Houma-Terrebonne Chamber Hires New CEO
By Mike Hill Night City Editor- HoumaToday
The Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce has a new chief executive officer as part of a reorganization, it announced today.
The chamber board unanimously voted to hire Nicol Blanchard, who is currently the community outreach coordinator for Fletcher Technical Community College.
“We are pleased to bring Nicol on board as our new CEO of the chamber. She is well-qualified with years of leadership experience,” chamber Board Chairman Jason Bergeron said.
Blanchard replaces Suzanne Nolfo Carlos, who couldn’t be reached for comment. She held the position from 2013 until August.
“The board decided to go in a different direction,” Bergeron said, after evaluating the organization.
Next month the board will meet and discuss its future goals, he added.
A graduate of Nicholls State University, Blanchard has more than 20 years of experience in developing, building and executing innovative programs within the region, the chamber said. She also has extensive management, marketing, communications and budget experience.
As the Perkins Grant coordinator, she facilitated dual enrollment efforts between Fletcher and six parishes school systems, the chamber said. More than 3,000 students from Lafourche and Terrebonne have participated in the program since 2009. She was also part of a regional team to help develop the Louisiana Department of Education’s Jump Start program for area school districts.
Blanchard has served in various roles including interim executive director of institutional advancement at Fletcher, manager of the Fletcher Foundation and coordinator for the SCIA Work It! Louisiana program where she implemented major programs with BP, Shell, Chevron and other entities, the chamber said.
Her most recent program was with the Thibodaux-based coastal advocacy group Restore or Retreat where she coordinated a program at Fletcher to bus 900 students from Terrebonne Parish to learn about available careers associated with coastal restoration.
She is also working with the Women Fueling the Workforce program at Fletcher for hundreds of high school girls, informing them on the job opportunities in the oil, gas and maritime industries.
Blanchard has been an active SCIA volunteer serving as Workforce Development chairwoman and receiving the Tillman Esteve Outstanding member award in 2015. She is also active with chambers of commerce in Lafourche and Terrebonne. She currently serves on the LAT Workforce Investment Board Youth Council, isa Workforce Connection Advisory Board member, serves on the Bayou Industrial Group scholarship committee and is a team leader volunteer for the Susann G. Komen Race for a Cure.