The governor grew up in Amite, Louisiana as one of eight children. With four Tangipahoa Parish Sheriffs in his lineage, he learned the importance of public service at an early age.
Governor Edwards graduated in 1988 from the United States Military Academy at West Point. The governor served eight years as an Airborne Ranger on active duty with the United States Army and commanded a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He went on to graduate Order of the Coif from Louisiana State University Law Center and set up a civil law practice in his home town of Amite.
In 2008, he was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 72, where he served for eight years until the voters of Louisiana elected him governor in November 2015.
Governor Edwards and his wife, First Lady Donna Edwards, have three children: Samantha Bel, Sarah Ellen, and John Miller.

The Executive Director has more than 15 years of leadership experience in public administration and is passionate about finding solutions that make Louisiana an outstanding place in which to live, work and grow a business.
Dejoie joined the LWC in 2012 and most recently was statewide coordinator of its Rapid Response Team. She earlier served as director of LWC special projects in the New Orleans area, including supervising the Avondale Employee Transition Center. Dejoie’s extensive background in Louisiana workforce development includes experience as a business liaison for the Louisiana Department of Education. In addition, she served as a board member of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System from 1998-2007, Vice President of the Welfare to Work Partnership, Dejoie supervised creation of the partnership’s law project, and was recognized for the accomplishment by President George W. Bush in ceremonies at the White House. While with the partnership, she also helped secure funding for a process technology laboratory at L.B. Landry High School in New Orleans.

Keith Brand is an electrical apprenticeship instructor at the Louisiana Technical College. He recently retired as the Training Director for the Baton Rouge Area Electrical JATC. He has been a certified Journeyman Inside Wireman for over 40 years. Keith has served as a member and officer or board member for the Louisiana State Apprenticeship Council, the Apprenticeship and Training Administrators’ Association of Louisiana, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 995, the Louisiana AFL-CIO, the Baton Rouge Area Building and Trades Construction Council, the National Electrical Training Directors’ Association, Louisiana’s Statewide Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, and the WIC in some capacity since 2008 either as a member or advisor.

Rhett Covington is the Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections (DPS&C). He was a Probation & Parole supervisor and agent for 15 years In that capacity, he was the Community Resource Coordinator for the Baton Rouge District of Probation & Parole. Mr. Covington is an advisory member of the Louisiana Sentencing Commission and previously co-chaired the Reentry & Evidence Based Committee. He is the DPS&C’s designated representative on the Louisiana Reentry Advisory Council and on the Workforce Investment Council, and is involved in efforts to create and expand local and regional reentry coalitions throughout the state. He previously served on the Board of Directors for the Capital Area Reentry Coalition. He currently leads the Prisoner Reentry Initiative within the DPS&C to review and revise the reentry continuum and all associated policies and regulations.

Patricia “Trish” Felder is the State Director of Career, Technical and Adult Education at Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Prior to joining LCTCS she spent eleven years at the Louisiana Department of Education. Her state-level career revolved around the field of Career and Technical Education and the management of Carl Perkins Grants. Before moving into management at the state-level, Ms. Felder enjoyed eighteen years of teaching experience in the field of mathematics.
She began her postsecondary education at a community and technical college. She continued her education at Southeastern LA University, LSU, and Southern University, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. After earning her Master’s degree she returned to the original community college and earned her EMT-Basic credential.

Dr. Gayle Flowers is Vice Chancellor for Economic & Workforce Development at Bossier Parish Community College. She previously served as the Director of Career, Adult & Alternative Education for Caddo Parish Public Schools in Shreveport. Prior to that, she served for 14 years as Principal of Caddo Career &Technology Center.
Dr. Flowers earned her degrees from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She received LSUS' 2017 Doctoral Student Academic Award, 2009 Circle of Excellence Award, is a graduate of Leadership Louisiana and Leadership Shreveport-Bossier. She is on the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement, LSUS Alumni Board, Goodwill Industries, and serves as a member of Rotary Club of Shreveport, United Way of Northwest Louisiana, and involved in numerous professional organizations. Ms. Flowers has also served on a variety of Governor's Task Forces and other boards..

Lisa French serves as the Executive Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE,) at Louisiana Department of Education, in the Office of Student Opportunities. Lisa leads the implementation of Jump Start. In this role, she manages CTE policy work, industry credentialing, and business and industry engagement for Jump Start. Lisa also leads the agency work focused on transforming alternative education schools and programs.
Lisa began her career in the private sector at General Motors as an Industrial Engineer, then later a Production Manager. She transitioned in 2001 to Kimberly-Clark Professional as a Business Unit Manager. In 2006 she became Director of the first Early College Program in Atlanta, Georgia at Georgia State University.
Lisa received her Masters of Business Administration from Emory University Goizueta Business School.

Representative Patricia Haynes-Smith began her career in Louisiana service as a teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish (EBR) School System. She went on to work with ExxonMobil and the LSU Community University Partnership before serving two-terms as president of the EBR School Board. Rep. Haynes Smith is well known in Baton Rouge and throughout Louisiana for her tireless effort to champion causes she believes in. She is currently serving second terms in both the Louisiana House of Representatives and as chair of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. Her awards are too numerous to list here but include the first Martin Luther King Distinguished Leadership Award in Politics, the “Fannie Lou Hamer Political Award” from Grambling University, the Nurse-Family Partnership “Champion Award” and she was named “Legislator of the Year” by the Louisiana School Board Association. She was recently accepted into the prestigious Henry Toll Fellowship Program.

Charles Moniotte has been involved in the financial management of companies for over 40 years.  His previous experience includes ownership of  Desselle Maggard Corporation along with his current ownership of Moniotte Investments and Kiln Drying Systems.  Moniotte Investments specializes in providing customized facilities locally to counter offered incentives to companies to move these businesses to other states.  Kiln Drying Systems (KDS) is a manufacturer of Kilns for Drying Lumber.  KDS installs these Kilns thru out the Southeastern United States.  Charles also utilizes his CPA background in volunteering his services to startup companies and to non-profit organizations.  Charles serves on several Boards including being the Treasurer of the La. Chemical Industry Alliance since 2002.

Mr. Palamone is a Principal/member of the Board of Directors of Urban Systems Inc., a Traffic/Transportation Engineering and Land Use planning firm. Mr. Palamone has the responsibility of business management and the firms’ marketing strategies and new market initiatives. With over Thirty-Five years of experience in the engineering and construction industry, Mr. Palamone directs a skilled staff of over twenty professionals with annual revenues over 2.5 million. Mr. Palamone served as the firms’ CEO/Managing Partner for over 15 years through 2012, when he stepped aside for emerging young leadership for the firm.

Louis began his career as an apprentice, graduating from the apprenticeship program as the outstanding apprentice. As an active member in his local union, he served as an Apprenticeship Instructor, and later as an Apprenticeship Director. After brief employment with the U.S. Department of Labor, he returned to Carpenters Local1098 to be the Administrator of their Health and Welfare and Pension Benefits Funds. In 1997, he became Assistant to the President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, and in 2002 he gained the responsibilities of being the Director of Legislative Activities and the Statewide Political Director for the Louisiana AFL-CIO. In October 2004, Louis was appointed Secretary Treasurer by the Executive Board, and in 2005 was elected to that position by the delegates at the 2005 Annual Convention. On February 25, 2014, He was unanimously elected to serve another term as President of the Louisiana AFL-CIO. He serves on numerous boards and commissions on behalf of working men and women of organized labor.

Susana Schowen joined LED FastStart, a division of Louisiana Economic Development, in June of 2011. As the Director of Workforce Initiatives, she is tasked with implementing high-level strategies focused on systemic workforce reform. Based on analyses of workforce supply and demand, she is collaborating with educational stakeholders to align offerings to the needs of Louisiana employers. Prior to joining LED, Susie managed a private technical college in Baton Rouge after creating a nationwide basic skills program focused on underperforming high schools for Thomson Peterson’s. Before that, she held a number of positions with Kaplan, Inc. managing test preparation courses, financial services training, and online college programs. She received degrees in chemistry from Wellesley College and Columbia University.

As the Vice Chancellor for the Division of Community and Workforce Development and Metro Campus Administrator at Southern University at Shreveport, Mrs. Sneed works with Adult Literacy, Community Education, Corporate Training, Homebuyer Education, Small Business Development, Workforce Training, and Youth Services initiatives. She also has over 30 years of experience in project management, facilitating partnerships, community/economic development, and workforce initiatives.  She has administered a portfolio of grants that exceeds $50 million in the course of her career.  She is a graduate of Leadership Shreveport(2000), Leadership Louisiana(2004) and 2006 Chamber of Commerce Athena Nominee. Major Janice B. Sneed has 22 yrs of military service: 6 yrs active duty as a Computer Information Systems Officer and 16 years of reserve service in the 917th Air Force Reserve Wing.

Dr. Lisa S. Vosper serves as the Associate Commissioner for Workforce Education and Training at the Louisiana Board of Regents. She has previously served as an executive on loan to the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Dr. Vosper has been on a team named a ”Higher Education Headliner” by the State Faculty Senate Association, “Trailblazer in Higher Education” by the Louisiana Association of Women in Higher Education (LAWHE); gubernatorial transition sub-committee on the Workforce and Economic Development, the Louisiana Women’s Commission on Policy and Research; and another governor’s transition team as a member of the Workforce Advisory Committee. She is the Vice Chair of the UP Alliance, Chair of the U. S. Army’s Grassroots Advisory Council, and a number of other state, regional, and national policy teams. She was also selected as a contributing writer for the acclaimed “Women of Color Study Bible” (World Bible Publishers International).