Producers of the Powering Louisiana Forum will host a webinar on Thursday, October 29, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm CT where forum participants will discuss the Powering Louisiana White Paper, a new report authored by the Kathleen Blanco Center for Public Policy that details an “all of the above” energy strategy to meet Louisiana’s growing energy demand.
This webinar brings together industry leaders to discuss how Louisiana can capture the economic development opportunities of new load growth while minimizing risks to ratepayers and grid reliability.
Participants include:
Madelyn Smith, a producer of the Powering Louisiana Forum and Senior Program Manager for the Southeastern Wind Coalition, who will provide an overview of the Forum and the resulting White Paper.
Lori Leblanc, founder and owner of Aurora Solutions Group, will facilitate this vital discussion, drawing on her experience as former Vice President of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association and Deputy Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
Jeff Arnold, Powering Louisiana's Executive Director, who brings a focus on building a diverse energy mix alongside effective energy regulation, permitting, and community engagement.
Alex St. Pé, Business Development Senior Director for Flexible Generation of RWE, who will offer the developer perspective—highlighting the realities of wind, solar, and storage deployment, interconnection, and how markets support (or hinder) new projects.
Yvonne Cappel-Vickery, Clean Grid Manager from the Alliance for Affordable Energy, who will address transmission priorities and the importance of cost allocation and ratepayer protection to ensure grid investments benefit communities.
Together, the speakers will connect regional energy development needs with the policy, market, and transmission considerations required to move projects forward responsibly and reliably.
More about the Participants:
Madelyn Smith
Senior Program Manager for Southeastern Wind Coalition
Madelyn Smith leads Southeastern Wind Coalition's efforts to advance wind energy and grid resilience in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas as a strategy for driving long-term economic development. Her work focuses on convening energy developers, policymakers, and advocates to explore how onshore and offshore wind, paired with strategic transmission investments, can strengthen Louisiana’s energy system and attract new investment.
Previously, Madelyn served as Executive Director of the Common Grain Alliance and worked as a mediator at the Meridian Institute, facilitating multi-stakeholder collaborations on issues ranging from regional food systems to seafood industry resilience in Louisiana and bipartisan federal crop insurance reform.
Lori LeBlanc
President/Owner of
Aurora Solutions Group
Lori LeBlanc is the owner and founder of Aurora Solutions Group, a certified woman-owned small business founded in 2010, focused on public relations, advocacy, regulatory and government affairs, and stakeholder engagement.
Lori previously served as Vice President of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association as well as the Deputy Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
Lori has extensive experience in crafting and promoting energy policy initiatives and advancing large-scale infrastructure projects.
Ms. LeBlanc holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Auburn University and a Master’s degree in Environmental Toxicology and Policy from Louisiana State University.
Jeff Arnold
Executive Director of Powering Louisiana
With more than 25 years of experience across nonprofit associations, corporate and government roles, and real estate, Jeffery J. Arnold brings broad expertise to his role as State Director for Powering Louisiana. He is dedicated to serving Louisiana and supporting responsible energy development that respects property rights and conservative ideals. His approach promotes an all-of-the-above energy strategy led by market forces.
Jeffery’s energy-sector and leadership experience includes serving as Louisiana Director on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Board of Directors and as CEO of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives (ALEC. A graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University with a BA in Management and Marketing/Finance, he is known for aligning people and processes with organizational goals
Jeffery has 21 years of public service, including 14 years as an elected member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and seven years as Executive Assistant to the Mayor of New Orleans for economic development and governmental relations. This experience informs his work supporting Louisiana’s all-of-the-above clean energy strategy and strengthens his skills in government affairs, public relations, and community engagement.
Dr. Alexandra St. Pé
Senior Director, Business Development, Flexible Generation of
RWE Americas
Dr. Alexandra St. Pé leads business development for RWE's Flexible Generation business nationally, building energy campuses that deliver firm, reliable power to large-load customers across the U.S.
Our model: RWE develops firm-power energy campuses - gas-fired generation integrated with wind, solar, and storage - on a timeline the interconnection queue can't match, and sells them as a committed energization date.
Alex helps shape Energy Campus and standalone gas opportunities from first customer conversation through term sheet and well beyond, stewarding the long-term relationships that make them possible with hyperscalers, industrials, developers, utilities, co-ops, and munis in every major U.S. market.
A Louisiana native with a PhD in energy, she brings a rare combination of technical depth, market strategy expertise, and deep regional relationships to some of the country's most complex energy challenges. Alex’s career has moved from developing markets to developing projects, and now to business development - structuring the customer partnerships that connect them.
Yvonne Cappel-Vickery
Clean Grid Manager for The Alliance for Affordable Energy
Yvonne Cappel-Vickery is the Clean Grid Manager at the Alliance for Affordable Energy, where she leads the organization’s grid advocacy efforts. A proud alumna of St. Mary’s Dominican High School, Loyola University New Orleans, and the University of Denver, she worked in the Denver Department of Health and Environmental Quality’s Air Quality Division while pursuing her master’s degree. There, she focused on air quality monitoring and education programs for public school students, research that deepened her commitment to reducing exposure to harmful pollutants.
Yvonne’s passion for consumer advocacy, renewable energy, and grid planning is shaped by her Francophone heritage and early hurricane experiences. As a high school student, she saw how coastal erosion, government failures, and climate change threatened South Louisiana. She later explored her connection to Louisiana as a French-immersion teacher and New Orleans history tour guide, but often found herself discussing the energy industry's impact. Her love for Louisiana’s people ultimately led her to the Alliance for Affordable Energy. With family in Southwest Louisiana, she has seen the oil and gas industry’s boom-and-bust cycles affect them firsthand. She chose to work in energy from a different perspective, helping preserve the Louisiana she loves so future generations can thrive. That’s why long-term grid planning is especially important to her.
Yvonne is vice chair of the MISO Public Consumer Advocate Sector. In her five years of grid work, she is especially proud of contributing to the Equitable Grid Principles, elevating residential ratepayers’ voices in regional forums such as MISO’s stakeholder engagement process, and collaborating with advocates across MISO South. Her work focuses on Louisiana while also tracking developments across MISO South, where communities are all connected.