Senator Mary Landrieu Joins Center for Planning Excellence
Board of Directors
Baton Rouge, La. – The Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) welcomes Senator Mary Landrieu to its Board of Directors. During her three terms in the United States Senate, Landrieu was known for her bipartisan approach to addressing national challenges and for her passionate advocacy for her home state of Louisiana, particularly in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
"For over 20 years, CPEX has been a trusted partner, helping communities throughout Louisiana plan and implement future growth opportunities in a more sustainable and equitable manner. I am honored to join the board and to continue this important and exciting work,” said Landrieu.
In addition to strong advocacy for her home state, Landrieu brings expertise in environmental sustainability legislation to her position on the CPEX board. She is credited with the passage of several important pieces of legislation: most notably, the landmark Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act; the Israel American Energy Alliance Act; and the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act – the single largest environmental investment in the Gulf Coast in US history. She is leveraging this expertise to guide CPEX as it diversifies Louisiana’s energy economy, plans climate-resilient communities, and builds climate capacity among local leaders.
“Mary Landrieu's impressive track record of public service and advocacy for the state of Louisiana make her a valuable addition to the CPEX Board of Directors,” said Preston Castille, Jr., Chair of the CPEX Board of Directors. “Senator Landrieu has long been a champion of planning, smart growth, and building resilience in Louisiana. She was instrumental in launching CPEX’s statewide planning work during the organization’s early years, and she has been a supporter ever since. Her unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability, coastal restoration, and economic development along with her extensive knowledge of policy and government will bring focus and expertise to the board and help drive progress toward CPEX’s mission.”
Since leaving the Senate, Landrieu serves as a Senior Policy Advisor with Van Ness Feldman. Additionally, she serves on several corporate and national non-profit boards: including Tyler Technologies; Evergy, Inc.; Resources for the Future; National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Project Advisory Board; National Alliance for Public Charter Schools; and the National CASA Board. She is a co-founder and continues to serve on the board of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.
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Alex Hobdy
Design Associate
Alex joined CPEX as a Design Associate in 2022. He is a Licensed Landscape Architect in Louisiana, holding a Bachelors of landscape architecture with a minor in geography from Louisiana State University. Prior to joining CPEX, Alex worked in private practices in New York, Texas, and Louisiana where he worked on site analysis and design for trail networks, regional parks, and master planned communities. During this time, Alex gained experience doing community development charrettes and realized his passion for engaging the public and elevating residents’ voices to shape the built environment.
Alex is interested in sustainable community design that creates meaningful open spaces and networks that create a sense of community and bring people together. Outside of the office you can find Alex spending time with his family, cycling around town, and cooking at home.
How long have you worked for CPEX?
I started at CPEX almost 4 months ago.
How does your job fit into the CPEX mission?
I work to help communities realize their potential by designing public spaces that promote health, equity, and resilience.
What does your job entail?
My job entails listening to communities express their wants and needs, preparing graphic drawings and plans to visualize the changes, and assist in getting the work implemented.
What do you like most about your job?
What I like most about my job is connecting with people and helping them solve their problems.
What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far?
To be humble and accept the help of others to get the most successful outcome for a project.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working?
When I'm not at work you can find me experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, playing in the yard with my daughter, or cycling through the neighborhood.
What is your vision for what planning can accomplish in Louisiana?
I think good planning could provide a tool kit and checklist that community groups and local governments can use to implement short term improvements to experiment with alternate uses for streetscapes, vacant lots, and parking lots.
If there was a news story about you, what would be the headline?
Local man travels to New Zealand to aid in Kākāpō restoration efforts.
Three words to best describe you:
Three words to describe me are resourceful, calm, and practical.
Gonzales Climate Action & Resilience Plan: A Conversation with CPEX’s Simbrey Majors
Briefly describe the Gonzales Climate Action & Resilience Plan.
The Gonzales Climate Action and Resilience Plan has a strategic focus on the community and residents of Gonzales to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to improve the overall health, safety, and longevity of the city and those that call it home. The City’s carbon footprint analysis provided direction for goals, strategies, and action items to help Gonzales reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiencies, which also reduces energy cost.
What is the goal of this project?
The goal of this plan is to reduce 40-50% of community wide greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. These efforts are also aligned with recommendations from the State of Louisiana Climate Action Plan and global goals of the Paris Agreement.
Why is this project so important?
Gonzales’ leadership joined together to address the drivers of climate change, which has impacted Gonzales in many ways already. The city of Gonzales want to ensure that future residents can enjoy the City as they do today.
What was CPEX’s favorite part of this project?
Seeing the finished product and the reaction of those who were involved in creating it as well as attending the Centennial Celebration and interacting with the residents to gather input from the input community
What did the CPEX team learn while working on this project?
Our team learned the importance of being involved in a community and having the community involved in different objectives when planning for change in a city. This project highlighted the importance of including voices from all over because everyone has a different viewpoint and opinion. We experienced all of this while developing the CARP and to see people's faces light up at the finished product and for everyone involved to feel they have some ownership in this plan means so much to our team.