Elizabeth Thomas - Center for Planning Excellence
Elizabeth “Boo” Thomas is the President and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) is an organization that coordinates urban, rural and regional planning efforts across Louisiana and assists individual communities in inclusive visioning efforts from inception to implementation. CPEX began as an initiative of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and is now an independent nonprofit.
At the local level, CPEX has facilitated Plan Baton Rouge, a master plan to develop downtown into a thriving, walkable, 24- hour destination, and facilitated Phase 2 of Plan Baton Rouge, the economic development strategy. The Old South Baton Rouge Strategic Neighborhood Revitalization and Economic Development Plan, another local community planning effort, applied the lessons learned from Plan Baton Rouge to a disinvested neighborhood between downtown Baton Rouge and the campus of Louisiana State University. The Water Campus, the River District, the Nicholson Corridor Tram, and exciting commercial and residential developments will implement the Old South Plan.
At the parish level, CPEX has been involved in an advisory role with more than twenty parishes and municipalities interested in excellent planning. At the regional scale, CPEX facilitated Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan, a long term plan that provides a vision for rebuilding Louisiana safer, stronger and smarter over the next 50 years. Launched in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Louisiana Speaks initiative brought together local, state and federal experts and stakeholders to create the comprehensive, sustainable plan that will guide recovery and growth for southern Louisiana over the next 50 years.
In September 2009, Ms. Thomas and the Center for Planning Excellence were awarded the Olmsted Medal by the American Society of Landscape Architects for “incredible leadership and set the standard for bringing community members and leaders together to work toward a shared vision for future growth and development.” In September 2010, Boo was inducted as a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, only the second woman in Louisiana to be named to this honor.
After obtaining her Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from LSU in 1989, Elizabeth has led neighborhood redevelopment efforts in Baton Rouge, been a strong advocate for smart growth planning, and has served on many boards. In 2014, Ms. Thomas was honored by Forum 35, the young leaders’ organization in the Baton Rouge region, as the Baton Rouge Original for contributions to the Greater Baton Rouge area. She was selected by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation with the 2011 Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award. She has also been honored by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, the Business Report, LSU, Louisiana Architecture Foundation, the Louisiana Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the YMCA.
)