Gov.-elect Jeff Landry announced the details of his transition Wednesday, including his transition director and chairs, as well as the transition’s headquarters.
Landry held his first press conference since winning the gubernatorial primary at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The event drew a handful of reporters and lasted less than half an hour. Landry expressed his aims for change right off the bat.
“The old way of doing things is, for the most part, out the door,” he said.
To begin, Landry broke with custom, telling reporters he would headquarter his transition at ULL rather than LSU.
A long list of Louisiana’s former governors-elect, including current Gov. John Bel Edwards, have based their transitions at the flagship university’s Kirby Smith Hall. That building was demolished in 2023. Landry highlighted, however, that his choice to move away from LSU was strategic.
“We want the people in Louisiana to know that all of our universities are important to us,” he said later.
Landry is an alumnus of ULL and lives with his wife Sharon Landry in Lafayette. Choosing to base his transition from home, Landry underscored his intentional distance from the state’s capital.
“I’ve said from day one that this administration will ensure that every part of the state has a voice, not just those who occupy the capital,” he said. “This administration is going to represent the people of Louisiana, not just the political class.”
Landry added his administration believes headquartering the transition in Lafayette would make it easier for everyone around the state to reach them.
Kyle Ruckert, who served as the chief of staff for former U.S. Senator David Vitter, will be the director of Landry’s transition into office. Ruckert is also the president of a political consulting firm called “Bold Strategies.”
Landry’s transition chairs will be:
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Ralph Abraham, former Louisiana fifth congressional district representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. Abraham ran for governor in 2019 but voters eliminated him in the primaries
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Lane Grigsby, founder of contracting company Cajun Industries and Republican megadonor
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Shane Guidry, CEO of marine transportation company Harvey Gulf, who made headlines after moving his company’s headquarters out of New Orleans to Metairie citing high crime
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Tim Hardy, environmental lawyer and former member of the board of supervisors of Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges, who has served on multiple transition teams
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Steve Orlando, Lafayette business leader and chairman of Allison Marine Holdings, a consulting firm geared towards the oil and gas industry
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Eddie Rispone, Baton Rouge business leader and chairman of construction company ISC Constructors. Rispone ran for governor in 2019 but lost in the runoff to current Gov. John Bel Edwards
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Sharon Landry, Jeff Landry’s wife
Landry said, as a member of the transition team, his wife Sharon would help to keep the other chairs “in line.”
“As I looked at this group of people we assembled I realized that I took from something my mom always said, that you always need a good woman to make sure those men get everything right.”
“We’re a team,” Sharon Landry later said.
READ MORE: Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson becomes speaker of U.S. House
Deputy News Editor Oliver Butcher contributed reporting to this article.
Louisiana governor elect Jeff Landry stands alongside his wife, Sharon Landry, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, during a press conference in Lafayette, La.
