McNeese 2025 McLeod Lecture Series

“Two Governors: Getting Results Against the Odds” is the subject for the 2025 McLeod Lecture Series to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, in Tritico Theatre at McNeese State University. The McLeod Lecture Series continues to bring timely, as well as the historical, aspects of politics to Southwest Louisiana as well as throughout the state.  

This free event – featuring former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, and former Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat – is part of McNeese’s 2025 Banners Cultural Season. Baker and Edwards will share their experiences and lessons learned from working with legislatures across party lines. 

Both men served simultaneously as governors of their states, each serving two four-year terms. Baker was a Republican with a predominantly Democratic legislature while Edwards was a Democrat with a predominantly Republican legislature. They will address how they each dealt with serious budget issues, COVID, natural disasters and the day-to-day challenges faced by governors.  

As governor of Massachusetts, Baker led the commonwealth out of a billion-dollar  budget deficit and into a surplus while cutting taxes and boosting investments in education and infrastructure. In addition to his two terms as governor, he has decades of experience spearheading transformations at high-profile institutions in the private and public sectors. During this time, he also co-authored “Results: Getting Beyond Politics to Get Important Work Done.” 

Since March 2023, Baker has served as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and has pursued a mission to improve the student-athlete experience, increase national office efficiency and advocate for college sports. He also led the negotiation of a landmark media rights agreement with ESPN, increasing visibility for college athletes as they compete for a national championship. 

Baker has expanded support for student-athletes by launching a post-eligibility insurance program for all three divisions and worked with membership to enact Division I core guarantees – mandatory health and wellness benefits for student-athletes and new academic protections such as guaranteed scholarships if a student-athlete stops competing.  

Baker and college sports leaders continue to enact an array of policy changes enhancing collegiate athletics oversight while protecting the health, safety and well-being of over 500,000 student-athletes and the integrity of NCAA competition.  

Baker is a graduate of Harvard University and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  

Prior to his governorship, Edwards, an attorney from Amite, served for eight years in the Louisiana House of Representatives before being elected as the 56th governor. During his two terms, Edwards spearheaded legislative initiatives like Medicaid expansion, budget stabilization,  criminal justice reform and coastal protection and restoration. 

He also was at the state’s helm through the COVID pandemic during which Louisiana suffered its two strongest hurricanes ever: Laura (2020) and Ida (2021). Having led the response to—and recovery from—50 state emergencies and 23 federal disaster declarations, which also included floods, wildfires and tornadoes, Edwards took numerous steps to prioritize addressing climate change and expanding the clean energy sector in conjunction with the state’s long history of traditional energy. 

Today, Edwards serves as special counsel with the law firm Fishman Haygood LLP, focusing on renewable energy. He is an appointed member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s first-ever Energy Advisory Council and is also a member of the GNO Energy Alliance, a new industry-led committee of GNO Inc. aimed at cultivating collaboration, political advocacy and innovation across South Louisiana’s energy sectors. 

Edwards received his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and his law degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. 

The annual McLeod Lecture Series honors the late Bill McLeod, a prominent retired district judge and former state legislator. McLeod, who died in 2003, practiced law in Lake Charles for 33 years until he was elected to a six-year term as district judge in 1990. McLeod also served 23 years in the Louisiana Legislature. All research materials, records and artifacts pertaining to the series become a part of the McNeese Library Archives.  

Over the years, the series has funded McLeod Student Scholars and McLeod Endowed Professorships. This year’s McLeod students are Lake Charles political science majors Louis Gilley and Tanner Milner. McLeod Endowed Professors are Dr. Lindsay Ayling, assistant professor of history, and Victoria Jeansonne, assistant professor of political science.  

Persons requesting accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should contact the Office of Campus Compliance and Civility at least 72 hours before the event. Additional information is available from the Office of Campus Compliance and Civility, located in the Burton Business Center, Suite 407, by phone at 337-475-5428, by fax at 337-475-5603, or by email at compliance@mcneese.edu.