Lafayette, LA – Community Foundation of Acadiana is pleased to announce the election of officers and the appointment of new board members to its 2024 Board of Directors.
Board member Dr. Deiadra “Dee” Garrett was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors; Ian Macdonald was elected as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors; Chris Rader was elected Secretary/Treasurer. Four new members – Shelley Cestia, Rob Eddy, EJ Krampe, Karen King, and Joe Spell have also joined CFA's Board of Directors. The appointments were effective January 1, 2024.
"We are pleased to welcome Rob Eddy, EJ Krampe, Shelley Cestia, Karen King, and Joe Spell to our Board of Directors. Each of these board members brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. Their invaluable perspectives and contributions will strengthen our organization, propelling us forward and ensuring that we continue to build a trusted community foundation for the Acadiana region," said Chair of the Board Dr. Deiadra “Dee” Garrett.
If you would like to get to know our officers and new board members, please read a short biography of each member below:
Shelley Cestia, a Lafayette, Louisiana native, holds a Marketing degree from the University of Louisiana. She and her husband of over 20 years, Dr. Boo Cestia of New Iberia, have four wonderful children. With an innate ability to connect people and foster meaningful relationships, Shelley is excited to serve the Community Foundation and promote its mission throughout Acadiana.
Rob Eddy, CLU®, ChFC®, REBC® is a financial planner and the Managing Partner of Pinnacle Group Insurance & Financial Services. He has been active in the Acadiana community and currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee for both One Acadiana and Community Foundation of Acadiana. He served as Chair of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce (now One Acadiana) in 2013 and the Community Foundation of Acadiana (2020-2021). Rob’s community engagement has also included service as a board member of the UL Foundation and as Chair of the Board for United Way of Acadiana, Lafayette Education Foundation, and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. He currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Business at Louisiana State University and was recently recognized as the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus by the Leadership Institute of Acadiana. He has been President of several professional organizations including the Acadiana and Louisiana Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) and served on the National Board. He is a graduate of Louisiana State University.
EJ Krampe is a McDonald’s restaurant owner with over 40 restaurants and has served in numerous leadership positions on a regional and national level. Other interests include involvement and support for family related restaurant concepts such as Charley G’s, Social, Marcello’s, Pete’s, and the Tap Room, each a leading restaurant in their respective categories, and real estate projects that are both preserving and expanding the core of Lafayette. Committed to community revitalization, EJ is a partner in OFCH, LLC, a company that owns the Municipal in downtown Lafayette. The Lofts at the Municipal was the first major residential project in the heart of the city. EJ’s dedication to a better community is expressed in his voluntary service as much as his success as a business leader. He served as the only two-time Chairman of LEDA, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. EJ currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center. He is on the Board for One Acadiana and he is the past Chairman of the State of Louisiana Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council at Louisiana Economic Development. In 2019 he received the Business Person of the Year Award for Acadiana.
Karen King is a Civil Senior Litigation Counsel with the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana, where she handles a wide variety of civil litigation. Karen received her undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from LSU. Karen has served the legal community as a Past President of the Lafayette Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association, Lafayette/Acadiana Chapter. Karen is also a Louisiana Bar Foundation Fellow, where she serves on the Governance Committee and a Sustaining Fellow of the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association, where she serves as a Board Director. Karen currently serves our local community as a Junior League of Lafayette Sustainer and Board Director-at-Large. She is also a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Eta Chi Omega Chapter Leadership Development Committee Chairman. Karen serves the Ivy Legacy Foundation of Acadiana as Treasurer. Additionally, Karen mentors twenty girls as a member of Women of Wisdom through its Girl Magic program at Lafayette Middle School. Most recently, Karen was honored as a 2022 United Way of Acadiana Women Who Mean Business Honoree.
Joe Spell is a native of Milton, Louisiana and graduated from Comeaux High School. He attended University of Louisiana at Lafayette for his undergraduate studies and received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing and was a two-time national champion for the Ragin Cajun water ski team. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School. Joe began his medical device sales career in 2003 and was inspired to create a business that fulfilled promises and made things easier for providers to care for their patients. After selling an orthopedic spine implant business, Joe and a physician co-founder began exploring the amniotic tissue market. Tides Medical was born in 2009. Tides Medical acquires donated human placentas to manufacture advanced amniotic tissue skin substitutes. These skin graft products are distributed nationwide for use in the treatment of chronic or difficult-to-heal wounds. Through Tides Medical Foundation and the Spell Family Foundation, Joe and his wife Annie support numerous causes in the Acadiana community. The pillars of the foundations support education, medical research, and community development. He personally has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana for five years and is currently acting as Chairman.
Clay Darnall (Immediate Past Chair), Jim Doyle, Grant Guillotte, Mary Leach Werner, Marie Centanni, Casey Hoyt, Elena Knezek, Mark Musso, Allyson Pharr, Wayne Phillips, Randy Prather, and William Rucks are continuing their duties as board members. To view the full board of directors, visit https://cfacadiana.org/board-of-directors.
CFA is one of south Louisiana’s premier philanthropic organizations benefiting our region, with a focus on the parishes of Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Vermilion. CFA’s core purpose is to build legacies and improve communities by connecting generous people to the causes they care about. Since its inception in 2000, CFA has realized cumulative gifts exceeding $322 million and has made cumulative grants of more than $175 million. You can learn more at www.cfacadiana.org.