Center for Planning Excellence - CPEX

The Louisiana Smart Growth Summit is the room where Louisiana's future takes shape.

At the Summit:
✔️Mayors, planners, leaders, and partners work through real challenges
✔️Partnerships are built to move projects forward
✔️Conversations turn into next steps—and strategies take shape that communities put into action

The impact of sponsoring extends beyond the Summit—into the decisions, partnerships, and projects that follow. Explore opportunities to be a part of that impact at summit.cpex.org/sponsor

Meet Jada Modicue, our new Development Coordinator!

Jada brings a strong background in higher education and philanthropy, with experience advancing initiatives that connect people, resources, and communities. In her role at CPEX, she’ll help grow strategic partnerships and strengthen the relationships that fuel our work across Louisiana.

We’re excited for Jada to support our development efforts and expand opportunities that help communities thrive for generations to come.

Join us in welcoming Jada to the team! Learn more: https://cpex.org/leadership_and_staff/jada-modicue/

The Smithsonian put her words on the wall. We're bringing her to Baton Rouge.

We're proud to announce Majora Carter as the opening keynote speaker for the 2026 Louisiana Smart Growth Summit: Powering Place and Prosperity — October 21 & 22 at the Manship Theatre in Downtown Baton Rouge.

Majora Carter is a real estate developer, urban revitalization strategy consultant, MacArthur Fellow, Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, and professor at Princeton University.

Her words are inscribed on the walls of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one."

That idea is at the heart of this summit.

Louisiana communities are navigating industrial investment, energy transition, housing pressure — all at once. Carter's work speaks directly to this moment: what does it take to ensure that growth and investment actually benefit the people who call Louisiana home?

Sponsoring the Summit puts your organization in the room where that question gets answered. Explore how your brand can stand alongside the people driving that work: summit.cpex.org/sponsor