Full name: Elizabeth “Boo” Thomas
Title: President and CEO
Company: Center for Planning Excellence
Age: Are you kidding? (64)
Hometown: Abbeville
Why do you do what you do?
Because I believe passionately that good planning leads to great communities.
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
In the first few months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I was asked to facilitate the effort to develop a vision for the future of South Louisiana. Working 60 – 80 hour weeks for about 18 months, Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan was completed, with more than 27,000 Louisianians participating.
What was your first job?
Assistant lifeguard at the Abbeville Public Swimming Pool (for the amazing salary of 25cents/hour—when the real lifeguard decided to pay me)
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Do the very best that you can do (and never quit), without worrying about who gets the credit.
Who do you most admire in the local business community and why?
Ralph Sims, who recently died at age 92, because he had many careers, and continued to work diligently for the betterment of Baton Rouge even after retirement.
If you could have any job other than your own, what would it be?
Sing and dance on stage.
What is the greatest personal or professional obstacle you’ve overcome?
Being hired as the first executive director of the yet-to-be-named Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, and trying to determine how to revitalize this wonderful area surrounding the Baton Rouge General Medical Center.
If you started over, what would you do differently?
I would learn to ride horses, ballet dance, and play the violin.
What is your prescription for life?
Meet each challenge knowing that, with faith, you will be able to turn it into a positive outcome, or, at the very least, grow because of the challenge.
What book are you currently reading?
Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
If you could have dinner with any three living people, who would they be? (Authors? Leaders?)
Margaret Thatcher, Dali Lama and President Barack Obama
Who would play you in a movie?
James Dean
What do you do to unwind?
Find a beautiful place outdoors, put my feet up, have an excellent glass of chardonnay, and read.
What is the most expensive purchase you’ve made for yourself?
535 BMW
What is your favorite weekend activity?
Have dinner (out) with my husband and dear friends
What’s your theme song?
What a Wonderful Life
What’s your favorite spot in Baton Rouge?
The Mississippi River
How do you take your coffee/tea?
Cream and 1 spoonful of raw sugar
What is your favorite movie? TV show? Band?
Favorite movie: To Kill a Mockingbird
TV Show: Sunday Morning
U2
What is your favorite gadget?
Battery-operated wine opener
What is something that you can’t live without?
Husband, family and friends
If you could change one thing about Baton Rouge, what would it be?
Get rid of the litter.
What is your greatest hope for Baton Rouge?
Baton Rouge will be a community that attracts our brightest and best young people back to Baton Rouge, a community that accepts and values all people.
What is your greatest fear for Baton Rouge?
My greatest fear is that Baton Rouge will not be the “next great American City” because we will be stuck in the old ways of the past.
