Keynote speakers Margaret Spellings and Jeff Jenkins will headline the event in Lake Charles, Louisiana on August 20th as part of LegisGator Week
Leaders for a Better Louisiana today announced the speaker lineup for the annual Future Louisiana Conference, themed “Ideas for Leadership,” set for Wednesday, August 19 through Thursday, August 20. The Future Louisiana Conference is designed to bring compelling ideas from beyond Louisiana’s
borders and to directly connect the leaders shaping Louisiana’s path forward with national and state experts to explore practices that will bring transformative change to Louisiana.
This year, the Conference is part of a three-day event leading up to LegisGator. For more information about all events during the three days, click here.
Future Louisiana opens with an evening reception on Wednesday, August 19, followed by a full day of programming on Thursday, August 20, and concludes with a plenary session of fireside-chat keynote conversations with:
- Margaret Spellings, President and CEO, Bipartisan Policy Center
- Jeff Jenkins, Founder and Partner, Bernhard Capital Partners
- David McCullough III, Cofounder and CEO, the American Exchange Project
The day also features a Large Cities of Louisiana Panel discussion with mayors from Louisiana’s major metropolitan areas, sharing policy ideas to strengthen and empower their cities. The following mayors are confirmed:
- Mayor Jacques Roy, City of Alexandria
- Mayor-President Sid Edwards, City of Baton Rouge
- Mayor-President Monique Boulet, City of Lafayette
- Mayor Marshall Simien, Jr., City of Lake Charles
- Mayor Friday Ellis, City of Monroe
- Mayor Tom Arceneaux, City of Shreveport
Thursday morning breakout sessions will cover four tracks: Preparing for the Workforce; Energy; Community Development; and Impact Investing, giving attendees the chance to dig into practical strategies with subject-matter experts. Speakers confirmed for these tracks include:
Track 1: Ideas for Workforce and Education
- The Debate of K-12 Education Funding, Lessons from Other States – Wesley Wei, Learning Policy Institute; Alex Spurrier, Bellwether; Paul Pastorek, Civic Solutions Group
- How Students Find Paths to Jobs in Indiana, a case study: Paul Ketcham, Indiana Assistant Secretary of Education; Cassie Squillace, BioCrossroads (Healthcare intermediary); Moderator: State Representative Ken Brass
- How States Are Meeting Their Workforce Needs: Josh Wright, LightCast; Jason Kloth, America Achieves
Track 2: State of Energy
1. Comparing Carbon Capture in Texas: Cody Todd, ExxonMobil; Andrew Waxman, University of Texas Austin
2. Innovating Energy in Louisiana: Mike Mazzola, Future Use of Energy Louisiana (FUEL); Gregory
Kallenberg, Startup Prize, Energy; Speaker TBD, NewLab; Moderator: Tony Zanders, Nexus LA
3. LNG, Data Centers, and the State of US Energy: Cynthia Niemeyer-Tieskoetter, American Petroleum
Institute; Moderator: Will Green, LABI
Track 3: Strategies for Community Development
- Turning Community Planning to Action: Rich Overmoyer, Fourth Economy,on READi Indiana; Ruston Mayor Ronnie Walker; Moderator: Scott Walker, SWLA Alliance
- In Pursuit of Rural Revitalization: John Green, Ph.D., formerly of Southern Rural Development Center and Mississippi State University; Moderator: Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter
- Texas MUDS, Florida CDDs, and Tools for Development Financing: Steve Robinson, ABHR; Pete Williams, Pete Williams and Associates; Taylor Gravois, CSRS, a Westwood Company; Russell Mosely, Long Farm Village; Moderator: Kelly Longwell, Longwell Riess
Track 4: Impact Investing, Philanthropy in Action
1. Investing in Louisiana’s Future: Josh Fleig, Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO)
2. Impact Investing 101: John Duong, Kind Capital
3. Louisiana in Action, Lessons of Local Impact: Baton Rouge Area Foundation, LWCC Foundation, The Idea Village
“This year’s Future Louisiana Conference at LegisGator brings together some of the sharpest minds in the country that can inspire ideas and discussion about Louisiana’s future,” said Adam Knapp, CEO, Leaders for a Better Louisiana. “The slate of national and local speakers is one of the most
robust we’ve ever brought together, ranging across energy, workforce and education, philanthropy, and community development.”
On Thursday, August 20, the conference opens for coffee and check-in at 7:00AM. Conference sessions start promptly at 8:00am and culminates with the plenary session over lunch. The event will conclude at 3:00 PM. For more information or to register, click here.
On August 19th, prior to the event, attendees are encouraged to plan dinners in Lake Charles, including in and around the event itself. Leadership Louisiana Class Reunion Dinners are privately arranged through each class’s leadership. More information will be available for opening reception plans on August 19th for registered attendees, who are also encouraged to secure hotel rooms through the conference room block at L’Auberge Casino Resort.
In addition to Future Louisiana on Thursday, LABI will host its Policy Forum on August 19th from 2:00-5:00pm. Events related to LegisGator will take place on August 21st. Registrations for these events can be found online at LegisGator.org.