Empowering Louisiana's Economic Developers

Welcome to LEADing Louisiana,

the quarterly newsletter of the Louisiana Economic Alliance for Development,

where insight drives action, impact fuels progress, and innovation shapes the future of economic development in Louisiana.

What's Included in this Edition:

From the Helm: Messages from LEAD's leadership

Connect & Collaborate: Where Louisiana's economic leaders come together

Power Up: Opportunities to learn, grow, and lead

LEADing Policy & Advocacy: Insight on policies that are shaping Louisiana's future

Inside LED: Strategy, Innovation, & Impact: A look at what LED is focused on

LEADers Making an Impact: Recognizing the professionals & projects shaping the future

Maximizing Your Membership: Get the most out of your LEAD membership.

From the Helm

Messages from LEAD's Leadership

A Message from Stacy Romero,

Executive Director

As we begin the final quarter of 2026, I’ve been reflecting on what LEAD has accomplished this year and looking ahead to where we’re going next.

We closed out the third quarter with the 2026 LEAD Annual Economic Development Summit in Lafayette, where more than 200 attendees from Louisiana and beyond came together for two days of learning, conversation, and connection. With all eight of Louisiana’s economic development regions represented, the Summit was a great example of what LEAD does really well: bringing people together across regions and sectors to learn from one another and build stronger relationships.

That momentum continues across our network, with LEAD membership now exceeding 200. As we wrap up 2026, we’ll be focused on building on that growth, listening to our members and partners, and planning intentionally for 2027.

If you haven't registered yet, I'd like to personally invite you to join us in New Orleans, October 25–28, for the 2026 IEDC Annual Conference. Having the economic development profession’s largest annual gathering right here in Louisiana is a special opportunity, and I’d love to see a strong LEAD presence as we welcome colleagues from around the world to our state. For more information and registration details, please visit IEDC's website.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support of LEAD. I’m excited to finish the year strong and even more excited to engage with you all again in 2027.

Stacy Romero

Executive Director

stacyr@louisianalead.org | (337) 962-7991

A Message from Mandi Mitchell,

Board President

As my year as LEAD Board President comes to a close, I am proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful for the opportunity to serve this organization. Over the past two years under the Louisiana Economic Alliance for Development brand, we have strengthened our voice, expanded our programming, and built deeper connections across the state. This year, we reached new heights and created momentum that will carry LEAD into its next chapter.

Our work during the 2026 Legislative Session demonstrated the value of a united economic development community. Alongside our members and partners, LEAD advocated for workforce and economic development legislation to strengthen Louisiana’s competitiveness and expand opportunity. As Board President and Chair of our Policy & Advocacy Committee, I am especially proud of our continued commitment to ensuring that economic developers have a voice in the decisions shaping our state’s future.

That spirit of collaboration was on full display at our Annual Summit in Lafayette. With a stellar lineup of speakers and record attendance, the Summit brought together economic developers, business leaders, elected officials, and partners for meaningful conversations about Louisiana’s opportunities and the work ahead. Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, spoke, and helped make this year’s gathering such a success.

We still have two exciting opportunities to connect before the year ends: the IEDC Annual Conference and Centennial Celebration in New Orleans, and the LEAD Regional Assets Tour in Central Louisiana. As a local co-host of the IEDC conference, I look forward to welcoming colleagues from around the world and showcasing our state. Our CENLA tour will give members another opportunity to explore Louisiana’s regional strengths, learn from one another, and build partnerships.

Thank you to our board, staff, committee leaders, members, and partners for your trust, energy, and commitment. It has been an honor to serve as your president. I close this year proud of our progress, confident in our future, and eager to see LEAD continue reaching new heights.

Mandi D. Mitchell

2026 LEAD Board President

President & CEO, Lafayette Economic Development Authority

mandi@lafayette.org

Meet LEAD's Board of Directors

Our board members are dedicated economic development professionals helping shape the future of LEAD and Louisiana's economic development community. Click here to meet the leaders serving on your behalf.

Connect & Collaborate

Where Louisiana's economic leaders come together

2026 LEAD Annual Summit: A Strong Showing in Lafayette

The 2026 LEAD Annual Economic Development Summit brought more than 200 attendees representing 98 organizations, all eight Louisiana economic development regions, and four states to Lafayette for two days of learning, connection, and conversation around LEADing a Future-Ready Louisiana: Policy, Partnerships & Talent Strategy.

From discussions on competitiveness, livability and talent to statewide leadership and collaboration, the Summit brought together economic development professionals, business and community leaders, partners, and emerging professionals to exchange ideas and strengthen connections across Louisiana and beyond.

We are especially grateful to the sponsors and partners who made this year’s Summit possible. Their investment allowed LEAD to deliver a high-quality statewide gathering while demonstrating the strong private- and public-sector support behind Louisiana’s economic development community. Thank you to our Summit Title Sponsor, St. Tammany Economic Development Corporation, our LEADer’s Circle Sponsors, and every organization that invested in the 2026 Summit.

We’re proud of what we accomplished together in Lafayette and grateful to everyone who attended, participated, sponsored, spoke, and helped make the 2026 Summit a success.

SAVE THE DATE!

Inaugural Regional Asset Tour

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

England Airpark | Alexandria, Louisiana

LEAD is partnering with England Airpark and Louisiana Central for our first Regional Asset Tour, offering an inside look at one of Central Louisiana’s key economic development assets and the infrastructure, development opportunities, and partnerships supporting growth across the region.

Attendees will hear from regional leaders, tour England Airpark, and gain a deeper understanding of how this unique asset contributes to economic development in Central Louisiana and beyond.

Mark your calendar and be on the lookout for registration details coming soon!

Power Up

Professional development opportunities to learn, grow, and lead

What a great day of learning and conversation at LEAD’s AI for Economic Development course in Lafayette!

From exploring the rapidly evolving AI landscape to putting AI to work in research, policy, marketing, custom tools, and everyday productivity, our speakers challenged us to think differently about how we can use these tools to work smarter and create greater impact in our communities.

A huge thank you to our incredible speakers, attendees, sponsors, and partners who made the day possible. The technology may be moving fast, but one thing is clear: economic developers are ready to learn, adapt, and lead.

Up Next in Professional Development

LEAD's next IEDC-accredited professional development course is coming up in November. Watch your inbox and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for registration details coming soon.

LEADing Policy & Advocacy

Insight on policies that are shaping Louisiana's future

LEAD voiced its support for reauthorization of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), emphasizing the importance of coastal restoration to Louisiana’s communities, businesses, infrastructure, and long-term economic competitiveness. As Policy & Advocacy Committee Chair, I submitted our support letter to Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation and copied our U.S. senators, urging continued federal investment in protecting our working coast. Several congressional offices acknowledged receipt and thanked us for making our voices heard, reinforcing the value of LEAD’s advocacy on issues critical to Louisiana’s future.

For additional information or questions regarding LEAD's legislative priorities and advocacy efforts, please contact Mandi Mitchell, LEAD Board President and Policy & Advocacy Committee Chair, at mandi@lafayette.org.

Inside LED

Updates on Strategy, Innovation & Impact

Source Louisiana Creates a Clearer Path for Louisiana Businesses

Louisiana’s major investments are creating opportunities that extend far beyond individual project sites. For Louisiana businesses, that means new customers, new markets and a chance to become part of larger supply chains.

Source Louisiana is helping create a clearer path to that work. One year after its launch, the state’s first online business directory has more than 3,500 Louisiana businesses registered, giving project owners and prime contractors a direct way to find the companies and capabilities already here. The platform is free and open to businesses of all sizes across the state.

Louisiana companies are already participating in projects at significant scale. Meta has reported more than $1.6 billion in spending with Louisiana contractors and vendors, while Woodside LNG and its contractors have committed more than $1.1 billion to Louisiana suppliers.

For a Louisiana business, winning work tied to a major project can open a new customer relationship, create room to add capacity or provide a foothold in a larger supply chain. As more investment moves forward across the state, Source Louisiana helps ensure local companies are visible and positioned to compete for that work.

LEADers Making an Impact

Recognizing the professionals and projects shaping the future

Share Your Good News!

Our members are doing great work across Louisiana, and we want to help celebrate it!

Have a professional accomplishment, project milestone, award, promotion, new initiative, major investment, community achievement, or other good news to share? Click here to tell us about it for potential inclusion in an upcoming edition of LEADing Louisiana.

Submissions may highlight your own work, your organization, or another LEAD member making an impact in economic development and will be considered based on timing, available space, and relevance to LEAD's membership.

Share Your Good News!

Maximizing Your Membership

Get the most our of your LEAD membership.

Attention current LEAD members! 2027 membership renewal invoices will be sent through the LEAD InfoHub soon. Please take a moment to log in and make sure your member profile, contact information, and organization details are current. Keeping your information up to date ensures renewal notices and other important LEAD communications reach you.

Click here to log in and reach out to stacy@louisianalead.org if you need assistance.

Not a LEAD member yet? There's never been a better time to join. New members who join now receive 50% off membership dues through the remainder of 2026, making it easier than ever to access LEAD's professional development programs, statewide networking opportunities, advocacy efforts, and member resources. Click here to join LEAD now or reach out directly to Stacy at stacyr@louisianalead.org for assistance.

Partner with LEAD. Elevate Your Organization.

LEAD proudly recognizes our 2026 LEADer’s Circle Sponsors, whose support plays a critical role in advancing the organization’s mission and strengthening economic development across Louisiana. Their investment helps expand LEAD’s reach, support high-quality professional development, and foster meaningful connections among practitioners and partners throughout the state.

As we look ahead, 2027 sponsorship opportunities are now available for organizations interested in investing in LEAD and increasing their engagement and visibility within Louisiana's economic development community.

To learn more about available opportunities, contact Stacy Romero by phone at (337) 962-7991 or email at stacyr@louisianalead.org to discuss how your organization can get involved.