Director of Operations • Premier Geotech and Testing
Founder • Louisiana Rodeo Queens
Kati Jo Hodges has built two kinds of leadership platforms: one inside a company, another for young women stepping into the rodeo arena.
Hired as Premier Geotech and Testing’s business manager in 2022, she became director of operations within a year. She refined hiring, built human resources processes and brought marketing in-house, helping strengthen profitability and operations. The owners selected her for Premier’s Executive Council, giving her a role in major business decisions.
Recently, she launched the company’s first employee review process, creating clearer feedback and paths to success.
Her other milestone began with winning Miss Rodeo Louisiana in 2016.
Years of coaching, emceeing and helping run pageants led her to found Louisiana Rodeo Queens in 2025. The nonprofit offers clinics, supports pageants and helps aspiring queens develop skills that travel beyond competition into life and careers.Hodges also leads Alpha Strategic Partners, organizing its meetings and connecting members with civic leaders.
What younger professionals misunderstand about leadership: “There’s only one way to gain experience, and it’s an essential tool. When I was younger, I thought I knew so much about leadership because I studied it, but until you’ve actually been in the trenches for a while you cannot truly know how to lead others.”
Something my colleagues would be surprised to learn: “I’ve been hired to be in two different movies. The first was in the carnival scene of the movie Parker—I was hired as a ‘stunt woman’ barrel racer. The second time I was a bridesmaid/dancer in the A&E remake of Bonnie & Clyde.”
