THE TEAM

STEPHEN WAGUESPACK LABI PRESIDENT & CEO

Stephen Waguespack is the President and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI). As the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturer’s association, LABI is the largest business advocacy group, representing more than 2,200 business members and 324,000 employees. With over two decades of experience in federal and state policy and politics, Stephen has earned a reputation as an active voice for reform in Louisiana. Before joining LABI, Stephen served as a member of the State Board of Education and as a senior advisor to former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Stephen is a Louisiana native and holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University as well as a law degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Beverly Moore Haydel Project Director

As the founder of Sequitur Consulting, Beverly Haydel has more than a decade of experience working in both the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Her expertise lies in project management, coalition building, stakeholder engagement, public outreach, issue advocacy, policy development and legislative strategy.Throughout her career, Beverly has demonstrated an ability to plan and execute complex projects involving multiple stakeholder groups and across numerous sectors, including health care, education, transportation and infrastructure, and economic development. Beverly applies her critical thinking and interpersonal skills to help clients plan and manage projects efficiently and to achieve positive results. Her ability to write persuasively, her vast knowledge across multiple policy areas and her in-depth knowledge of the legislative processes at the local, state and federal levels provide her with the expertise to bring value to clients in a wide array of situations.

Ted is the Managing Partner of Economic Leadership LLC, a consultancy that is currently working in more than a dozen states to develop economic and workforce strategies. During the past five years, Economic Leadership has led the development of State Economic Development and Economic Competitiveness Strategies for the state chambers of commerce in Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and for both the state Chamber and the Department of Commerce in North Carolina. Economic Leadership assessed and presented extensive competitiveness and trends research; designed and facilitated strategic engagement processes; designed, conducted, and analyzed stakeholder surveys; created metrics for measuring future success and made presentations to large state gatherings.

On the data collection front, LABI has hired Pat McFerron, CMA Strategies’ founding partner and President of Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates. McFerron is nationally known for his polling and focus group work for corporations and political campaigns. McFerron has been involved in wide variety of successful marketing efforts including those for start-up companies, Fortune 500 companies, charitable organizations and grassroots lobbying efforts. A veteran focus group moderator, he has directed more than 1,000 specific research projects in 41 states, as well as designed and managed national and international studies. In addition to being President of CHS, McFerron is a founding partner of CMA Strategies, Oklahoma’s leading political campaign consulting and lobbying firm. He is a William Randolph Hearst Scholar who graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University and attended graduate school at The American University.