NLEP - Key Persons
Angie White, Chief Operating Officer, is a Certified Economic Developer, as designated by the International Economic Development Council, with over 25 years of economic development, workforce development, and finance experience. Angie was hired in 2008 to develop a new workforce marketing program for NLEP. That role has given her a thorough understanding of the workforce development ecosystem throughout North Louisiana, the state, and the best practices of communities outside Louisiana.
As COO, she oversees organizational operations for NLEP, including finance and audit, investor relations, and governance, while still playing an active role in the region's many workforce development initiatives. Angie serves on the workforce committee of the Northwest Louisiana Manufacturing Managers Council, chairs the workforce development committee of the Northwest Louisiana chapter of SHRM, is a director on the Workforce Training Alliance Board and the Workforce Development Board for the City of Shreveport, and is actively involved on the Northwest Louisiana JumpStart team, which advises secondary education partners on regional employers' career and technical education needs. She was instrumental in standing up the Northwest Louisiana Chapter of FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) and is a member of the Accredited Economic Development Organization Committee of the International Economic Development Council.
Before NLEP, Angie worked for twelve years with EMP Global in Washington, DC as its Portfolio Officer and Investment Analyst with the Latin America Group.
She earned her Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is a Shreveport native and a graduate of Centenary College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 2013, Angie was honored with the Community Gem award from the Community Foundation of North Louisiana for her community volunteer work, and in 2018, she was a finalist for the Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman Award.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Justyn Dixon, President & CEO, is a proven regional development executive with over 15 years of industrial and economic development expertise and more than 30 years of successful sales and marketing experience. Through his established relationships with real estate brokers, industrial site consultants, and state, regional, and local economic development groups, Justyn's primary focus is on generating jobs and capital investments to strengthen the 14 parishes served by NLEP.
Prior to joining NLEP, Justyn was the Gulf States Regional Development Director for Agracel, Inc. Through his leadership, he successfully developed and managed a 4.5 million square foot industrial portfolio of 19 facilities in a four-state area.
Before Agracel, Inc., Justyn was an Economic Development Specialist with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), responsible for project management and site development of 14 counties. Preceding TVA, he worked as a Senior Project Manager with the Mississippi Development Authority's Global Business Division, where he focused on recruiting new investment into Mississippi.
While earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Mississippi, Dixon was a member of the 113th Mississippi Army National Guard, Military Police, and served on active duty during Desert Storm. He and his wife, Leslie, have two children, Mary Reid and Sims.
Job Titles:
- Auditor ( LLA ) Hotline If You Suspect the Misappropriation ( Theft ), Fraud, Waste or Abuse of Public Funds by Anyone
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager for NLEP 's Business Development Program
Megan Delgado serves as Senior Project Manager for NLEP's Business Development Program. Her primary focus is timely completion and successful submission of requests and proposals. She is also a key component in elevating NLEP's project management support for potential prospects.
Before joining NLEP, Megan worked for leading oil and gas companies, one of them being Schlumberger. During her time in the oil and gas industry, Megan led a successful laboratory career where she specialized in quality control and project development. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and a certified Lean Practitioner.
Megan earned a Master of Business Administration in Project Management from Louisiana State University Shreveport in Shreveport, LA and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, TX. She is currently fulfilling the requirements to sit for the world's leading project management certification exam and earn the Project Management Professional Certification offered by the Project Management Institute.
Michele Riney has over two decades of experience in office management, human resources, and accounting. She manages NLEP's operational functions, human resources, and general fiscal activities of the organization. Michele is tasked with ensuring that NLEP operates as efficiently as possible. She has completed the Basic Economic Development Course through IEDC.
Prior to joining NLEP, Michele worked for Delta Airlines as an international reservations specialist. Her prior experience also includes working as a database manager for Burnett's Staffing, personal assistant for Dallas-based Ashwood Investments, human resources and accounts payable specialist for Atlantic Industrial Services, and as human resources assistant for Datatrac in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sheena Bryant leads NLEP's Business Development Program, recruiting companies to the 11-parish region and assisting them with expansion. Sheena has extensive experience in economic development, international relations, and public policy. She previously led a division within the Guam Economic Development Authority, where she supervised four analysts and worked to support international investors establishing businesses in the U.S. territory. Prior to this, Sheena directly supported the Governor of Guam by helping oversee all state-level public safety agencies, including the Police Department, Fire Department, Homeland Security, Customs, and Department of Corrections. During her time in government, she received the Governor's Award for effectively advocating the region's interests on a U.S. presidential task force and at international development organizations.
Sheena's experience extends into the private sector and academia. While working for Deloitte Consulting, she managed multimillion-dollar contracts and was instrumental in business development initiatives. She received a corporate award for exceptional performance on a marketing campaign and was subsequently sent to Yale University's School of Business Management to complete an advanced consulting skills program. Through her work, she has held security clearances of varying levels with the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.
Community service is important to Sheena. She has volunteered her time as an adjunct instructor of Economics at a local community college, served as the Secretary of the Shreveport-Bossier Military Affairs Council, and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Louisiana District Export Council. Sheena was named "Top 40 under 40" in 2019 by the Young Professionals Initiative of Northwest Louisiana and is an ATHENA Leadership Award nominee, an honor extended to women demonstrating excellence in professional leadership, community leadership, and mentorship.
Sheena earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has completed several prestigious fellowships affiliated with the East West Center, Institute for International Public Policy, Aspen Institute, and Center for Strategic International Studies Pacific Forum. Sheena is a Certified Economic Developer, as designated by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and is pursuing her Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification.
Job Titles:
- Business Development & Recruitment Director
Will Ford manages business attraction and lead development for NLEP. He is responsible for creating and investing in relationships with site consultants and company representatives while maintaining connections to find new projects in which North Louisiana can compete.
Before joining NLEP, Will served as a Project Manager for Louisiana Economic Development, where he helped bring over 1,000 jobs and $777 million in capital investment to the state. Will earned a Master of Science in Economic Development and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from the University of Southern Mississippi. While earning his master's degree, he completed various economic development research projects, including economic impact analyses, methodological planning reports for property development, and industry-specific performance evaluations.