The Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce will hold its Acadia Quarterly Luncheon on Wednesday, November 7th at 11:30 am. Chamber members and guests are invited to join us at the LSU AgCenter for our first networking luncheon of the year. This luncheon will feature Louisiana’s Secretary of the Department of Transportation & Development (DOTD), Shawn Wilson, Ph.D. Secretary Wilson will present an update on his department, who recently completed the Road Show in all corners of Louisiana, while giving us a glimpse into what is ‘down the road’ for Louisiana’s Transportation Projects.
For the previous 10 years, Dr. Wilson served as DOTD Chief of Staff, a role he filled for three previous Secretaries and under the executive administration of two Governors. Prior to joining DOTD, Wilson served as Executive Director of the Louisiana Serve Commission and Deputy Legislative Director in the Blanco Administration. A proud product of the New Orleans public schools, Wilson earned a B.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from UL Lafayette, where he served as Student Government President and Member of the University of Louisiana System Board. He holds a Master of Public Administration and recently earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Southern University.
Since his appointment, Dr. Wilson has been a tireless advocate for new revenue, maximizing Federal dollars available to Louisiana, advancing a balanced and comprehensive transportation policy for Louisiana, and ensuring the Department is more collaborative in its work at every level.
Under his leadership, DOTD was successful at securing and obligating nearly $150 million additional Federal dollars for I-10 widening from I-49 to New Orleans, for the Baton Rouge I-10 bottleneck, and for the shortest Design Build procurement in the state’s history is underway to widen I-10 from Highland Road to LA 73. In addition, under his leadership, DOTD has been able to assist communities with alternative fueled transit assets, focus efforts on advancing passenger rail, and helping launch bike share in Baton Rouge, LA.
Roads, bridges, rail, and waterways are a constant topic of conversation as we are visiting businesses across Acadia Parish and beyond. Multimodal transportation & infrastructure is a huge factor in moving products across our state & country, which makes it a priority for us at the Acadia Parish Chamber of Commerce.
