east bank of the Mississippi River. On July 24, 2013, SLFPAE filed a historic lawsuit against Exxon Mobil, BP, Shell, Chevron and 94 other oil, gas, and pipeline companies for their role in destroying Louisiana's coast. Barry was largely the architect of this suit, and has been the authority's spokesperson on it. Governor Bobby Jindal immediately demanded SLFPAE withdraw the lawsuit. [More at Wikipedia]