Suzy Sonnier, who served as secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services during Gov. Bobby Jindal’s second term, has been chosen as the first executive director of the Baton Rouge Health District. In her role, Sonnier will lead the implementation of a strategic plan for the district, which is bounded by Bluebonnet Boulevard, Perkins Road, Essen Lane and Interstate 10, and includes several of the market’s major healthcare institutions.
Prior to her appointment as secretary of DCFS, Sonnier served as chief operating officer at the Louisiana Workforce Commission. She also served as DCFS deputy secretary from 2008-2010.
In her new role, Sonnier will report to a joint operating board made up of leaders from health care organizations throughout Baton Rouge. Her appointment comes three weeks after the health district concept came under fire from a group of community activists in north Baton Rouge, who said the city-parish should be focusing its attention on the lack of health care options in the northern part of the city. The Baton Rouge Health District is the brainchild of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, which commissioned the strategic plan for the district.
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—Stephanie RiegelÂ
