The Bossier Chamber of Commerce, official host of CDI Central in Louisiana, is proud to announce, in partnership with the Community Development Council, that six community development professionals have passed the PCED this month.

Bossier City is the newest site of the Community Development Institute, a national program aimed at training community leaders and economic development professionals. In partnership with Louisiana Economic Development, the Bossier Chamber and host sponsor Louisiana Tech University College of Business hosted a cohort of 24 leaders from around Louisiana throughout 2024.

The Bossier City site is the only site in the state of Louisiana and serves as a satellite site of CDI Central at the University of Central Arkansas in 2024. The 24 students participated in three weeks of training throughout the year. After completion of the courses, the students were eligible to sit for the Professional Community and Economic Developer exam.

With these six new PCED holders, this doubles the number of people in the state of Louisiana who hold the certificate. These six professionals just finished the inaugural session of Community Development Institute Central in Louisiana and after finishing all three sessions, they were eligible to sit for the Professional Community and Economic Developer exam.

Join us in congratulating the newest PCED holders:

• Robert Abboud, Director, Business Development, with Louisiana Economic Development
• Dean Baugh, Director of Existing Industry, North Louisiana Economic Partnership
• Michael Colston, Community Development Officer, Bonvenu Bank
• Paige Gisclair, Program Director, Coastal Technical Assistance Center
• Kristopher Kelley, Executive Director, West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce
• Christy Alley Zeringue, CEO of South Louisiana Economic Council

“It is our greatest pleasure to welcome six new PCEDs to the state of Louisiana,” said Jessica Hemingway, PCED, and co-director of the CDI Central in Louisiana site. “After three sessions of trainings, these individuals have shown that they have the knowledge – along with the heart – to help our communities and our state move forward through the meaningful and comprehensive work of Community Development.”