Lauren Crapanzano Jumonville, 28
Director of Civic Leadership Initiatives, Baton Rouge Area Foundation
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Launching the Exceptional Lives Louisiana platform, providing easy-to-read resources for families who have a loved one with a disability.
- Successfully presenting a capital outlay request in 2015 before the Louisiana State Bond Commission.
- Member of the 2017 class of the Baton Rouge Area Leadership Program.
COMMUNITY:
The BRAC Leadership Program graduate remains involved with the Vision 21 Foundation., while also volunteering as an alumni admissions interviewer for alma mater Brown University, overseeing all interviews in Louisiana since 2016.
WHAT IS YOUR BIRTHDATE?
4/4/1990
NAME ONE BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU PROFESSIONALLY
Good to Great by Jim Collins.
WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
A strong, independent woman.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD?
I worked for two months on an agriturismo – a farm that doubles as a bed and breakfast – in rural Italy with my then-boyfriend, now-husband Ben Jumonville and one of our best friends Anthony Pizza. We spent our days as farmhands tending to the crops and animals and in exchange received room and board. It was a special way to see and experience Italy.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH IN BATON ROUGE, AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH THERE?
K Street – I try to mix it up every time I go.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY?
My dad once told me that if someone asks you for “c-level” work and you give them “a-level” work, you’ve failed the assignment. I am a perfectionist and I struggle to stop editing, stop asking questions, and accept that sometimes things won’t be perfect.
WHAT GIVES YOU PROFESSIONAL INSPIRATION?
To steal a line from my boss John Spain, I know that every day when I leave my office, someone in our building has made a difference in Baton Rouge: through a grant, non-profit support, or larger initiative. That collective determination to improve our community drives me.
ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? IF SO, ON WHICH PLATFORMS ARE YOU MOST ACTIVE?
Not really. I have a Facebook profile, where I keep up with friends from high school and college, and a LinkedIn profile. I rarely update either one.
HOW MANY TEXTS DO YOU SEND ON AN AVERAGE DAY? HOW MANY EMAILS?
Texts, 30-40; Emails, 50-60
HOW LOW WILL YOU ALLOW YOUR REMAINING PHONE OR COMPUTER BATTERY LIFE GET (IN %) BEFORE YOU HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK?
40%
HOW MANY UNREAD MESSAGES ARE IN YOUR INBOX RIGHT NOW?
0
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP AT THE MOMENT?
Wunderlist
WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP ON WORKDAY MORNINGS?
My alarm is set for 6:30 a.m., but I’m usually up before then.
BREAKFAST AT HOME? BREAKFAST ON THE GO? BREAKFAST AT YOUR DESK? NO BREAKFAST AT ALL?
Coffee. No breakfast.
THE SAYING GOES: “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.” SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE YOU “BEING” TO MAKE BATON ROUGE BETTER?
We’ve got to be better in Baton Rouge about talking about what makes our community so special. I moved away and came back for all the reasons we should want our talent to stay: a strong family-oriented community, the opportunity to have a tangible impact on my community, and a belief that Baton Rouge is progressing in a meaningful way. I’m working to be a better advocate for this community that needs to spend time lifting ourselves up and less time highlighting our deficits.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE “GROWN UP”?
When my husband and I bought our first house. A lot of big decisions came with that.
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN?
My husband, Ben, planned a wonderful delayed honeymoon for us driving up the coast of California. We spent the week hiking, drinking great wine, soaking in the spectacular views, and unplugged from life and work back home.
FAVORITE GIFT YOU WERE GIVEN AS A CHILD?
My bookshelf. I love to read and did as a kid as well. I will never forget going with my mom to buy my first bookshelf for my room. It was a special day and I have the bookshelf in my home as an adult now.
FAVORITE DRINK?
A nice cool, crisp sparkling water with a lime wedge on the side.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE?
Kristen Bell? A feisty, short blonde?
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 18-YEAR-OLD SELF?
A lot of people in my life have positively influenced me: my parents, first and foremost; Hildreth Bean, my high school civics teacher; Dean Robin Rose in college; and now John Spain and John Davies at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. I would tell myself to pay attention to the people you want to emulate and learn everything you can from them.
PETS?
Two rescue dogs that we adopted from Companion Animal Alliance: Wally and Meeko. They are a sweet handful.
HOBBIES?
I’m obsessed with Survivor and plan my Wednesdays around the seasons’ episodes. I think it’s a great lens into human behavior.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
My peers. We have a lot of passionate talent in this community who are stepping up in big ways.
DO YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE CAPITAL REGION FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? WHY OR WHY NOT?
Yes. We are committed to Baton Rouge and believe in the good in this community.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN BATON ROUGE; WHAT WORKS AND WHAT NEEDS IMPROVEMENT?
Baton Rouge is a family-oriented community where it’s not uncommon to see parents stepping away from work to attend their children’s activities. We work hard, but we play hard too.
I think Baton Rouge has been embracing the growth in community places and events where we get to interact with broad strokes of people. The continued development of community gathering places is key to our improving quality of life.
DO YOU HAVE A BUCKET LIST? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS ON IT?
No, but I do want to travel extensively. I think it’s important to understand cultures around the United States and world by experiencing them first hand, when possible.
See the entire 2017 Forty under 40 class
