Speakers

Heather McKay

Senior Vice President of Employer Engagement and Executive Director
Strada Institute for the Future of Work 

Heather McKay serves as senior vice president of employer engagement and executive director of the Strada Institute for the Future of Work. In this role, she leads efforts to strengthen alignment between education systems and labor market needs, helping learners and workers access high-quality career pathways.

McKay’s career spans a broad range of education and workforce development initiatives, including career and technical education, transfer pathways, prior learning assessment, nondegree credentials, STEM programs, work-based learning, career coaching and navigation, and performance-based funding models for higher education.

Previously, McKay served at the Virginia Office of Education Economics, where she developed the Virginia Skills Initiative, a dataset designed to help the state understand graduate outcomes and workforce skills. She also coordinated Virginia’s $1 billion Tech Talent Investment Program and supported the development of dashboards and data visualizations for education and workforce policymakers.

Earlier in her career, McKay was the founding director of the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University’s School of Labor and Management Relations. She holds a master of science and a master of arts from Rutgers University and a bachelor of arts from Bryn Mawr College.

Daron K. Roberts

Leadership Speaker, Author, and Former NFL Coach

Daron K. Roberts is a former NFL coach, award-winning college professor, and internationally recognized leadership speaker. Named a Top 20 Global Speaker in 2024, Roberts works with clients ranging from professional sports teams to Fortune 100 companies.

Roberts is the author of three books: Microwins; A Kids Book About Empathy, which was named to Oprah’s Favorite Things list, and Call an Audible, which was recognized by Amazon as a #1 New Release and Best Seller and selected by Sports Illustrated as one of its Best Sports Business Books.

A former venture capital partner, Roberts is an active investor, private equity advisor, and board member. His weekly leadership series, This Is Not About Sports, led LinkedIn to name him its #1 Top Voice in Sports.

Roberts is a graduate of the University of Texas, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Law School. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Hilary, and their five children.

Michael Williamson

President and Chief Executive Officer
United Way of Southeast Louisiana

Michael Williamson serves as president and chief executive officer of United Way of Southeast Louisiana (UWSELA), leading philanthropic and community impact efforts across Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes. He joined UWSELA in 2009 as chief operating officer and was named president and CEO in 2013.

Prior to UWSELA, Williamson served as vice president of field leadership at United Way of America, where he provided leadership for the organization’s Hurricane Response and Recovery Fund in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He led the development of UWSELA’s Blueprint for Prosperity, a holistic plan to eradicate poverty through innovative and systemic solutions, and has guided the organization’s transition to a Modern United Way focused on equity and impact.

Williamson has more than 30 years of executive-level nonprofit management experience and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Kevin J. Kieft, CEcD

Manager of Economic Development & Community Relations
Niagara Bottling 

Kevin J. Kieft serves as Manager of Economic Development & Community Relations and has been with Niagara Bottling since 2021. He brings a diverse background in economic and community development, with prior experience at the Lake Wales (FL) Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and in economic and community development roles with Michigan City, Indiana. His career reflects a strong commitment to fostering business growth and strengthening communities.

Josh Wright

Head of Strategy and Growth, Public Sector
Lightcast

Josh Wright is head of strategy and growth for the public sector team at Lightcast, the global leader in labor market data. For the last 18 years, Wright has helped the company grow from an early-stage startup to a private equity-backed market leader with more than 700 employees worldwide. Since joining the organization—then known as Emsi—in 2008, he has served in executive, marketing, consulting, and leadership roles.

A frequent speaker and author, Wright focuses on data and emerging trends in economic development, workforce development, and site selection. In 2015, he created the Talent Attraction Scorecard, an annual ranking of states and metropolitan areas used by cities to benchmark talent development efforts. A former journalist, he is passionate about using storytelling to show how data can help transform communities.

Susan Bonnett Bourgeois

Secretary
Louisiana Economic Development

Susan Bonnett Bourgeois has three decades of experience in building, transforming and sustaining organizations through strategic planning, project development, fundraising and advocacy. Before her appointment as secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, she served as president of SBB Consulting and president emeritus of the Northshore Community Foundation, where she was the founding CEO for 17 years. She previously led Bonnett & Co., a governmental and public affairs consulting firm, and held key roles in Governor M. J. Foster’s administration, including director of administrative affairs and special assistant to the governor.

An active member of the International Women’s Forum, Bourgeois has served in leadership roles with GNO, Inc.; the Northshore Business Council; and Lakeview Regional Medical Center. She is recognized for her ability to foster innovation, collaboration, and strategic partnerships that drive economic growth and community development.

Michael Hecht

President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater New Orleans, Inc.

Michael Hecht is president and chief executive officer of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), the regional economic development nonprofit for Southeast Louisiana. Under his leadership, GNO, Inc. was named “Economic Development Organization of the Year” and recognized as a “Top Ten Economic Development Organization in America.”

Hecht was appointed by Governor Jeff Landry as State Coordinator for Infrastructure and Economic Development for Super Bowl LIX, tasked with overseeing more than 500 projects in preparation for the event. The governor also tapped Hecht to lead delivery of the Louisiana International Terminal, a major project for the state. Previously, he led Louisiana’s quarter-billion-dollar Katrina Small Business Recovery Program and managed New York City’s post-9/11 small business recovery program under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Hecht holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Yale University.

Glenn Ledet, Jr.

Secretary
Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

Glenn Ledet Jr. serves as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), leading the state agency responsible for Louisiana’s transportation infrastructure, including highways, bridges, ports, and multimodal systems.

An accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Ledet brings extensive expertise in delivering large-scale infrastructure projects across the Gulf Coast. Prior to his appointment as secretary, he served as executive director of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), where he led implementation of the state’s $50 billion Coastal Master Plan. Ledet also previously served as assistant administrator of CPRA’s Operations Division, overseeing the implementation of major flood protection and coastal restoration projects. He spent more than 13 years in the engineering industry, including management roles with nationally recognized engineering, planning, and construction management firms, where he led strategic growth, business development, and operational efforts while working with departments of transportation across the southeastern United States, including the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Ledet holds a bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering from Louisiana State University and is a licensed professional civil engineer in multiple Gulf Coast states.

Susie Schowen

Secretary
Louisiana Works

Susana (Susie) Schowen serves as secretary of Louisiana Works. She was appointed by Governor Jeff Landry in January 2024. Prior to joining Louisiana Works, she spent two years as vice president of education at the Louisiana Community and Technical College System and previously served for more than a decade with LED FastStart, the workforce development division of Louisiana Economic Development.

Throughout her career, Schowen has focused on building coalitions of industry partners, economic developers, and educators to align education and workforce development efforts with the needs of employers and the economy.

She works across agencies and with regional partners to strengthen systems, improve efficiency, and better connect workforce development initiatives with the delivery of social services.

Schowen holds degrees in chemistry from Wellesley College and Columbia University.