FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Madison Scullin
Tel: 225-938-9144
Email: mscull5@lsu.edu

ORGANIZATION BIO: Louisiana Economic Development

Louisiana Economic Development is responsible for strengthening the state's
business environment and creating a more vibrant Louisiana economy. The mission
of Louisiana Economic Development is to cultivate jobs and economic opportunity
for the people of Louisiana. To do this, LED aggressively pursues eight integrated
economic development strategies: improve Louisianas economic competitiveness;
improve the competitiveness of communities in Louisiana; identify and cultivate top
economic development assets in each region of Louisiana; place special focus on
business retention and expansion; develop comprehensive national-caliber business
recruitment capacity; cultivate innovation, entrepreneurship, and small business;
develop robust workforce solutions; and aggressively tell Louisianas story.
With overall wins in paid advertising and special events, LED has earned seven
awards at the International Economic Development Council's annual conference
since 2007. LED ranked best-performing state economic development agency in the
U.S. in Site Selection's 2010 Competitiveness Awards, up from No. 2 in 2009. In 2012,
LED's Louisiana Economic Quarterly, EQ earned the Excellence in Economic
Development Gold Award in the category of magazine, population greater than
500,000.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Madison Scullin
Tel: 225-938-9144
Email: mscull5@lsu.edu

ORGANIZATION BIO: LSU Foundation

The LSU Foundation was chartered in 1960 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt, private
foundation comprising members who are leaders in business, professions, and civic
affairs and who are concerned with the academic advancement of LSU. The LSU
Foundation is governed by a board of directors and, unlike many LSU institutions, the
Foundation's operations are not financially supported by the university.
The LSU Foundations mission is to inspire and shepherd philanthropic giving to LSU
and build long-lasting relationships with donors who bring life to current and emerging
university priorities. The Foundation supports LSU in its quest to enhance the student
experience, provide working capital to recruit and retain world-class faculty and staff,
support life-changing research, and drive economic development. The core values of the
Foundation are integrity, transparency, donor-centered development and stewardship.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Madison Scullin
Tel: 225-938-9144
Email: mscull5@lsu.edu

BACKGROUNDER: Secretary Stephen Moret

Stephen Moret was appointed secretary of Louisiana Economic Development by
Gov. Bobby Jindal in January 2008. As the leader of Gov. Jindal's economic development
team, Moret has been focused on transforming LED into one of the top state economic
development agencies in the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
the agency since 2008 has added more than 88,000 private-sector jobsmore than
most Southern states combined. In this time, LED estimates that the agency has secured
projects that will lead to $62 billion in capital investment. Some major successes LED has
achieved under Moret include landing major software/IT centers of IBM, CSC, GE Capital
and CGI; recruiting Bell Helicopters Jet Ranger X manufacturing facility; landing
Louisiana's fifth Fortune 1000 headquarters; securing Sasols $16 billion to 21 billion gasto-liquids and ethane cracker complex; recruiting Nucors iron and steel production
facility; as well as establishing LED's new workforce development initiative, Louisiana
FastStart.
Prior to joining LED, Moret served as president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area
Chamber. Under Morets leadership from 2004 to 2008, BRAC grew into a nationalcaliber regional economic development organization. Moret and his team at BRAC
launched a five-year, $15 million economic development initiative for the nine-parish
Capital Region. After the launch of the campaign, revenues tripled at BRAC.
Moret previously served as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company
in Washington, D.C. from 2002 to 2004. He specialized in service operations, including
acute-care hospitals, Medicaid systems, pharmacy benefit managers, and Internet
service providers.
Prior to his time at McKinsey, Moret served as assistant to the chancellor of LSU
and an independent consultant to Harvard University in 2001. In 2002, Moret served as
-more-

a public policy fellow with the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. His research
at PAR on restructuring Louisianas higher-education system received the Most
Distinguished Research award from the National Governmental Research Association.
In 2008, Moret was a contributing author to Retooling for Growth: Building a
21st Century Economy in Americas Older Industrial Areas.
Moret holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from LSU (1995),
where he was elected president of the student body, and an M.B.A. from Harvard
Business School (2001), where he was elected co-president of the student body and was
a recipient of the Deans Award for exceptional leadership and service.

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-more-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 16, 2015

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Madison Scullin
Director of Public Relations
Tel: 225-938-9144
Email: mscull5@lsu.edu

News Release
Stephen Moret Named President and CEO of the LSU Foundation
Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret has been named as
president and CEO of the LSU Foundation.
Moret will replace G. Lee Griffin, who is retiring in May after almost four years
with the Foundation.
We are excited to bring in Stephen Moret as the president and CEO of the LSU
Foundation, said LSU Foundation board Chairman T. Cass Gaiennie. Stephen brings
many years of diverse leadership experience to the position, and he will be key in
helping us enhance LSUs fundraising efforts.
The duties of the president and CEO of the LSU Foundation include establishing
and communicating fundraising priorities, as well as coordinating fundraising activities
throughout LSU campuses and philanthropic affiliate organizations.
Moret will be in charge of establishing fundraising priorities, as well as acting as a
liaison to the LSU president to establish more efficient fundraising efforts. The
Foundation staff are dedicated to stewarding each gift to maximize donors impact on
making LSU one of the best universities in the world.
Moret has served as Secretary for LED since Gov. Jindals administration began in
2008. As the leader of Gov. Jindal's economic development team, Moret has been
focused on transforming LED into one of the top state economic development agencies
in the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency since 2008

has added more than 88,000 private-sector jobsmore than most Southern states
combined. In this time, LED estimates that the agency has secured projects that will lead
to $62 billion in capital investment. Some major successes LED has achieved under
Moret include landing major software/IT centers of IBM, CSC, GE Capital and CGI;
recruiting Bell Helicopters Jet Ranger X manufacturing facility; landing Louisiana's fifth
Fortune 1000 headquarters; as well as establishing LED's highly acclaimed new
workforce development initiative, Louisiana FastStart.
Stephen and his team at LED have collaboratively and systematically worked to
improve the image of Louisiana in the minds of business executives nationwide and
they have succeeded, Jindal said in a statement to the Foundation. Under his
leadership, LED has become one of the most respected state economic development
agencies in America. We have been able to attract a wide variety of high-quality
economic development projects, many of which would have seemed like remote
possibilities only a few years ago; we now have one of the finest workforce training
programs in the nation; and all of our states business climate rankings are now higher
than they ever were prior to 2008. I am very proud of the great job he has done for
Louisiana, and I wish him the best.
Moret, an LSU alumnus and former student body president, looks forward to
taking on the position as president and CEO of the Foundation.
One of my lifes greatest privileges and joys has been my quarter-century
affiliation with our states flagship research university, Moret said. LSU has had a
transformational impact on my life, and it is one of Louisianas most precious economic
assets. I share the aspirations of LSU President F. King Alexander and the LSU
Foundation Board of Directors for LSU to build a more robust philanthropic support base
that will enable the university to better sustain the important work of its faculty,
continue and enhance its transformative impact on the lives of students, and invest in
opportunities for academic preeminence. I look forward to working closely with
President Alexander, the LSU Foundation staff and board members, the deans, faculty,
staff, students, alumni, and other members of the LSU family to help fulfill our shared
aspirations for LSU.
Prior to his position as Secretary of LED, Moret served as president and chief
executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Under Moret's leadership from
2004 to 2008, BRAC grew into a national-caliber regional economic development
organization. During Moret's tenure at BRAC, revenues tripled following the launch of
"The Campaign for a Greater Baton Rouge," a five-year, $15 million economic
development initiative for the nine-parish Capital Region. Additionally, BRAC received
dozens of national awards from ACCRA/C2ER, Southern Economic Development Council,

American Chamber of Commerce Executives and other groups for economic

development planning, marketing, communications and public policy research.
Governor Jindal is expected to name a new head of LED in the coming weeks.
The LSU Foundations mission is to inspire and shepherd philanthropic giving to
LSU and build long-lasting relationships with donors who bring life to current and
emerging university priorities. The foundation supports LSU in its quest to enhance the
student experience, provide working capital to recruit and retain world-class faculty and
staff, support life-changing research, and drive economic development.

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