BY: LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR
Just ahead of his inauguration Monday, Gov.-elect Jeff Landry is rounding out his cabinet. He announced new leaders Wednesday at the Department of Natural Resources, the Louisiana Workforce Commission and his office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Landry has chosen Tyler Gray to lead Natural Resources. He currently serves as corporate secretary for Placid Refining Co. and was president and general counsel to Louisiana Mid-Continent’s Oil and Gas Association.
An attorney,Gray previously worked within the Department of Natural Resources and its Office of Conservation as well as the of New Orleans.
“We are currently experiencing an unprecedented time of political alignment from Baton Rouge to Washington, D.C.,” Gray said in a statement from Landry’s transition team. “I eagerly anticipate serving under the leadership of Governor-elect Landry and contributing to the improvement of our state, aiming for unparalleled success during his administration.”
Retired Louisiana National Guard Col. Jacques Thibodeaux will become the new director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), the state agency that comes to the forefront during times of disaster. Thibodeaux currently holds a similar role with the City of Thibodaux. His military career spanned 31 years, culminating in his role as commander of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, with whom he served combat duty in Iraq.
Thibodeaux also served 28 years simultaneously in the U.S. Marshals from 1991 to 2019, retiring as a supervisory deputy U.S. Marshal.
Landry also named Neal Fudge as GOHSEP deputy director. He is currently the office’s assistant deputy director of homeland security and interoperability and assistant deputy director for emergency management.
Susie Schowen is the governor-elect’s choice to lead the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the state department that oversees job training and unemployment benefits. She is currently vice president of education for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, a role she assumed in 2022.
Before LCTCS, she spent more than 10 years with FastStart, the workforce development division of Louisiana Economic Development.
“Louisiana’s workforce systems can be difficult to navigate for our people and our employers,” Schowen said. “Simplifying these systems, and integrating them with education and the delivery of social services will be my highest priority. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Cabinet roles Landry still has to fill are at the Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the Department of Transportation and Development, Louisiana Economic Development and the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority.
