NLEP Staff

Justyn Dixon, President & CEO, is a proven regional development executive with over 15 years of industrial and economic development expertise and more than 30 years of successful sales and marketing experience. Through his established relationships with real estate brokers, industrial site consultants, and state, regional, and local economic development groups, Justyn’s primary focus is on generating jobs and capital investments to strengthen the 11 parishes served by NLEP.  

Prior to joining NLEP, Justyn was the Gulf States Regional Development Director for Agracel, Inc. Through his leadership, he successfully developed and managed a 4.5 million square foot industrial portfolio of 19 facilities in a four-state area. 

Before Agracel, Inc., Justyn was an Economic Development Specialist with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), responsible for project management and site development of 14 counties. Preceding TVA, he worked as a Senior Project Manager with the Mississippi Development Authority’s Global Business Division, where he focused on recruiting new investment into Mississippi. 

While earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Mississippi, Dixon was a member of the 113th Mississippi Army National Guard, Military Police, and served on active duty during Desert Storm. He and his wife, Leslie, have two children, Mary Reid and Sims.

Angie White, Chief Operating Officer, is a Certified Economic Developer, as designated by the International Economic Development Council, with 30 years of economic development, workforce development, and finance experience.  Angie was hired in 2008 to develop a new workforce marketing program for NLEP. That role has given her a thorough understanding of the workforce development ecosystem throughout North Louisiana, the state, and the best practices of communities outside Louisiana.

As COO, she oversees organizational operations for NLEP, including finance and audit, investor relations, and governance, while still playing an active role in the region’s many workforce development initiatives. Angie serves on the Northwest Louisiana Manufacturers Managers Council, is a director on the Workforce Development Board for the City of Shreveport,  and is actively involved on the Northwest Louisiana JumpStart team, which advises secondary education partners on regional employers’ career and technical education needs. She was instrumental in standing up the Northwest Louisiana Chapter of FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) and is a member of the Accredited Economic Development Organization Committee of the International Economic Development Council.

Before NLEP, Angie worked for twelve years with EMP Global in Washington, DC as its Portfolio Officer and Investment Analyst with the Latin America Group.

She earned her Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in International Affairs from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She is a Shreveport native and a graduate of Centenary College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 2013, Angie was honored with the Community Gem award from the Community Foundation of North Louisiana for her community volunteer work, and in 2018, she was a finalist for the Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman Award.

Michele Riney has over two decades of experience in office management, human resources, and accounting. She manages NLEP’s operational functions, human resources, and general fiscal activities of the organization. Michele is tasked with ensuring that NLEP operates as efficiently as possible. She has completed the Basic Economic Development Course through IEDC. 

Prior to joining NLEP, Michele worked for Delta Airlines as an international reservations specialist.  Her prior experience also includes working as a database manager for Burnett’s Staffing, personal assistant for Dallas-based Ashwood Investments, human resources and accounts payable specialist for Atlantic Industrial Services, and as human resources assistant for Datatrac in Fort Worth, Texas.

Dean serves as Director of Existing Industry. He brings a robust background in economic development, business expansion, and workforce training, positioning him to effectively lead NLEP’s initiatives to support and enhance the existing industry base within its target sectors.

His impressive career includes his recent role as Director of Business Development at Louisiana Economic Development, where he successfully served 27 parishes and played a vital role in business retention and expansion. Additionally, Dean has made significant contributions at Graphic Packaging International and Louisiana Delta Community College, showcasing his expertise in workforce training and development.

Dean holds a bachelor’s degree in general studies with a concentration in Political Science from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is a Professional Community & Economic Developer (PCED), certified by the Community Development Institute of Louisiana, and a Certified Workforce Developer through Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Community & Technical College System. His dedication to continuous learning and professional advancement is further demonstrated by his pursuit of the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) designation.

Megan Delgado is a Senior Project Manager for NLEP’s Business Development Program, where she oversees the timely completion and successful submission of requests and proposals. She also plays a key role in strengthening NLEP’s project management support for potential prospects.

With a strong background in quality control, process improvement, and project development, Megan brings a detail-oriented and results-driven approach to every project. She holds certifications as a Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Practitioner, using her expertise to enhance efficiency and streamline operations.

Megan earned her MBA in Project Management from Louisiana State University Shreveport and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Midwestern State University. She is currently working toward earning her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and will begin the International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification program in Fall 2025.

Phillip Summers serves as Director of Workforce Initiatives for the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, where he supports NLEP’s efforts to connect employers with the workforce resources, training programs and education partners needed to meet the region’s current and future talent needs.

A Shreveport native, Phillip brings experience in business operations, education, workforce development and healthcare administration. Prior to joining NLEP, he served as Chief Operating Officer for BISHOP, a Shreveport-based custom fabricated durable medical equipment company. He previously served as Clinic Administrator for The Neurology & Sleep Clinic and Academic Services Director at Ayers Career College. Phillip also spent several years as a teacher in Caddo Parish, an experience that helped shape his continued interest in education and workforce development.

Phillip is passionate about creating stronger connections between young people, education and career opportunities in North Louisiana. He believes students should have a clear understanding of the opportunities available to them after high school and the different paths they can take to build successful careers in the region.

Phillip earned his Master of Business Administration from Centenary College of Louisiana and holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and History from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He and his wife are raising their family in Shreveport.

Sheena Bryant leads NLEP’s Business Development Program, recruiting companies to the 11-parish region and assisting them with expansion. Sheena has extensive experience in economic development, international relations, and public policy.  She previously led a division within the Guam Economic Development Authority, where she supervised four analysts and worked to support international investors establishing businesses in the U.S. territory.  Prior to this, Sheena directly supported the Governor of Guam by helping oversee all state-level public safety agencies, including the Police Department, Fire Department, Homeland Security, Customs, and Department of Corrections. During her time in government, she received the Governor’s Award for effectively advocating the region’s interests on a U.S. presidential task force and at international development organizations. 

Sheena’s experience extends into the private sector and academia. While working for Deloitte Consulting, she managed multimillion-dollar contracts and was instrumental in business development initiatives.  She received a corporate award for exceptional performance on a marketing campaign and was subsequently sent to Yale University’s School of Business Management to complete an advanced consulting skills program.  Through her work, she has held security clearances of varying levels with the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.  

Community service is important to Sheena.  She has volunteered her time as an adjunct instructor of Economics at a local community college, served as the Secretary of the Shreveport-Bossier Military Affairs Council, and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the Louisiana District Export Council. Sheena was named “Top 40 under 40” in 2019 by the Young Professionals Initiative of Northwest Louisiana and is an ATHENA Leadership Award nominee, an honor extended to women demonstrating excellence in professional leadership, community leadership, and mentorship. 

Sheena earned a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara.  She has completed several prestigious fellowships affiliated with the East West Center, Institute for International Public Policy, Aspen Institute, and Center for Strategic International Studies Pacific Forum.  Sheena is a Certified Economic Developer and is an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). 

Tory McCoy serves as Economic Development Specialist for the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, where he supports NLEP’s economic development efforts through research, data analysis, business support and project assistance.

Prior to joining NLEP, Tory served as a Research Assistant with LSU Shreveport’s Center for Business and Economic Research, supporting research on regional economic conditions and trends, economic data analysis and the development of economic intelligence tools. He has also conducted independent research focused on regional economic development, public finance, capital formation and workforce participation, presenting his findings to community leaders and stakeholders throughout the Shreveport-Caddo region.

Tory’s background also includes experience in entrepreneurship, logistics, property management and real estate. He serves as Louisiana State Liaison for Sister Cities International and previously founded the LSUS Economic Think Tank, a student organization focused on economic analysis, public policy and community development.

Tory earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Administration with a concentration in International Business from Louisiana State University Shreveport. He also holds a Certificate of Technical Studies and Technical Diploma in Network Administration from Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College.

His professional focus is centered on helping Shreveport and North Louisiana become increasingly competitive for investment, talent and opportunity while building stronger connections among economic development, education, business and community leadership.

Lanier Thibodeaux serves as the Director of Marketing and Communication. In her role at NLEP, Lanier is responsible for spearheading both internal and external marketing efforts to support the organization’s mission and strategic objectives, and ultimately advance economic growth in North Louisiana.

Prior to joining NLEP, Lanier accumulated over twelve years of diverse marketing experience in roles such as Retail Marketing Director at GMFS LLC, Market Development Senior Associate at KPMG, and Account Executive at Romph Pou Agency. Throughout her career, she has gained experience in marketing strategy, communications, social media planning, media relations, proposal writing and project management .Lanier earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. Lanier and her husband, Andrew, have three daughters, and are proud to raise their family in North Louisiana.