Livingston Chamber hires executive director

Vester “Jack” Stewart has been named executive director of the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce. Stewart, the former director of the Hillsboro, Ill., Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled to start as executive director next week. The Livingston Parish Chamber hasn’t had an executive director, although the group did have a president until about a year ago, when Mickey Seale stepped down. “We wanted to get someone to be the face of the chamber,” says Sherry Mely, chairwoman of the Livingston Chamber board. She says Stewart has the background in management, grant writing and regional planning to lead the organization. “Livingston Parish remains an integral player on the field of commerce. We consistently have new businesses opening and we believe that this community is on the verge of robust commercial and industrial expansion,” Mely says.—Timothy Boone