The Pod with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation

#29 The Pod with Corey Wilson

Following a unanimous vote from the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC [https://www.brec.org/]) Commission in January 2019, Corey Wilson accepted its offer to become the 6th Superintendent in the agency’s 75-year history. Prior to that Wilson served as the in-house attorney and administrative executive for BREC. In his role as Chief of Management and Business Services, he oversaw the administrative departments of Human Resources, Finance, Internal Audit, Communications, and Information Technology as well as handled all legal matters for the organization which has approximately 1,000 employees and an annual budget of approximately $150 million. Corey Wilson currently serves as an instructor at National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Directors School training future agency leaders from around the country. He has also presented at conferences such as NRPA, Louisiana Recreation and Park Association (LRPA), and Southwest Parks and Recreation Training Institute. Wilson is a member of the NRPA Ethnic Minority Society and is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP). In 2019, Wilson became a Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) Visitor, serving in the capacity of visiting agencies and evaluating compliance with standards. In 2021, Corey became a City Parks Alliance Board Member. Prior to starting work with BREC in December 2012, Wilson worked as an entrepreneur for 10 years in New Orleans as an owner and managing member of a financial consulting and real estate development firm. Wilson served as the lead consultant with FEMA on several significant projects in the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and was a co-developer in the $20 million development of St. Bakhita Apartment Homes in Marrero. Wilson attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA where he graduated as the top accounting major in 1996. Following a brief stint as a staff accountant for a major public accounting firm, Wilson obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2001. Corey Wilson is a board member of the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition, a member of 100 Black Men of Metro Baton Rouge, a 2014 graduate of Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Leadership Program and a 2020 graduate of the Council for a Better Louisiana Leadership Program. Wilson also volunteered as a court appointed special advocate for CASA of Baton Rouge which helps foster children find permanent homes. Corey Wilson resides in Baton Rouge with his loving wife Kay, their beautiful daughter Naima and a mixed Labrador, Cookie. He still enjoys sports as much as he did in high school and dabbles in photography in his spare time. To learn more about the work of BRAF, please visit our website at braf.org.

#28 The Pod with Chantelle Varnado

Dr. Chantelle Varnado, Executive Director of Launch, has been working with children with disabilities and their families for over twenty years. She earned her Bachelor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences and Master of Communication Sciences and Disorders degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. She worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for 14 years in Livingston Parish Public Schools and at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2015, She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Louisiana State University. She founded Launch [https://www.launchpeds.com/], a non-profit organization that serves children with disabilities and their families, in June of 2015. She has served as adjunct faculty, guest lecturer, and clinical supervisor for local universities since the time. She is a member of American Speech, Language and Hearing Association, Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She also works with Special Olympics Healthy Athletes, BREC’s Inclusive Activities, Different Abilities, Incredible Kids of Denham Springs, STARS Soccer Club and numerous community organizations that promote extracurricular and inclusive activities for children with disabilities. Dr. Varnado lives in Denham Springs with her husband, Brad Varnado, of 21 years and two children Braden and Addison. To learn more about Launch, please visit www.launchpeds.com [http://www.launchpeds.com/] or Facebook @launchpeds. To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org.

#27 The Pod with Sara Judson

Sara joined the Community Foundation Southwest Louisiana [https://www.foundationswla.org/] as the CEO in December 2013.    A fourth-generation resident of Lake Charles, she enjoys continuing the family tradition of being an active community member. She volunteers with the Junior League of Lake Charles, where she was named the 2013 Sustainer of the Year, and as a second-grade reading tutor at Oak Park Elementary School. With her husband, Mark, and 22-year-old daughter, Rachel, Sara enjoys participating in their church, First Presbyterian, and many community projects. To learn more about BRAF, head over to braf.org.

#26 The Pod with Adam Knapp

Adam was named president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber [https://brac.org/] in April 2008. A native of Lake Charles, LA, he previously served as the deputy director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). Knapp was a key figure in the creation of the entity, which is designed to facilitate the state’s recovery efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Prior to his LRA tenure, he served as economic development advisor to two governors and the policy director for Louisiana Economic Development (LED). At LED, he managed the department’s economic policy initiatives, such as workforce development reform, entrepreneurial development, and risk capital accessibility. He directed the development and advancement of state legislative priorities, including the creation and refinement of important economic incentives, such as the Angel Investor Incentive, the Research and Development Tax Credit, the Film Investor Tax Credits, and the Quality Jobs Program. Under Governors Foster and Blanco, Knapp worked on economic policy and was also a vital part of the team that successfully recruited or retained such companies as Union Tank Car, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, and Albemarle Corporation, among others. Prior to state government, he worked for Accenture, one of the world’s premier technology and management consultancy firms, as an emerging technology consultant. Knapp graduated from Davidson College in 1996 and also studied at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org [http://www.braf.org/].

#25 The Pod with Susan Bonnett Bourgeois

Susan Bonnett Bourgeois is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Northshore Community Foundation [https://www.northshorefoundation.org/], having served in that role since its founding. The Foundation works to elevate philanthropy in the Northshore Region of Louisiana, including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and St. Helena Parishes. In 2006, Susan was chosen to execute a strategic vision and planning process for the developing Foundation because of her history in fundraising, community service and public policy. While living in Baton Rouge, her volunteer efforts with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, including serving as a Founding Board member of Forum 35, well positioned her lead the new Foundation with a firm understanding of the potential it held to impact the rapidly growing region. Before launching the Foundation, Susan owned Bonnett & Co., a governmental and public affairs consulting firm with clients across Louisiana. In addition to her work with candidates, she also represented insurance advocacy issues, local governments, and organized and managed political action committees. To learn more about the work of the Foundation, please visit braf.org [http://www.braf.org/].