One Acadiana CEO leaving for Va. post
Jason El Koubi has resigned as chief executive of One Acadiana to serve as executive vice president of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the No. 2 position at that state’s economic development authority.
El Koubi joins Stephen Moret, who left his leadership position at the LSU Foundation in 2016 after two years to head the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and had previously led Louisiana’s economic development agency and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. El Koubi also had worked at Louisiana Economic Development and BRAC.
J
im Bourgeois, One Acadiana’s executive director of business development, will serve as interim president and CEO.
El Koubi will remain with One Acadiana through the end of July.
“We intend to engage an executive search firm to help us launch a nationwide search for a permanent president and CEO very soon,” said One Acadiana Chairman Frank Neuner, managing partner of NeunerPate.
“Jim has been with One Acadiana since its inception. His leadership over the last 2½ years gives us every confidence in his ability to guide our organization through this transition,” he said.
“Jason has made the kinds of transformational impacts on our organization, community and region that we aspired to achieve when we hired him four years ago,” said Julie Simon-Dronet, vice president of Cox’s Acadiana market.
Since joining One Acadiana in September 2013, El Koubi worked with business and civic leaders to develop and launch “The Campaign for One Acadiana,” a five-year, $15 million initiative to deliver a new, nationally competitive regional economic development program for the nine-parish region.
During El Koubi’s tenure, One Acadiana helped secure public support for major infrastructure projects, including the new Lafayette Regional Airport terminal and the I-49 Lafayette Connector; launched a regional workforce development strategy that has supported retraining and reemployment for displaced oilfield workers; launched a business attraction, expansion and retention program; and created a site development program to increase the inventory of Acadiana’s certified industrial sites.
El Koubi previously served as assistant secretary of Louisiana Economic Development and had been policy director at BRAC. He also had served as performance auditor with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor and project consultant/environmental engineer with Trinity Consultants.