2023 Speakers

Laura Beauchamp

Laura Beauchamp is the Director of Resource Planning and Market Operations for Entergy Louisiana. In this role, Laura is responsible for managing the company's planning of generation, transmission and wholesale power activities. Entergy Louisiana’s fundamental goal for resource planning is to deliver a sustainable portfolio that is centered on customer outcomes and balances reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship. Laura’s team focuses not only on meeting the sustainability goals of the company, but more importantly on its customers. The team works directly with customers to create solutions to meet carbon goals and maintaining superior reliability.

Laura has spent 23 years with Entergy, also holding positions finance, regulatory, and innovation.

Laura received both her Bachelor of Science in Management in finance and Master of Business Administration from Tulane University’s A. B. Freeman School of Business and currently serves as an Advisory Board Member to the Tulane Energy Institute. Laura is also a member of the Louisiana’s Climate Taskforce.

AJ Brooks

AJ Brooks is the Director of Undergraduate Certificates and Lecturer in Finance and Entrepreneurship at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He currently teaches both undergraduate and graduate-level courses in real estate development, hospitality management, and entrepreneurial finance.

Prior to joining the Freeman School, Mr. Brooks worked as an independent real estate consultant and entrepreneur, responsible for developing several new hospitality and retail ventures throughout the New Orleans area. Brooks holds an MBA with a concentration in finance from Tulane University (2012) and a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Colorado (2007).

Molly Crouch

As the Corporate Director of Sustainability for Sodexo Live! Molly is responsible for implementing Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 global sustainability and CSR initiatives across North America with specific focus on reducing waste, driving responsible and local sourcing, boosting plant-based menus, utilizing smart serviceware solutions, and supporting local communities through donations and volunteerism. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Molly is a results-oriented and process-driven leader with proven skills in operations, sales, marketing, and administration. She is a member of several hospitality industry related organizations including PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers), MPI (Meeting Professionals International), the EIC’s (Event Industry Council) Centre for Sustainability & Social Impact, the SENFC (Sustainable Events Network Florida Caribbean), and the AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums).

Adrian A. D’Arcy

Mr. D’Arcy primarily practices in the areas of construction and surety law and has been doing so for over 18 years. Prior to launching D’Arcy Vicknair LLC in 2022, Adrian was a partner at a boutique New Orleans construction law firm for over 12 years and an associate at the firm before then. Adrian has represented owners, contractors, sureties, and insurers throughout his career in multi-party, complex, construction disputes which have been litigated in a variety of forums including state and federal court, arbitration, and specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Mr. D’Arcy also teaches Construction and Surety Law at Loyola Law School in New Orleans as an adjunct professor. Mr. D’Arcy has been rated as a Super Lawyer for many years and has been recognized by Best Lawyers for many years as well. Finally, Mr. D’Arcy is a frequent speaker on construction and surety issues.

Michael A. Fitts

Michael A. Fitts, one of the country’s foremost higher education leaders, is the fifteenth president of Tulane University. Since joining Tulane in 2014, President Fitts has repositioned the university by taking advantage of its natural strengths: its unique history, location, culture, size, and structure. Under his leadership, Tulane has become a world-class academic environment that fosters path-breaking interdisciplinary research, innovative teaching, a diverse and inclusive campus culture, and a holistic student experience.

President Fitts, a graduate of both Harvard and Yale universities, began his teaching career at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, ultimately serving 14 transformative years as dean. Previously, Fitts worked as an attorney in the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which serves as outside counsel to the President, White House, and Cabinet. President Fitts has written extensively on presidential power, separation of powers, executive branch decision-making, improving the structure of political parties, and administrative law.

Paulo Goes

Paulo Goes became the 14th dean of the Freeman School on August 23, 2021. A native of Brazil, Goes earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and a master’s in production engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He began a career in civil engineering before immigrating to the U.S. and earning a master’s in operations research and a PhD in business administration from the University of Rochester.

Goes’ work regularly appears in leading academic journals, and he often presents and delivers keynote addresses at national conferences in the field of information systems. From 2013 to 2015, he was editor-in-chief of Management Information Systems Quarterly, one of the most prestigious journals in that field.

Prior to joining the Freeman School, Goes served for five years as the Dean and Halle Chair in Leadership at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. Previously, he served nearly eight years as head of the nationally ranked Department of Management Information Systems (MIS) and the Salter Distinguished Professor of Management and Technology at the University of Arizona.

Tara Hernandez

Tara serves as President of JCH Properties+, a real estate investment, consulting and development company that specializes in delivering urban lifestyle experiences through the conversion of underutilized real estate into “cool”, creative spaces. The company develops multi-family, commercial mixed-use, and special-use projects. Tara has been directly responsible for and/or participated in the development of residential, mixed-use, mixed-income, and commercial development projects throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. The firm is a part of a team currently developing a new neighborhood on the New Orleans riverfront known as the River District. She also leads her Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Company, Legacy Real Estate Partners, as Managing Broker.

Tara is also actively involved in the technology investment community, as an investor and Fund Manager of Reform Ventures, LLC, a member of First Round Capital’s Angel Track 6 cohort, a member of NOLAAN (New Orleans LA Angel Network), and board member of the Idea Village, a New Orleans technology accelerator program. She was named as one of “100 rising-star VC’s in 2020, who represent the future of venture capital” by Business Insider.

She spearheaded a regional initiative, NOME-New Orleans Music Economy, to attract the business side of the music industry to New Orleans, while Chair of Greater New Orleans, Inc, and remains a member of the Steering Committee.

Tara is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, with a Master of Science Degree in Real Estate Development and a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Finance. She is a Louisiana Real Estate Broker, a member of the Business Council of New Orleans, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and in leadership positions on several not-for profit boards, including Advisory Board Member of the Clinton School of Public Service, First Vice-President of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Foundation, and Board Member of Ochsner’s Health Foundation.

Past Board Service and Awards include: Commissioner of the PORT of New Orleans and the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, Past Chair Emeritus of Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc), Former Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, and Past Chair of the 2016 Urban Land Institute's (ULI) National Hines Competition Jury. She received the 2018 Torchbearer Award for Economic Development from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (NCBW), recognition as a 2017 New Orleans City Business’ Women of the Year, a 2017 Business Hall of Fame Laureate by Junior Achievement, and a 2017 Women of Color Honoree by 100 National Black Men of Metro New Orleans.

Colette Hirstius

Colette Hirstius is the Senior Vice President, Gulf of Mexico and leads Shell’s offshore Deepwater business in the Gulf of Mexico, including nine operating production hubs and a network of subsea infrastructure.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Ms. Hirstius is a graduate of Dominican High School and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from Tulane University and a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Colorado. Following work for Mobil Oil and ExxonMobil, she began her career with Shell in 2003 as a Production Geologist based in New Orleans which gave her an opportunity to work with mature and developing Gulf of Mexico fields before moving into project leadership positions.

In her 20 years with Shell, Colette has held a variety of assignments across many lines of business including several leadership and strategic roles for Shell abroad in countries and regions ranging from Trinidad and Tobago to Africa and the Middle East. She also worked in The Netherlands as Strategy Adviser, working closely with Shell’s Executive Committee and the Board of Directors to develop Shell’s first Purpose led Strategy.

In July 2021, Colette was able to return home to New Orleans to lead the Gulf of Mexico organization on its journey towards the lowest carbon, most competitive and sustainable basin in the world. She is most passionate about leveraging her international experience and the work that Shell does in the Gulf to help build a bright future for the city, the state, and the region.

Colette is married to Jason Hirstius and they have three active sons. When not at work or cheering on her boys from the sidelines, Colette enjoys an active outdoor lifestyle, cooking, and traveling to new places around the world.

James Martin

James Martin is a wind industry pioneer, founder & CEO of Gulf Wind Technology; a Louisiana company dedicated to innovating in the field of renewable energy. He has a demonstrated track record of building high performing engineering teams and reducing the cost of renewable energy by passionately leading innovation to product.

In 2010 Martin served as the US Technology Center founder and General Manager for Blade Dynamics USA, located at NASA Michoud, where he led the development of technologies enabling the production of longer, lighter, and more efficient wind turbine blades. Under Martin's leadership, Blade Dynamics became a leader in the wind energy industry and was acquired by General Electric in 2015. After the acquisition, Martin continued to work at GE Renewable Energy as the Engineering Technology Leader for the Wind blade business, where he was responsible for driving the development of new onshore and offshore technologies.

Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) is based at the historic Avondale Shipyard on the Mississippi River in Louisiana. One of GWT's core programs is to develop, accelerate and demonstrate technologies that will de-risk wind power in complex wind environments such as the Gulf of Mexico, through innovations in safety, rotor design, and system operation in peak wind events such as hurricanes. Martin holds a degree in Design and Technology from the University of Plymouth in the UK and an MBA from the Freeman Business School at Tulane University.

Cullan Maumus

Cullan Maumus is the Managing Director of NORF Companies where he oversees the identification, acquisition, renovation, and/or construction of each project. Mr. Maumus has been with NORF Companies since 2013 and has led the development of 70 projects representing an estimated 700,000 square feet valued at $160 million. His most recent efforts with NORF have included the launch and management of 3 Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds that have invested over $100 million throughout the Southern United States. He is a native of New Orleans and served six years as an operations director for a New Orleans-based general contractor prior to joining the Company.

Mr. Maumus received his MBA from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in 2013 where he focused his studies on Entrepreneurship and Real Estate Finance. While at Tulane, he was the President of the Tulane Entrepreneurs' Association, and received numerous awards for his leadership, and service to the school and community. He holds a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Massachusetts, where he was a four-year starter on the University's Baseball Team. Mr. Maumus resides in New Orleans with his wife and three sons.

Lacy McManus

Lacy McManus is the Executive Director of Future Energy at Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.) where she advances a diverse coalition of higher education, community college, non-profit and industry partners spearheading the clean energy transition across South Louisiana. Lacy has re-joined the GNO, Inc. team after nearly three years with Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) Education Programs. Prior to joining AWS, Lacy served as the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at GNO, Inc. where she oversaw a portfolio of workforce, education and environmental programs that enhanced the economic competitiveness of the GNO region. Her work in Louisiana was launched at the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) where she was Strategic Initiatives Manager. Lacy holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia, a MA in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, and a MBA from Tulane University. She and her husband Bryan are proud New Orleans residents, raising their three daughters and rescue dog Uptown.

Daniela Mills

Daniela joined Lockton in 2016 as the Team Leader for the General Property Practice in Lockton Texas. She provides Lockton Texas clients with an analytical approach to designing and structuring their property programs.

Daniela has extensive experience in marketing domestic and global programs, with a specific focus on clients with large catastrophe exposures. Her experience extends to custom design, negotiation and placement of property programs for a wide range of industries, including real estate, retail, manufacturing, construction, telecommunication and other related businesses.

Prior to Lockton, Daniela was the Regional Property Leader for USI Southwest and Vice President at Marsh USA Inc. in Houston, TX. Daniela is a graduate of Florida State University with degrees in Finance and Risk Management.

Michael J. Sawaya

Michael J. Sawaya is Convention Center President of the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC). A 46-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Mr. Sawaya came to New Orleans in 2018 from San Antonio, TX, where he served as Executive Director of the Convention and Sports Facilities Department for the City of San Antonio for 15 years. During his tenure in San Antonio, he led the 2016 expansion of the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center – the largest single capital improvement project in the city’s 300-year history. Additionally, he served as Interim Aviation Department Director for the San Antonio International Airport.

Before joining the City of San Antonio, he served as General Manager of the Omni Severin Hotel in Indianapolis, IN, the Omni San Antonio Hotel, and 11 other hotels around the country over a 20-year career as a Hotel GM. Mr. Sawaya has been in his current role as Convention Center President since February, 2018. Shortly after his arrival, Mr. Sawaya embarked on an ambitious visionary plan entitled “the Decade of Delivery” that includes a $557M five-year capital improvement plan – the largest in the facility’s 38-year history that will transform and modernize the NOENMCC to compete more effectively in the future. In addition, he is spearheading the development of a mixed-use entertainment, specialty retail, and residential neighborhood that will create a diverse, dynamic, and sustainable district that will attract both visitors and locals alike.

In 2021, the NOENMCC was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in the U.S. – the only convention center to receive this honor nationally. In 2022, the LA Department of Environmental Quality awarded the NOENMCC with its Environmental Leadership Award, recognizing businesses that promote a cleaner and better environment for Louisiana that go above and beyond regulatory requirements.

Under Mr. Sawaya’s leadership, the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) has achieved its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification in 2022, a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability.

This official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) makes the NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana, the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under AnchorLEED v4.1 O+M.

Mr. Sawaya is a Board Member of the Greater New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and was selected in 2018 as one of Biz Magazine’s People of the Year. Mr. Sawaya was honored as a CityBusiness Power 25 top influencer in New Orleans Hospitality for 2021 and as a CityBusiness Tourism Newsmaker in 2022. He was named to the 2023 “New Orleans 500” list by Biz New Orleans magazine.