DR. MARKEY W. PIERRE'

Markey W. Pierré, DBA Vice Chancellor of External Affairs and Chief of Staff, LSU Health Sciences Center Dr. Markey Pierré’s lifetime commitment to professional excellence, community service, and good public policy has led to substantive progress for the State of Louisiana in many areas, including K-12 and higher education, construction, health care, maritime law, and municipal government. During her 20 plus year career as a successful business owner and executive, author, motivational speaker, lobbyist, and adjunct professor, Dr. Pierré’s philosophy of inclusive leadership resulted in pioneering legislation that has had far-reaching positive consequences for generations to come.

For the past 13 years, Dr. Pierré championed the interest of her clients as the President and Managing partner of Southern Strategy Group of North Louisiana, a full-service governmental consulting firm based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Dr. Pierré has been extremely successful in building partnerships across different ideologies, sometimes bridging deep divides to drive public policies that benefited everyone involved. Her client list ran the gambit from Fortune 500 corporations to school boards to gaming and entertainment venues, municipal entities, and professional and trade associations. In this role, Dr. Pierré cemented her reputation as a powerful force and highly effective advocate to have on one’s team. Staying true to form, Dr. Pierré has taken on another opportunity to have an essential impact on the community and corporate sectors with her fundamental skills for success. In her new role as the Vice Chancellor of External Affairs and Chief of Staff for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Dr. Pierré is the point of contact for critical initiatives and responsible for the development and implementation of the strategic agenda to represent both organizational and operational initiatives. 

Using this platform, she provides effective communication and guidance as it relates to external affairs reaching local, state, and federal agencies. In partnership with the Senior and Human Resource leadership for LSU Health Shreveport, Dr. Pierré leads the planning of special events to ensure there is diversity and inclusion in recruitment and retention of groups underrepresented in healthcare. Throughout her professional career, Dr. Pierré has earned numerous honors for her professional excellence and unwavering commitment to community service. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Business woman of the Year Award for Shreveport-Bossier African American Chamber of Commerce and was named one of the Top Businesswomen in Shreveport Bossier by SB Magazine. Dr. Pierré is also a recipient of the prestigious Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman Award and she broke barriers by becoming the first African American woman to chair the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce and the Independence Bowl of Shreveport.