BOA R D M E M B E R P R OF IL E
Lacy McManus CO MMU N IC AT IONS COU NCI L DI RECTO R
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s the Board of Directors Communications Council Director, Lacy McManus will coordinate and disseminate information about the Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO). By dovetailing her management and communication skills with her professional experience, Lacy will oversee the promotion of JLNO's events and community projects via traditional advertising, social media, press releases, the Lagniappe publication and the organization’s website. Working closely with the President, Board members, committee chairs and staff, Lacy will be responsible for reviewing all print and digital materials while providing guidance on additional opportunities to expand JLNO’s influence. During her year as Communications Council Director, Lacy intends to spread the message of JLNO’s community-wide impact . This includes the general public, but also — and perhaps most importantly — League membership. She is enthusiastic about the many ways provisionals, actives and sustainers can engage, and she seeks to enrich the organization by better connecting the League’s core constituents to its mission. Lacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Georgia, a Masters of Arts in global communications from the American University of Paris, and a Masters of Business Administration from Tulane University. Lacy has recently taken a position with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Educate team as a Program Manager. In this role she works with AWS's international clients, economic development and higher education partners to connect AWS's educational curriculum with employer needs and overall economic goals. Prior to joining AWS, Lacy was Vice-President of Strategic Initiatives for Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), the economic development organization for Southeast Louisiana. In this role, Lacy was the primary liaison for business and industry, higher education, career technical educators, government agencies and non-profit partners to cultivate partnerships creating a thriving regional economy. Lacy's seven-year tenure at GNO, Inc. built on her non-profit experience as the Special Initiatives Manager at the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX). In addition to serving on the JLNO Board, Lacy is Board President of the public transit advocacy organization RIDE New Orleans, a current participant in the 2019-2020 New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute, an alumna of the 2016 Emerging Philanthropist of New Orleans (EPNO) class and has served as a Lead Mentor to entrepreneurs in the small business incubator, Propeller.
Since joining JLNO in 2013, Lacy has served as Co-Chair for the Women’s Leadership Summit and Editor of Lagniappe magazine. She takes inspiration from her first boss in Louisiana, Boo Thomas: Baton Rouge Junior League Past-President, leader and community development powerhouse. She quickly became Lacy’s role model due to her grace, poise and independence. Lacy was also inspired to join the Junior League having watched her mother participate. “My mother was very involved in the Baton Rouge Junior League when I was growing up,’” Lacy says. “I watched her leverage her League engagement to support my dad’s community goals. Together, they launched the Capital Area Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association: a now 28-year-old organization that has advocated for over 3,100 abused and neglected children in Louisiana. Watching my mother use her Junior League connections to provide volunteers, grant support and broader community awareness to CASA was such a special childhood memory.” Lacy joined JLNO to continue this amazing legacy of impact. When she’s not volunteering, you can find Lacy chasing her daughter Clara Byrd (2) and rescue dog Daisy May, swinging on her front porch with her husband Bryan or running the St. Charles Avenue neutral ground. Lacy and Bryan are expecting a daughter, Virginia, this summer.
“I started my life with a single absolute: that the world was mine to shape in the image of my highest values and never to be given up to a lesser standard, no matter how long or hard the struggle.” - ATLAS SHRUGGED BY AYN RAND jlno.org
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