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Meaghan McCormack has led the St. Bernard Economic Development Foundation (SBEDF) as CEO since April 2020, where she launched a newly established economic development organization with a reimagined vision, mission, scope of work, and team. With her at the helm, the organization initiated, adopted, and is now implementing St. Bernard’s 5-year economic development strategic plan, which was created with input from numerous community members and partners. Under her leadership, St. Bernard has been named the fastest-growing Parish (County) in Louisiana, the Parish (County) with the 2nd-highest GDP in Louisiana, and SBEDF has announced multiple major business recruitment and expansion projects representing nearly $2 billion in capital investment and over 2,500 new and retained jobs. She has a proven track record of creating equity and prosperity through mutually beneficial, diverse partnerships with a variety of local, regional, state, and federal agencies, as well as with business and community leaders, legislators, and nonprofit organizations. McCormack proudly serves on many boards and committees, including: GNO, Inc.’s Public Policy Committee, the Coalition for Coastal Resilience and Economy, Public Affairs Research Council (PAR)’s Future Leaders Council, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana’s Women United, and the boards of Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute, the St. Bernard Family Violence Program, and the St. Bernard Community Center.

Institutes

Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association Candidate for the Certified Louisiana Economic Developer (CLED) Designation
Leadership Louisiana 2022 Graduate
Leadership St. Bernard 2021 Graduate
City of New Orleans Civic Leadership Academy Fellow and 2021 Graduate
Nancy M. Marsiglia Institute of Justice Fellow and 2021 Graduate
Mississippi River Delta Institute 2021 Graduate
Loyola University New Orleans Institute of Politics 2020 Graduate
Democrats for Education Reform Leaders of Color Program 2020 Graduate
Congressional Black Caucus Institute Advocacy and Campaign Training 2020 Graduate
Loyola University New Orleans Women's Leadership Academy 2019 Graduate
New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute 2019 Graduate
Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans 2018 Graduate
New Orleans Business Alliance Economic Development Ambassador Program 2017 Graduate
Young Leadership Council Leadership Development Series 2017 Graduate
Yale University Elm Institute Scholar 2015 and 2016

Civic Involvement

Emerging Philanthropists of New Orleans 2018 Graduate and Board Member
French American Chamber of Commerce Board Member
Glass Half Full and Glass Roots NOLA Advisory Board Member
Greater New Orleans, Inc. Coalition for Coastal Resilience & Economy
Greater New Orleans, Inc. Policy Committee Member
International Economic Development Council Member
Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans Board Member
New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute 2019 Graduate and Board Member
Public Affairs Research Council (PAR)’s Future Leaders Council
St. Bernard Community Center Board Member
St. Bernard Family Violence Program Board Member
St. Bernard Chamber of Commerce Ex-Officio Board Member
St. Bernard Redevelopment Board Member
St. Bernard Film Incentive Review Panel Member
United Way of Southeast Louisiana Women United Board Member and Allocations Committee Vice Chair
World Trade Center New Orleans Member

Awards

CityBusiness – Woman of the Year 2019
GNO, Inc. – Finalist for the Millennial Award in Economic Development 2019
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana – Excelencia Young Leader Award 2019
International Economic Development Council – Gold Award for the Weekly Trader International Trade Newsletter 2019, Silver Award for the Weekly Trader International Trade Newsletter 2018, and Silver Award for the wtcno.org Website 2019

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Will is also an entrepreneur at heart. He created his first company in high school, eventually exiting via a planned sale to a competitor in 2016 after 12 years as a regional top-performer. Will and his wife, Paige, acquired a property management company in 2011, completing a 2-year turnaround and exit plan by 2013 which placed the portfolio in the hands of a locally based non-profit. His father operates an Africa-based water well drilling NGO “A Well-Watered Garden” for which Will sits on the board in an advisory capacity, weighing in on real estate and fundraising projects. Using pathways such as NOEW and the Idea Village, Will has also advised multiple startups as they flesh out their strategic plan.

Above all, Will desires to see things grow. He considers himself a perpetual student of current real estate development, economic development, and business engineering practices, each of which informs his approach to fostering growth. He views his current role facilitating St. Bernard Parish’s economic development initiatives as his most important challenge yet and looks forward to seeing the parish achieve its true potential as a major economic driver for our state, elevating the standard of living for all parish residents.