Each year, YPI, The Young Professional Initiative, goes through countless nominations to find our area's top young professionals making an impact on the community.

YPI is a program through the Greater Shreveport Chamber in Northwest Louisiana. The finalists were named Thursday, August 15, 2019, and they will be honored December 7, 2019, at YPI's 13th Annual 30 Under 40 Gala at the Shreveport Convention Center. During the gala,  they will name the 2019 Young Professional of the Year from the list of honorees.

YPI’s Chair Committee President, Colton Kyle, said that it was hard to narrow it down to just 40 winners. Over 200 nominations were submitted. Kyle added,

This year, the bar was set high. We received more than 200 nominations from all over Northwest Louisiana, and it was a challenge to pick only 40 honorees. The outstanding level of professional achievement and community involvement we see in this 40 Under Forty class proves that the place we call home is attracting and retaining some of the country’s brightest young professionals.

The 2019 40 Under Forty class includes:  LaToya Amos, New York Life Insurance Company; Sheena Bryant North Louisiana Economic Partnership; Andrea Butler, Horseshoe Casino & Hotel and Harrah's Louisiana Downs; Jeremy Cave, CenturyLink; Veronica Cook, Christus Highland Medical Center/Christus Health Shreveport Bossier; Joshua Copeland, GDIT; Damarcus Davis; Willis Knighton Health System; LaTari Fleming, Seedlinks Behavior Management; Patton Fritze, Red River Chevrolet; Tharwat Ghattas, Sound Physicians; Carie Hart, Lola Magazine; Jessica Hawkins, Centenary College of Louisiana; Michael E. Hollister, United States Air Force; Jennifer Horton, United Way of Northwest Louisiana; Lauren Jackson, Regions Mortgage; Dr. Donna Johnson, Louisiana Tech University; Spencer Kiper, Bossier Parish School Board; Carly Koen, United Way of Northwest Louisiana; Eric Lang, Lang Orthodontics; Deidra Lewis-Robertson, Community Renewal; Elissa Little, Little Realty Inc,; James Lowder, Southern Roots Dentistry; Lisa Mason-Hollins, Caddo Parish Schools; Trey McGuire, The Warrior Network; Taunton Melville, Blanchard, Walker, O'Quin & Roberts, PLC; Candice Mills, Providence House; LaKeisha Myles Towner, AEP/SWEPCO Laura Beeman Nugent, Robinson Film Center; Sam Ortiz, The Philadelphia Center; Lindsey Pennington, MD, Lindsey Pennington, MD Facial Plastics, John Gray Pou, Merrill Lynch; Claire  Sevier, Heard, McElroy & Vestal LLC; Emily Smith, Community Foundation of North Louisiana; Michael Smith, Pioneer Comfort Systems; Aaron Storer, Storer Services; Bevin Sutton Hicks, Lola Magazine; Luke Thaxton, Thaxton Title; Dr. Candice Webert, Caddo Parish Schools; Devin White, Caddo Parish Schools; Joysaline Young, LCSW, NSW-C, Brentwood Hospital.

Congrats to all of the honorees! Tickets to the gala are available now and you can find more information here. 

 

 

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