2018 Louisiana Redistricting Participants
Jay Dardenne
Secretary of Administration, Keynote Speaker
Jay Dardenne was appointed Commissioner of the Division of Administration in January 2016 by Gov. John Bel Edwards. In this capacity, he serves as the state's chief administrative officer.
Dardenne was elected twice as Louisiana's Lieutenant Governor, beginning in November 2010. He previously served four years as Secretary of State, 15 years as a State Senator and three years as a Baton Rouge Metro Councilman. As Lieutenant Governor he headed the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Louisiana's tourism numbers skyrocketed after he took office, setting records each year, the first such increases since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck in 2005.
During his legislative service he chaired the Senate Finance Committee and authorized legislation granting motion picture tax credits, which paved the way for the film and television industry to bring productions to the state. He also sponsored legislation streamlining the Department of Economic Development, creating a comprehensive Board of Ethics, establishing the Community and Technical College System and providing funding for coastal erosion. In 2003, he was named National Republican Legislator of the Year.
He has hosted the Jerry Lewis Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for more than 30 years and conducts many special presentations about Louisiana, including Why Louisiana Ain't Mississippi, a lively and colorful look at Louisiana's culture, history, music, literature and politics.
He is an attorney and graduate of Baton Rouge High School, Louisiana State University's Manship School of Mass Communication, and the LSU Law Center.
Marie Centanni
Emcee
Marie DesOrmeaux Centanni drew on her education, media experience, and love of politics to create Centanni Communications. Since 2009, she has used practices she learned through her experiences as a journalist, issue advocate, and public affairs practitioner to help clients reach significant goals through her use of targeted messaging and legislative strategy. An award-winning journalist, Centanni worked as a reporter and anchor at KLFY in Lafayette and as Capitol Correspondent for WAFB in Baton Rouge. She served as Communications Director for Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross and for LA Governor Kathleen Blanco. Since 2012, she has helped the Council for a Better Louisiana facilitate its state-wide Leadership Louisiana program, of which she is a graduate.
Centanni holds a B.AA in Mass Communication from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a Master’s Degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management in Washington, D.C. She is a board member and founder of the Acadiana Press Club and serves on the board of Downtown Lafayette Unlimited.
Robert Travis Scott
Presenter, Redistricting in Louisiana
Robert Travis Scott became President of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana in January 2011. He has 30 years of experience dealing with public policy issues as a journalist, researcher, commentator, analyst and nonprofit manager. His work has received national and regional recognition through numerous awards for investigative reporting projects, business coverage and writing.
Prior to joining PAR, Scott served for eight years as the Capital Bureau Chief for The Times-Picayune, during which time he contributed stories and videos to its associated website, Nola.com. He previously served as Editor of the prize-winning Money section for the Picayune and as a Business Editor and Columnist for The Greenville News in South Carolina. In the 1980s, he was an Associate Director and Editor for a bipartisan, nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., dealing with nuclear arms control. He has lived in Italy and Guatemala.
Scott is an honors graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Government and International Studies, where he was named outstanding senior. He has a certificate in international studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna Center in Italy.
Beth Courtney
Moderator, Louisiana's Redistricting History
Beth Courtney is the former Executive Producer and current President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB). Serving as the leader of the statewide public media enterprise since 1985, LPB is Louisiana’s educational technology resource center and supplies cultural and educational programming for public television nationwide. Throughout her tenure at LPB, the station has produced a number of award-winning documentaries including the six-part series Louisiana: A History and Louisiana Public Square. The series is a much-honored monthly public affairs program, which Courtney helped create and cohosts, allowing citizens to voice their opinions and questions about important issues facing the state.
Courtney is former Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding for America’s public television and radio stations. Courtney is Past Chair of the Association of Public Television Stations board and former Vice-Chair of the Board of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). She has chaired numerous PBS task forces and currently serves on the Board of the Organization of State Broadcasting Executives, and the National Educational Telecommunications Association.
Courtney holds a BS in History & Speech. She also earned an MA in European History and Government from Louisiana State University and an Honorary Doctorate from Southeastern Louisiana University. Additionally, she completed the University of California, Berkeley’s course in public broadcasting management. She serves as a board member of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana and of the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.
Senator Norby Chabert
Panelist, Louisiana's Redistricting History
Senator Norby Chabert was born and raised in Bayou Petite Caillou. He attended Upper Little Caillou Elementary, Lacache Middle and graduated from South Terrebonne High School in 1994. In 2001, he received his B.A. in Government from Nicholls State University. After college, Senator Chabert began a successful government relations career. Over the years, he has served as an aide and advisor to both republican and democratic federal, state and local officials across the state. In 2006, he formed Chabert Development, LLC, a Chauvin-based land company. Senator Chabert is an active member of the community, serving in the Houma Rotary Club, The Krewe of Hercules, the Krewe of Terranians, Knights of Columbus Council 5013, The Maple Street Park Association. He also serves as a board member for the Nicholls Colonels Athletic Foundation, The Friends of S.T.H.S., and the Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center Foundation.
Senator Neil Riser
Panelist, Louisiana's Redistricting History
Senator Neil Riser is the president and owner of the Riser Funeral Homes located in Caldwell and LaSalle parishes. He serves as a board member of the Caldwell Bank and Trust Company. He is also the Past President of the Pelican State Life Insurance Company. Senator Riser has a strong background in the timber industry and has worked in logging and timber since the age of 14. After graduating from Caldwell Parish High School in 1980, Senator Riser obtained a B.A. in Business Management from Northeast Louisiana University in 1984.
Representative Pat Smith
Panelist, Louisiana's Redistricting History
Rep. Patricia Haynes Smith is a native of Baton Rouge, and is well known throughout Louisiana for her tireless effort to champion causes she believes in. Rep. Smith is currently serving her third term in the Louisiana House of Representatives and was recently re-elected without opposition. In the legislature, Rep. Smith has served two consecutive terms as chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. She serves on the Appropriations, Education, Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, and Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs committees of the legislature. She is also appointed to the Select Leadership Committee and serves as Vice Chair of the House Executive Committee.
Rep. Smith has been a force for improving education in public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state. She is a former, two-term president of the EBR School Board. Rep. Smith has received various awards, including the first Martin Luther King Distinguished Leadership Award in Politics; the “Fannie Lou Hamer Political Award” from Grambling University; the NOBEL (National Organization of Black Elected Legislative) award; and was named a Woman of the Year in 2014. In 2017, Rep. Smith was elected 1st Vice President of NOBEL Women during the organization’s 2017 Annual Legislative Conference.
Former Senator Ed Murray
Panelist, Louisiana's Redistricting History
Former Senator Ed Murray served in the Louisiana State Senate, District 4, where he represented Orleans Parish from 2005-2016. A native and lifelong resident of New Orleans, Murray graduated from John F. Kennedy High School and then studied at Loyola University, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science in 1982 and a J.D. in 1985. From 1992 to 2004, Murray served in the Louisiana House of Representative and represented the citizens of District 96 in Orleans Parish.
Murray is a Fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics. He is Partner in the general practice law firm of Murray, Darnell & Associates. Murray is also a member of the African-American National Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the National Black Council of State Legislators.
Michael Li
Panelist, National Trends in Redistricting
Michael Li serves as Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, where his work focuses on redistricting, voting rights, and elections. Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Li practiced law at Baker Botts L.L.P. in Dallas for ten years and is the author of a widely cited blog on redistricting and election law issues that The New York Times called “indispensable.” He is a regular writer and commentator on election law issues, appearing on PBS Newshour, MSNBC, and NPR, and in print in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Roll Call, Vox, National Journal, Texas Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and San Antonio Express-News, among others.
In addition to his election law work, Li previously served as executive director of Be One Texas, a donor alliance that oversaw strategic and targeted investments in non-profit organizations working to increase voter participation and engagement in historically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic communities in Texas.
Li received his J.D., with honors, from Tulane Law School and his undergraduate degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin.
Brian Marks, Ph.D.
Panelist, National Trends in Redistricting
Dr. Brian Marks is a Political and Economic Geographer whose research in the coastal deltas of the Mekong and Mississippi rivers in Vietnam and the United States concerns the livelihoods of seafood producers in the context of a globalizing seafood industry and mounting environmental precarity in both deltas. A native of southern Terrebonne Parish, Dr. Marks has broader interests in the cultural landscape of South Louisiana and Southern Vietnam, the socio-economic effects of offshore oil and gas development, the Gulf Coast’s connections in the Atlantic and Pacific Worlds, and urban political economic regimes in New Orleans from Longite petro-populism to post-diluvian neoliberalism. At LSU, he teaches a yearly course on Political Geography, which focuses on redistricting, political demography, nationalism, and geopolitics.
Jonathan Winburn, Ph.D.
Panelist, National Trends in Redistricting
Jonathan Winburn is an Associate Professor and the Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Political Science. He also directs the Social Science Research Lab and Center for Research and Evaluation at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Winburn specializes in state politics and policy, representation, and redistricting. He graduated with his B.A. from Western Kentucky University before earning his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2005. He is author of two books, The Realities of Redistricting: Following the Rules and Limiting Gerrymandering in State Legislative Redistricting and The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus: Race and Representation in the Pelican State (with Jas M. Sullivan) and numerous articles on topics ranging from congressional redistricting to state anti-bullying policy.
Frederick Bell
Moderator, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Frederick Bell is a sophomore at Louisiana State University double majoring in mass communication and political science in the Honors College. He is an active member of the Baton Rouge community and was elected by his peers to serve in the LSU Student Senate. Bell was also appointed by Mayor Sharon Weston Broome to serve on her Millennial Agenda Committee. In addition to this, he was tapped by Dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication to help formulate its strategic plan. Bell also works as a legislative aide to Senator Gerald Boudreaux in the Louisiana State Senate and is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. where he serves as the International Second Vice President. In his spare time, Bell enjoys reading and writing about politics and spending time with those close to him.
Sarah Procopio
Moderator, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Sarah Procopio is a student at LSU majoring in mass communication with a concentration in political communication. In addition to being an advocate for the Ogden Honors College, she is a Louisiana Service and Leadership scholar and a member of Freshman Leadership Council. In 2017 she was named East Baton Rouge Parish Student of the Year and became one of two students selected to represent Louisiana as a Hearst Foundation United States Senate Youth Program scholar. Following graduation, she plans to travel internationally before going to law school.
Leah Sanders
Panelist, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Leah Sanders is a senior at Louisiana State University majoring in Petroleum Engineering from. She serves as Student Body Vice President and is active in the Ogden Honors College. Sanders has participated in the Louisiana Service and Leadership program for two years. A native of Jackson, Tennessee, she is currently writing her senior thesis on policies regarding oil and gas pipeline construction in the United States.
Otha "Tre" Curtis Nelson, III
Panelist, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Otha “Tre” Curtis Nelson III is a senior at the Louisiana Scholars’ College at Northwestern State University. He holds various titles at Northwestern State including President of the Student Government Association, 2017 Northwestern State, 2017 Greek Man of the Year, 2016 Homecoming King, and many others. In addition to these campus roles, Nelson is one of four college students working on the national board of directors for Sigma Nu Fraternity and was one of two students nationally to sit on the board of directors for the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee. His term as President of the Student Government Association has been enriching because he has had the ability to make extremely positive changes in the lives of the students at Northwestern State. Nelson actively seeks to enhance the lives of those around him and uses these different organizations to accomplish this goal. As he advances through the professional workforce, Nelson plans to continue his efforts of bettering the lives of those around him.
Adarian Williams
Panelist, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Adarian Williams is a native of Ruston, Louisiana. He is a third year Liberal Arts and Theatre major matriculating at Grambling State University—the place “Where Everybody is Somebody.” Williams is active on campus. He served as 2014-2015 SGA Freshman Class President, 2015-2016 SGA Sophomore Class President, 2016-2017 SGA Chief of Staff and a Student Ambassador. He is a member of the University Concert Choir, the NAACP, the Floyd L. Sandle Players Club, the GSU Earl Lester Cole Honors College, and the National Society of Leadership and Success. Williams is also a brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc. He currently serves as the 2017-2018 SGA President and Student Member to the Louisiana Board of Regents. Williams aspires to become a professional performer, lawyer, and political figure. Driven to acquire knowledge and experience to succeed, following graduation, Williams plans to attend graduate school for performing arts and law school.
Ben Storch
Panelist, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Ben Storch is a senior at Tulane University double-majoring in business management and legal studies in business. Following graduation in May, he will be working as a Business Development Associate for United Technologies Aerospace Systems.
Storch is originally from Minnesota, which is where he developed a foundation in politics. From a young age he was passionate about political issues, and often participated in political discussions starting in middle school. In high school Storch volunteered for the Minnesota GOP, served as an election judge, and witnessed the recount of the 2008 Minnesota Senate race. He also worked as campaign staff for a Minnesota GOP gubernatorial campaign where he was responsible for voter outreach and competed nationally in public forum debate for four years.
In his free time, Ben enjoys boating, spending time in the woods, shooting, and playing with his yellow lab Remi.
Mitch Rabalais
Panelist, Voices of Louisiana's Future
Mitch Rabalais is a native of St. Tammany Parish. He is a contributing writer to LaPolitics.com and the Bayou Brief, and a former staffer to Gov. John Bel Edwards. Rabalais is currently a candidate for a degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, where he is pursuing a double major in history and political science.
Prior to his work for the governor, Rabalais spent time here at the Manship School, where he extensively covered political news for LSU Student Media. Among other responsibilities, he conducted in-depth interviews with current and former political figures and hosted several forums on issues involving the state’s higher education system. He is perhaps best known for moderating the final debate of the 2015 gubernatorial primary campaign.
In addition to being a diehard fan of the LSU Tigers and New Orleans Saints, Rabalais is an avid reader, fisherman, golfer, and collector of Louisiana political memorabilia.
Martin Johnson, Ph.D.
Moderator, The Politics of Redistricting
Martin Johnson is the Kevin P. Reilly, Sr. Chair in Political Communication and Professor
of Mass Communication and Political Science. He studies media, politics, public opinion,
political psychology, and public policy. His book, “Changing Minds or Changing Channels:
Partisan News in an Age of Choice” (2013, University of Chicago Press, with Kevin
Arceneaux), uses novel experiments to investigate how the choices viewers make shape
the influence of political media. It was co-winner of the 2014 Goldsmith Book Prize
awarded by the Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public
Policy. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the John
Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation, and Time-sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences.
He has published papers in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics,
Human Communication Research, British Journal of Political Science, Political Communication,
Political Psychology, and Political Analysis, among other scholarly venues. Before
joining the faculty at LSU, he served as department chair and professor at University
of California, Riverside, and directed the Media & Communication Research Lab there.
Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree from the Manship School and is a former editor
of The Daily Reveille. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Rice
University.
Representative Julie Emerson
Panelist, The Politics of Redistricting
Rep. Julie Emerson was born and raised in Louisiana and grew up in Carencro where she still resides. Educated locally, Rep. Emerson graduated from Westminster Christian Academy in Opelousas and received a B.S. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She went on to earn an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.
Rep. Emerson has been an active Republican since high school, having worked with the Republican Party of Louisiana and attending the 2008, 2012, and 2016 state and national conventions. She currently serves as an elected member of the Republican State Central Committee.
In October 2015, Rep. Emerson was elected to serve as the State Representative for House District 39, representing northern Lafayette Parish (Carencro, Scott, Ossun, Vatican) and southern St Landry Parish (Cankton, Opelousas, Arnaudville). She is currently the youngest member of the Louisiana legislature.
Senator Ronnie Johns
Panelist, The Politics of Redistricting
Senator Ronnie Johns is a well-respected businessman and active community volunteer, who has represented District 27 in the Louisiana State Senate since 2012. He previously served as a State Representative from 1995 – 2007. He is a graduate of Northeast Louisiana University, where he earned a B.S. in Pharmacy. Senator Johns worked as a pharmacist for several years before opening a State Farm insurance agency in Sulphur in 1982. He has received numerous awards for his work in the legislature, and has been recognized repeatedly for business achievements and community involvement. He serves on the Board of Directors of CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, the Salvation Army of Lake Charles, the Friends of Sulphur Police and the Catholic Diocese of Lake Charles Finance Council.
Representative Marcus Hunter
Panelist, The Politics of Redistricting
Rep. Marcus Hunter has served in the Louisiana House of Representative for District 17 since 2011. In this capacity, he serves on various House committees, including Ways and Means, Insurance, Labor Industrial Relations and Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay. Rep. Hunter is also a member of the Louisiana Democratic Caucus, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and the Northeast Legislative Louisiana Delegation. He serves as Chairman of the Louisiana Democratic 5th Congressional District and is a Member-at-Large for the Ouachita Parish Democratic Executive Committee. In addition, he is a member of the Ouachita Parish 4th District Bar Association, The Louis Martinet Legal Society of Northeast Louisiana, The Louisiana State Bar Association and The American Bar Association.
Rep. Hunter is a former member of the City of Monroe Planning and Zoning Commission and previously worked for the Fourth District Public Defender’s Office. In 2011 he was recognized by Legal Aid Services of Northeast Louisiana as an Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney. In the community, he is involved with the Northeast Louisiana Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, HAMPCO and SCORE Senior Center. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and Wossman High School’s Alumni Association.
Rep. Hunter earned a B.A. in Sociology from Southern University and A&M College and a J.D. from Southern University Law Center. He was admitted into the Louisiana Bar Association and began his law practice at the Hunter and Associates Law Firm along with his father and brother.
Senator Ed Price
Panelist, The Politics of Redistricting
Ed Price was first elected to office in 1985 when he joined the Ascension Parish School
Board. He served on the school board foe 27 years, the last 12 years as board president.
In 2007, Price was elected to serve as president of the Louisiana School Board Association
and served on the National School Board Association Federal Relations Network. In
2012, Price was sworn in
as a member of the Louisiand House of Representative and was a member of the Commerce,
Retirement, and Education committees. During his second term, Price served as vice-chairman
of the Education committee. In April of 2017 Price won a special election to the Louisiana
Senate, where he serves as Vice-Chairman of the Retirement committee, and serves on
the Health
and Welfare, Transportation, and Environmental Quality Committees.
Representative Julie Stokes
Panelist, Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Reform
Representative Julie Stokes is a Certified Public Accountant, small business owner and conservative State Representative from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
In 2016, she was named one of four “Women of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of Louisiana East. She has also been honored as one of New Orleans City Business Magazine’s “Women of the Year." Rep. Stokes traveled the state of Louisiana with the Committee of 100 in 2015 & 2016 as one of the lead speakers on Tax Reform in Louisiana, earning accolades from many media outlets such as the New Orleans Advocate, the Baton Rouge Business Report, and WRKF, all of which praised her as one of the most knowledgeable Louisiana legislators in the field of Louisiana’s fiscal environment
Rep. Stokes is actively involved with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and local economic development activities. In the Legislature, Rep. Stokes is the Chairman of the Sales Tax Streamlining & Modernization Commission and the Vice Chair of the Legislative Audit Advisory Committee; she also serves as an interim member of the Joint Legislative on the Budget and House Appropriations Committees.
Representative Ted James
Panelist, Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Reform
Representative Edward “Ted” James’ passion for leadership is driven by a deeply held
desire to impact the lives of others while transforming the community he simply calls
“his village.” After graduating from the historic McKinley Sr. High School, Rep. James
obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Southern University. He is
a cum laude graduate of the Southern University Law Center. After passing the Louisiana
Bar Exam in 2006, Rep. James dedicated himself to the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana
in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by joining the office of Governor
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. As the Governor’s policy advisor on housing and community
development Ted assisted in securing a $25 million investment into the Louisiana Housing
Trust Fund. Ted later served on the Louisiana Commission on Housing and Community
Development.
Rep. James then served as a staff attorney with the Louisiana House of Representatives
drafting legislation. In 2009, Ted was appointed to serve as Special Counsel to the
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Revenue. His leadership led to an appointment
by Governor Bobby Jindal to serve on the Louisiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental
Relations.
Rep. James has a record of dedicated community service through his work with a number of causes. He serves as a member of the YMCA Capital Area Board of Directors, is a committee member of BREC, and spends countless hours mentoring students in Baton Rouge schools.
Representative Tanner Magee
Panelist, Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Reform
Rep. Tanner Magee was elected to the Louisiana State House of Representatives for Louisiana House District 53, which covers parts of Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes. He currently serves on the Civil Law and Procedure, Judiciary, and Natural Resources and Environment Committees. He is a member of the Acadiana Delegation and the Louisiana Republican Legislative Delegation.
He received a B.S. in Psychology in 2002 from Louisiana State University, and continued on there to earn his M.P.A. in 2004. In 2007, he obtained his J.D. from the Louisiana State University Law Center, where he made the Chancellor’s list and was selected to the Moot Court Board.
Representative Walt Leger, III
Panelist, Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Reform
Rep. “Walt” J. Leger, III is Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the representative for New Orleans’ District 91, which includes Central City, Uptown, the Lower Garden District, the Irish Channel, parts of Broadmoor, Gert Town, and Hollygrove.
As Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Leger is respected as a smart leader by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. In the legislature, he has served on the powerful Appropriations Committee, the Criminal Justice Committee, the Education Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget, the House Executive Committee, the Juvenile Justice Implementation Commission, the House Committee on Homeland Security, and the Technology Sub-Committee of the House Executive Committee. Rep. Leger was recently named to a special Revenue Task Force to study and review Tax Expenditures, including Tax Credits, Exemptions, and Rebates. He also chairs the Juvenile Justice Implementation Commission, as well as the Louisiana State Witness Protection Services Board.
In 2014, Rep. Leger was appointed co-chair of the National Conference of State Legislators' (NCSL) Health & Human Services Committee. NCSL is a national bipartisan organization dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of state legislatures. He will serve as co-chair of the committee for a two year term.
Tony Davis
Introduction for keynote, Good Government Matters
Tony Davis is a perpetual problem-solver and cheerleader for his hometown of Natchitoches, Louisiana. Having led the Chamber of Commerce and now the Natchitoches Community Alliance Foundation while tackling issues like workforce needs, education equality and advancement as well as overall economic development has stoked a passion for education, particularly early childhood education and access. In turn, this passion led Davis to run for a seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) where he now represents the people of District 4 in northwest Louisiana. Through his work at the Chamber, he has had the pleasure to be a part of and lead several local, regional and state boards and currently serves on the Executive Board for the Norwela Council for Boy Scouts of America. He is a proud 2013 graduate of CABL’s Leadership Louisiana program, where he made lifelong friends and had the opportunity to learn just how magical Louisiana is but also how much more amazing it could become with our help. Last, and most importantly, he is the proud husband of the former Amy Marquart of Crowley and a role model for two awesome little kids.