Shreveport native Erin Monroe Wesley was no typical child. Instead of watching the Smurfs, Scooby Doo and other lighthearted children’s shows, she parked it in front of the TV to absorb episodes of Murder She Wrote, Matlock and any other murder mystery that engaged her emerging detective skills.
“I wanted to grow up to be a lawyer, just like my dad,” Wesley says.
After graduating from LSU with a B.S. in business administration, she went on to earn a Juris Doctor from the Southern University Law Center.
She got her start as a staff attorney for the Senate Insurance Committee, then was recruited to work for Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. Working under the Blanco administration was the springboard to her serving as the chief legal adviser for then-Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.
With five years of gubernatorial expertise under her belt, Wesley then made an “easy transition” to her current role as senior vice president of governmental affairs for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.
With BRAC, Monroe Wesley spends her time and talents lobbying for issues critical to economic development in our region. “It’s more of an advocacy role,” she says. “I advocate for businesses across the nine-parish area, and I’m able to use my legal skills to look at bills and amendments to see how they will be interpreted.” Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent K-12 education agenda was “a big win for us,” Monroe Wesley says, because education and economic reform go hand-in-hand. “We’re often recruiting companies to come to Louisiana, and the No. 1 question they ask is about our public schools,” she says. “They want to know if they will have a strong workforce.”
Another main focus for her of late has been improving CATS in terms of board governance and to remove the veto power of the Metro Council over major operational decisions of CATS.
“With all these new dollars coming in, the CATS board needs to have the authority to effectively manage them,” she says. “We are also adding in board member criteria, calling for a strong board with engineering and planning backgrounds.”
Monroe Wesley says she feels that the education of leaders and future leaders is crucial to the betterment of Louisiana, and that’s part of the reason why she juggles yet another role—that of adjunct professor at Southern University Law Center.
“I teach advanced civil writing and help with the bar review program. The biggest thing is knowing the fear the students have of the bar exam,” she says. “I enjoy the experience of helping others succeed, and I want to give back to the university that gave so much to me,” she says.
Monroe Wesley says her proudest moment so far with BRAC was passing the angel investor incentive last year. Various groups had attempted to pass the legislation for two years, and BRAC took the lead in 2011 to get it through.
“It was significant to me in that I led on a major piece of legislation and found success in spite of several obstacles during the legislative process,” she says.
The impressive résumé she’s built over the past decade is also peppered with memberships on multiple boards. She’s a past president of Forum 35 and has served on the Board of Directors for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Junior League of Baton Rouge, Volunteers in Public Schools, and Leadership Greater Baton Rouge Alumni.
Last year, Monroe Wesley received both the “Most Powerful and Influential Women” award from the National Diversity Council and the Mary Frey Eaton Community Service Award from the Junior League.
When she’s not lobbying, teaching, serving or spending time with her husband and children, Monroe Wesley is running the roads—literally. “Running is a new adventure for me,” she says. “I’ve run in three marathons, countless 5Ks and 10Ks, and I completed my first triathalon, Rocket Chicks, last year.”
Monroe Wesley feels only partially responsible for her career success. It has taken a lot of work, she admits, but none of it would be possible without the backing of her family and her husband’s family.
“People believing in you is a secret to success,” she says. “I have such a great support system. Without them, I would not be able to spread my wings and be able to do the things I love to do.”
