Member Spotlight
Mayor Marshall Simien
Tell us some of the Simien family’s favorite things about Lake Charles.
Our favorite thing about Lake Charles is our people. We are a kind, generous, and authentically caring community, and that is infectious. Many would think that came about because of the adverse weather events we went through together, but that kind of caring has always been a part of our community’s fabric. I remember when former McNeese basketball coach Will Wade announced a few months ago that he was leaving to become the head coach at North Carolina State. He was very tearful and genuinely touched by our community during the short time he got to experience us, and we got to experience him. Not only could you see it on his face and in his eyes, you could feel it in his heart. Our water is also our favorite. We live on the Calcasieu River/English bayou split and enjoy a calm and peace on the water that is biblical in its experience. We have more water, bayous, and natural beauty than a lot of places. Visitors from Indiana who came during my son’s wedding at our home called our view the Louisiana Ozarks, and that about captured it.
The Community Foundation connects people who care with causes that matter. What inspired you to say yes to being a Board member in 2014, and then to be active in other leadership roles, including the Chair of the Board?
The philanthropic mission of the Community Foundation checked every box of what I wanted to do to continue serving our community when I came off the Lake Charles City Council. The opportunity to make transformative change in our SWLA area was very, very attractive.
When we instituted our Civic Initiatives focus, that solidified my reasons for serving on the Board. In 2019, we did a Better Block demonstration on Enterprise Boulevard that imagined what that corridor could become with the right amount of vision, investment and energy. I recall we had an outside sports bar venue set up that same evening when the Joe Burrow led LSU Tigers played the Tua Tagovailoa led Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant Denney Stadium in Tuscaloosa. Not only was that game an all-time classic of heavy-weights who represented some of the greatest teams in college football history, but the scene, energy and excitement on Enterprise Boulevard matched the moment. The atmosphere was as electric as I have ever experienced, and not only did the game feature the then-current and future Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, but LSU won and went on the win the national championship with what many consider the greatest team in college football history.
We saw what the Community Foundation could accomplish through Civic Initiatives and it was only fitting that the Filo family (David and Angela) chose the Community Foundation to give a $2.5 million donation in the aftermath of Hurricanes Laura and Delta to come up with a 50-year master plan for recovery that became the Just imagine SWLA 50-Year Resilience Master Plan, along with its 10 catalytic projects. That checked of the final box for my years of service on the Foundation.
What are some highlights of the positive impacts that the Community Foundation has been a part of during your Board service?
We implemented Sasol’s Workforce Development Training Program, which identified many of our area residents who were either unemployed or underemployed and provided them with the training necessary to become employed in our local industry. The program even assigned mentors to encourage successful completion of the training program. We realized not only were individuals lifted by the program, but their entire families as a result of the family’s breadwinner having achieved the opportunity to earn real living wages, a generational blessing.
Please share your thoughts on the value of civic engagement for a thriving community.
In order to build the strong fabric needed to support and sustain a successful, thriving community, we must value, engage in, and honor our duty to civic engagement. I strongly encourage that!