The Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership has selected a top Louisiana Economic Development official as its next permanent leader.
Paige Carter, LEDβs chief business development officer, will take over as president and CEO of the Partnership in January, the organization announced Tuesday morning. The Partnership board of directors removed former Partnership CEO Lori Melancon from her post in May after almost two years on the job.
βI am incredibly honored for the opportunity to lead the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership at such an important moment for our region and our state,β Carter said in a release. βLouisiana has secured over $260 billion in announced investment since 2024, and now our focus must be on turning that historic success into lasting growth.β
Partnership officials said Carter was selected after a nationwide search.
Carter oversees business attraction, retention and expansion, client development and international commerce in her role at LED. Prior to her work at the state, she established the Office of Industry Engagement at the ΜΗΠΔ΄«Γ½ Foundation and served as executive director of the office, helping notch the largest philanthropic donation in the universityβs history.
This is Carterβs second stint with LED; she spent five years with the agency from 2013 to 2018 in a number of roles including project manager and director of business development.
As CEO of The Partnership, Carter will be tasked with leading the Capital Regionβs economic development organization, which frequently works with other regional organizations and the state to make Louisiana attractive for investment and create job opportunities.
Carter earned a bachelorβs in political science from Arizona State University and a masterβs in business administration from ΜΗΠΔ΄«Γ½ Shreveport.
Trey Godfrey, The Partnershipβs senior vice president of policy and talent development, and Jayson Newell, The Partnershipβs senior vice president of business investment, served as co-interim CEOs of The Partnership following Melanconβs removal.
In May, LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said alignment between the agency and the stateβs regional economic development organizations is paramount to furthering the stateβs economic success.