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The manager of one of the nation’s largest refineries. Louisiana’s chief business development officer. The vice president of the nation’s top-performing construction company.
Those are among the nine 2025 Influential Women in Business who will be honored May 20 by Baton Rouge Business Report. The day begins with the Women’s Leadership Symposium, followed by the Influential Women in Business celebration. Get all the details.
Meet the honorees:
• Paige Carter, Chief Business Development Officer, Louisiana Economic Development
• Regina Davis, Refinery Complex Manager, ExxonMobil
• Kodi Guillory, President, Sustainable Design Solutions
• Michelle Hardy, Vice President, Turner Industries
• Meghan Parrish, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Baton Rouge General
• Amy Province, Market Executive/SVP, Commercial Banking Regions Bank
• Kristi Richard, Member; Co-Chair, Uplift Women’s Initiative, McGlinchey Stafford
• Laura Vinsant, Executive Director, Teach For America Greater Baton Rouge
• Keli Zinn, Executive Deputy Athletics Director / Chief Operating Officer, LSU Athletics
The third annual Women’s Leadership Symposium in the morning will feature 10 dynamic women sharing their insights and experiences on work/life topics. Speakers and panelists include C-suite executives, entrepreneurs, nonprofit changemakers and executive coaches.
Keynote speaker is Julie Laperouse. As she will tell you, she has been screaming all her life, but made it a profession in 2008 founding her training and speaking business Screaming Peacock. She challenges and energizes clients through customized training courses, engaging keynote addresses, executive coaching, and people strategy.
She speaks and trains on leadership, thriving as a woman in business, public speaking, working with humans, team building and more.
The Jennings, Louisiana native is also an author, having published her first book in 2011, “Are you a Screaming Peacock?” which serves as a tag-along to her public speaking engagements. Maintaining Screaming Peacock as a side hustle, Julie has also served as Chief Talent Officer of Advantage Capital and Managing Director of Emergent Method. She also co-owned a janitorial supply business with her husband, Paul, and is willing to share her lessons learned about working with your spouse over an old fashioned.
The mother of four was honored by Baton Rouge Business Report as a Forty Under 40 in 2014 and one of its Influential Women in Business in 2017.
The event will also feature two panels. The first, “Strategic Leadership Presence: Developing Your Distinctive Leadership Voice,” explores how every leader must develop their own effective leadership style that aligns with both their strengths and their organization’s needs. This panel explores how successful leaders have developed and evolved their unique leadership approaches to drive results. Panelists will share concrete examples of how they’ve adapted their leadership style across different contexts and organizational cultures while maintaining consistency and credibility. Learn practical strategies for developing a leadership presence that resonates with diverse stakeholders and drives organizational success. Panelists are Anita Byrne, Karen Breaux, Krista Raney and Regina Davis.
The second, “Why or Why Not? The Power of Purposeful Decision-Making,” focuses on how every career is built on a series of pivotal decisions—choosing when to say “yes,” when to say “no,” and when to take a calculated risk. The session dives into the strategic decision-making process that drives professional growth and career advancement. Panelists will share their journeys, highlighting key moments of opportunity and challenge, and offer guidance on aligning decisions with long-term goals. Panelists are Tyler Litt, Sinella Aghasi, Monica Vela-Vick, Taylor Jacobs
The Influential Women in Business Luncheon will follow, with a celebration of the honorees, who will also take part in a special panel discussion led by Melara Enterprises Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Tormo Alvarez.
Both events will provide opportunities for strategic networking and tangible takeaways for both rising and seasoned professional women, and are sponsored by Mercedes Benz of Baton Rouge, b1BANK, Kean Miller, Window World and Woman’s.
