LAFAYETTE, LA – Community Foundation of Acadiana is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its 2026 Board of Directors: Mandi Mitchell and Steven Ramos.
The appointments were effective January 1, 2026. Board member Ian Macdonald will serve a second term as Chair of the Board of Directors, EJ Krampe will serve a second term as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, and William “Will” Rucks will serve a second term as Secretary/Treasurer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mandi Mitchell and Steven Ramos to our Board of Directors as we continue building on CFA’s strategic plan to drive impact, grow philanthropy, and operate sustainably. Mandi and Steven both bring essential expertise and perspective to this group of strong leaders who are focused on shaping a community foundation that is more relational and transformational than ever before,” said 2026 Chair of the Board Ian Macdonald.
Mandi D. Mitchell is the President and CEO of the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA). In her role at LEDA, Mitchell leads the organization’s efforts to attract and retain jobs in Lafayette Parish, to foster a business climate that is inviting to private investment and entrepreneurship, and to enhance Quality of Life and economic mobility. Mitchell, a Lafayette, Louisiana native, received her Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and her Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. She is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute and has earned the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and the Foreign Investment Professional (FDIP) certification from ResearchFDI. Mitchell is the incoming President of the Louisiana Economic Alliance for Development (Louisiana’s statewide practitioner association) where she also chairs the policy and advocacy committee. She is also currently serving as a board member of the IEDC where she is a member of the Economic Development Research Partners (EDRP) program and she serves on the boards of the Southern Economic Development Council (an association of 17 southern U.S. states), the Louisiana Board of International Commerce (LaBIC), and she served as 2023 and 2024 chair of the Regional Economic Alliance of Louisiana (an association of Louisiana’s 8 regional economic development organizations). Since Mitchell assumed the leadership role at LEDA, the organization has received numerous IEDC Excellence Awards for its workforce development and re-entry workforce program, entrepreneurship, cultural economy partnership, and its creative business retention and industry diversification efforts. Mitchell is a long-time board member of Southwest LA Center for Health Services, a non-profit health center that provides services to working uninsured and underinsured and she is a 28-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. — a community service organization.
Steven T. Ramos is the President of Federated Management Services, Inc., where he directs the day-to-day operations of one of Louisiana’s largest family offices. Steven began his career as an attorney in Lafayette, helping clients for over 16 years with estate planning, banking, and business transactions. He received his undergraduate degree from McNeese State University, his juris doctorate from LSU, and his LLM in taxation from the University of Alabama Law School. Steven has served as President of the Lafayette Young Lawyers and the local chapter of the Risk Management Association, in addition to serving on numerous other non-profit boards and committees (and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Lafayette Bar Association). Steven also proudly served in the Louisiana Army National Guard for almost 23 years, deploying twice to Iraq in support U.S. Army operations, eventually retiring in 2023 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Steven spends most of his free time with his wife, Erin, and three children, Reed, Lillian, and Jake.
Dr. Deiadra “Dee” Garrett (Immediate Past Chair), Rob Eddy, Marie Centanni, Julie Chauvin, Grant Guillote, Robert Kallam, Joe Spell, Shelley Cestia, Blake David, Joe Giglio, Jr., Casey Hoyt, Karen King, Bentley Senegal, Michael Tanner, Mary Leach Werner, and Joe Zanco are continuing their duties as board members. To view the full board of directors, visit https://cfacadiana.org/board-of-directors.
CFA is one of south Louisiana’s premier philanthropic organizations benefiting our region, with a focus on the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion. CFA’s core purpose is to build legacies and improve communities by connecting generous people to the causes they care about. Since its inception in 2000, CFA has realized cumulative gifts exceeding $322 million and has made cumulative grants of more than $175 million. You can learn more at www.cfacadiana.org.