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 focused on transforming LED into one of the top state economic development agencies in the country.
Under Moret’s leadership, LED has become a fast, creative and highly responsive partner for corporate executives and site selection consultants; a champion for small business and other existing Louisiana employers; and the architect of Louisiana's economic renaissance. Some of LED's top wins under Moret's leadership include landing Louisiana's fifth Fortune 1000 headquarters, attracting EA's first North American Test Center and recruiting Nucor’s iron and steel production facility, as well as establishing LED's highly acclaimed workforce development initiative, LED FastStart™.
Site Selection recently ranked LED as the best performing state economic development agency in the U.S., and Business Facilities ranked LED FastStart the top state workforce training program in the country in both 2010 and 2011. Southern Business & Development named Louisiana State or Co-State of the Year for the last three consecutive years (2008, 2009 and 2010). Additionally, since January 2008, Louisiana has improved to its highest ever position on every national ranking of state business climates.
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's previous professional endeavors include working as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, a leading global consultancy serving senior executives of Fortune 500 companies and large public sector organizations. He also served as a project supervisor with Trinity Consultants, where he advised large industrial facilities in multiple states on environmental issues related to major plant expansions.
Moret also served as an assistant to the LSU chancellor, 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.
Moret's work has been recognized by the Ford Foundation, which selected him as one of 30 Regionalism and Sustainable Development Fellows in the U.S. In 2008, he 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. In the book, economic development experts present new frameworks, cutting-edge analysis and innovative policy solutions through which the nation's government, business, civic and community leaders can sculpt a sustainable and supportable economy for older industrial areas.
Education
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Louisiana State University
M.B.A., Harvard Business School (Dean's Award recipient)
Graduate, Leadership Louisiana
