Leadership Bios

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 transformed LED into one of the top state economic development agencies in the country.

Under Moret's leadership, LED has become a fast, creative, and solution-oriented partner for corporate executives and site selection consultants; a champion for small businesses and other existing Louisiana employers; and the architect of Louisiana's economic-outperformance strategy.

Examples of LED's wins under Moret's leadership include landing Louisiana's fifth Fortune 1000 headquarters; attracting EA's first North American Test Center; recruiting Nucor's iron and steel production facility; and securing Sasol's $16-21 billion gas-to-liquids and ethane cracker complex (the largest manufacturing project in state history); as well as establishing LED's highly acclaimed workforce development program, LED FastStart_®.

Since 2008, Gov. Jindal and LED have secured projects that are creating more than 63,000 new direct and indirect jobs, as well as more than $28 billion in new capital investment.

In 2010, 2011, and 2012, Site Selection ranked LED one of the top five best performing state economic development agencies and Business Facilities ranked LED FastStart the best state workforce-training program in the country. Louisiana now ranks higher in every national business-climate ranking than it ever did prior to January 2008.

Experience

Prior to being appointed by Gov. Jindal, Moret served as president and chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, or BRAC. Under Moret's leadership from 2004 to 2008, BRAC grew into a national-caliber regional economic development organization. Revenues tripled at BRAC during Moret's tenure, 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.

Moret previously worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company where he specialized in service operations, including acute-care hospitals, Medicaid systems, pharmacy benefit managers, and Internet service providers. He also served as a project supervisor with Trinity Consultants, where he advised large industrial facilities on environmental issues related to major plant expansions.

Moret also served as assistant to the chancellor of LSU, an independent consultant to Harvard University, and a public policy fellow with the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, or PAR. His research at PAR on restructuring Louisiana's higher education system earned 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 America's Older Industrial Areas," a book published by Brookings Institution Press.

EDUCATION

Moret earned a B.S. 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 Dean's Award for exceptional leadership and service.