Steering Committee

Nic Hunter

Mayor

City of Lake Charles

Clair Marceaux

Port Director

Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District

A Cameron Parish native, Clair serves as the Director of Cameron Parish Port, Harbor & Terminal District.  Her role allows her to enter act with people from all over the world to promote Cameron Parish.  Before becoming Port Director, she served as Director of Economic Development for the Cameron Parish Police Jury. Prior to that role, Clair was the Southwest Region Economic Development Project Manager for Entergy Louisiana.  Previous to her work at Entergy, she served the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury as Senior Grants Administrator, overseeing the grant funds used to construct the Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurial and Economic Development or SEED Center and administered more than $35 million in Disaster Recovery grant funds.  She also spent three years as Regional Lead with the Federal Emergency Management Agency overseeing more than 11,000 temporary housing units for FEMA.  Clair began her career as an English IV teacher in Lafayette teaching at both the Episcopal School of Acadiana and St. Thomas More Catholic High School.  She is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  Clair is a nationally Certified Community and Economic Developer with service to the boards of Fusion Five, the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, the Women’s Business Network, the Acadiana Economic Development Council, the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, The Regional Planning Commission of Southwest Louisiana, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, United Way SWLA, the SWLA Area Maritime Security Committee, and the Community Foundation of SWLA.  She is active in several professional organizations such as the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association, the Southern Economic Development Council, the Louisiana Energy Export Association, and the Louisiana Travel Association.  Clair and her family make their home in Cameron Parish.

David Lang

Partner, Corporate Finance & Investment

King & Spalding

Najla Jamoussi

Director, Market Fundamentals - Global LNG

Cheniere Energy Inc.

Najla Jamoussi is currently Director of Global Fundamentals at Cheniere Energy.  Najla began her career with the company over 13 years ago in Strategic Planning and since then assumed various analytical and managerial positions dealing with energy markets. Her contributions included roles in Financial and Fundamental Analysis, Corporate Research and Corporate Strategy. Najla earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston.

Guy Dayvault

Principal

Energy Deal Solutions LLC

Mr. Dayvault is a commercial consultant in LNG marketing and natural gas. Through Energy Deal Solutions LLC he provides commercial advisory, structuring, negotiating and strategic planning services to the LNG industry.  His past clients have included Jordan Cove LNG and the Qatargas Americas Liaison Office in Houston as well as various upstream E&P clients, and Asian LNG buyers.  Before forming Energy Deal Solutions, LLC, Mr. Dayvault led the LNG Commercial Development team for Gazprom Marketing & Trading USA and had various commercial and financial modeling roles at Marathon, Enron, and Glencore.  He began his career with ten years at Chevron. Mr. Dayvault has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University, an MS in Petroleum Engineering from University of Southern California, and the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification.

Jimmy Straughan

Head of LNG Origination – Atlantic Basin

BP

Jimmy Straughan is the Chief Commercial Officer of BP’s LNG Americas organization.  He is responsible for business development activities throughout the Americas and he is a member of BP’s global LNG leadership team.   He currently serves as Vice Chairman on the board of directors for the Center of LNG (CLNG). 

Jimmy has a Chemical Engineering degree from Texas A&M University and he has over 33 years of experience in the oil & gas industry.  He has spent the past 18 years  focused on LNG.             

Jason Feer

Head of Business Intelligence

Poten & Partners

Jason Feer is the Global Head of Business Intelligence at Poten & Partners

Prior to joining Poten in 2014, served as COO Americas for Argus Media based in Houston starting 2011, and from 2003 through 2011 as the head of Argus’ Asia Pacific business, where he was responsible for managing Argus’ business East of the Suez Canal. In this role, he oversaw the development of new products focused on petroleum, LNG, LPG, coal, base oils, biofuels and other products.

With more than 25 years’ experience in global energy markets, Jason has worked in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the US. His specialties include markets, project development and the politics of oil.

He is a frequent commentator on oil affairs and has appeared on CNBC, the BBC and other television and radio outlets.

Kamran Javed

General Manager, LNG Business

JERA Energy America

Kamran is the General Manager, LNG Business with JERA Energy America LLC having joined full time in July 2017 whose main remit is to help manage the offtake from Freeport LNG Train 1 and any other LNG business in the USA.  His career spans the oil and gas value chain with prior experience at ConocoPhillips, Chevron and RasGas starting from 2000.  Kamran’s experience in LNG is gained from prior roles at ConocoPhillips in the Atlantic & Pacific Basin LNG Marketing Business Unit and as a Short-Term Marketer at RasGas.

Charlie Riedl

Executive Director

Center for Liquefied Natural Gas

Charlie Riedl is the Executive Director for the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG), focused on effectively advocating on behalf of the LNG industry. As Executive Director, Riedl works with CLNG member companies, regulators, legislators and other key stakeholders to provide credible and educational information about the economic and environmental benefits of LNG.

Prior to joining CLNG, Charlie worked at America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) and at a exploration and production company focused on natural gas market development and government relations. Charlie’s experience in the natural gas industry includes regulatory, upstream production, downstream and pipeline development projects, as well as natural gas as a transportation fuel.

Charlie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from The Ohio State University and lives with his wife and two daughters in Washington D.C.

Dena Wiggins

President & CEO

Natural Gas Supply Association

Dena E. Wiggins is President and CEO of the Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), representing major integrated and independent natural gas producers in the U.S.  She joined NGSA in 2014. 

As President of NGSA, Wiggins leads the association’s efforts to encourage the supply and use of natural gas and promotes the benefits of competitive markets.  

She also serves on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Energy and Environmental Markets Advisory Committee, which advises the CFTC on preserving market integrity and competition in energy futures markets, among other issues.  

Previous to NGSA, she was a partner at the firm of Ballard Spahr and served as General Counsel to the Process Gas Consumers Group.  She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

Renee Pirrong

Director, Research and Analysis

Tellurian Inc.

Jim Rock

Executive Director

Lake Area Industry Alliance

Juan I. Pareja

NBD and Commercial Manager, New Markets Americas

Shell

Juan I. Pareja, Manager Business Development, LNG Americas, leads the identification and capture of LNG opportunities in established and emerging markets.  Juan has held various management roles in Finance, Competitive Intelligence, Upstream Business Development, LPG Trading, LNG Trading covering Asia-Pacific, Middle East and India and the Americas.  Juan earned a dual bachelor’s degree in economics & management and psychology from Beloit College in Wisconsin in 1992 and a master’s degree in business administration in finance and business strategy in 1995 from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Ernest Broussard

BDM

Hunt Guillot & Associates

Ernie Broussard has 42 years of professional experience in government, urban policy, capital Project/Program management, land use administration, state and federal program administration, and a host of planning and economic development initiatives. He has an advanced degree in Planning and Urban Design from the University of Southwest Louisiana, currently ULL, and went on to secure certification in Land Use Administration from the Pepperdine University School of Law. He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute through the University of Oklahoma, where he received the prestigious Robert B. Cassell National Award for Leadership and Academic Excellence.
Ernie is an AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) with the American Planning Association, as well as, a CEcD (Certified Economic and Community Developer) through the International Economic Development Council. He has been awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award, as well as, being named Planner of the Year on three separate occasions, even as recently at 2011. He has also qualified as an expert witness before congress on three occasions and multiple court litigation.
He also has three national awards for outstanding plans and economic strategies for the Comprehensive Zoning Law and Urban Design for the City of Lake Charles, “A New Vision- An Economic Strategy for Downtown Economic Development”, as well as, the Adaptive Reuse Plan for the Chennault International Airport Authority. Ernie has also been a recipient of numerous national and regional awards for leadership, professional excellence, and sustained meritorious contributions throughout his professional career.
Ernie was employed by the Cameron Parish Police Jury as the Executive Director of the Planning & Development Agency, where a long-term planning and economic development initiative is ongoing for the parish. This initiative achieved both short and long-term sustainable objectives in order to make Cameron Parish a planned livable community since the devastation from Hurricane Rita. Ernie was recognized by the Office of Community Development for the State of Louisiana and the Bush School of Public Policy at Texas ATM for the Cameron Redevelopment Plan as Best Practice, outstanding contributions to coastal recovery and incorporated redevelopment initiatives for resiliency for recovering communities. He has also served as a board member for the Road Home Program, the Louisiana Land Trust Authority and the Louisiana National Guard Foundation.
Ernie is currently the Business Development Manager for Hunt, Guillot, and Associates (HGA) Lake Charles office; a multi-disciplined full-service engineering group that has national and international notoriety in engineering design, pipeline services, project and program management, as well as its own staffing business unit for professional
placements. The immersion of the HGA brand into southwest Louisiana with specific industrial targets as LNG, oil and gas, petrochemical, materials handling, specialty chemicals, C&G, and other specific disciplines where the marketing objectives for this corporation. Ernie’s core responsibilities for HGA include, but are not limited to, developing strategic alliances and business opportunities in Louisiana and Texas.
Ernie sits on the Louisiana Energy Export Association (LEEA), currently serving as treasurer, as well as, Vice-Chair of the Louisiana National Guard Foundation. Being very active in the SWLA Business Alliance/Chamber, Ernie serves on the 2019 Executive Committee, chairs the Business Development and Diversity committee and sits as a functioning board member on the Lake Charles I-10 Bridge Taskforce.
Ernie is also currently president of the Colt Group a professional planning and economic development and policy analysis agency that renders strategic solutions to both industry, municipal, and private sector interests. His current clientele includes ProfastTelcom, Frontier Hospitals, Global Management Enterprise, Industrial Logistics, Town of Iowa, just to name a few.
Ernie is married to the former Phyllis Marie Craven and has two children, Brandon Ernest and Megan Nicole. He is a personal advocate of Louisiana Bred Quarter horses and enjoys competing in American Cutting Horse events. He is an admirer of Louisiana history, Western heritage, and prides himself on being a sports fisherman, avid hunter, and as a former athlete, still enjoys competitive sports whenever his recurrent ailments permit.

Kyle Edminson

President & CEO

Visit Lake Charles

Kyle Edmiston is the President/CEO of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana CVB.  Previously, he spent 16 months as the Chief Operating Officer of the CVB, served for 6 years as the Director of the Louisiana Office of Tourism under two different administrations and served for 6 ½ years as the President/CEO of the Ruston Lincoln CVB. 

Visit Lake Charles was honored by the LA Travel Association as the CVB of the Year for 2019.  In 2017, Kyle was honored as the National State Tourism Director of the Year by his colleagues and was named one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in the United States for Marketing by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI).  He was awarded the Southeast Tourism Society Rising Star Award in 2009 and earned his Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) from Destinations International in 2008. 

Currently, he serves as Treasurer of the Board for Brand USA, treasurer of the board for the Louisiana Travel Association and he is on the Board of Directors of U.S. Travel Association.  He previously served as Chair of the Travel South USA Board of Directors and the Louisiana Association of CVBs.

Kasciandro Senem

Executive VP, LNG Trading & Organisation

Hygo Energy Transition

Bryan C. Beam

Parish Administrator

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and resides there; married to the former Edith Pavy; one child, Andrew.

EDUCATION:

High School: LaGrange High (Lake Charles), Graduated 1980
College: Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, 1984
Graduate School: Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, 1994

ACTIVITIES & HONORS:

Graduate of Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL) Leadership Louisiana program (2013)
Graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s program “Leadership for the 21st Century: Chaos, Conflict, and Courage,” 2008
Graduate of Louisiana State University’s Executive Training Program (3 years), 2006
Past President of the Organization of Parish Administrative Officials of the Louisiana Police Jury Association
Graduate of the Chamber Southwest Louisiana Leadership Program, 1998

EMPLOYMENT WITH CALCASIEU PARISH:

Began employment within the Parish in December, 1994
Served as Assistant Parish Administrator 2002 - 2010
Has served as Parish Administrator since April 1, 2010

Eric Cormier

VP of Policy and Strategic Development

Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance

Pat Roberts

Managing Director

LNG-Worldwide Ltd

Pat Roberts is an Associate Director of CWC's gas portfolio and is actively involved with the Steering Committee in the design and running of the LNG series of conferences. Pat is also active with CWC School for Energy and its training courses. Pat has seven years' experience as an independent consultant as Director of LNG Worldwide Ltd. She works with several key industry players as well as new entrants in the global gas and LNG markets. This covers the full commercial gas supply chain from strategy and market fundamental analysis to assisting with negotiating commercial agreements. Prior to independent consulting, Pat worked for the Shell group of companies for 24 years in their global oil and gas commercial divisions, culminating with a role as General Manager of Shell's international LNG business in the Atlantic Basin.

Fred H. Hutchison

President & CEO

LNG Allies, The US LNG Association

Fred H. Hutchison is Executive Director of LNG Allies a nonprofit organization working to expedite and maximize LNG exports to create U.S. jobs and economic growth, enhance the energy security of America’s allies, and improve human and environmental conditions worldwide. An advocate, communicator, and entrepreneur, Fred has been a government and public relations generalist for more than four decades and is a trusted adviser to private and public sector leaders worldwide. He was formerly a legislative assistant for energy and natural resources for U.S. Sen. Frank Church and earned a B.S. degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.