Today, Smart Growth America announced Camille Manning-Broome, President and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX), as the new chair of our Board of Directors.

Camille has worked in the federal government, the private sector, and the nonprofit world on some of the most transformational planning and policy efforts in Louisiana’s history. She helped shape the state’s recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, co-authored its first Coastal Master Plan, and helped develop and carry out the Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan, winner of the Olmsted Award, 2009.

Over the past 20 years at CPEX, Camille has helped build one of the South’s most trusted planning organizations. CPEX has partnered with more than 100 Louisiana communities, produced more than 125 plans and resources, and directed nearly two-thirds of its resources to the places that need them most. In a state that faces disasters every year, that work goes beyond carrying out a community’s vision to building the ability to adapt. It ranges from neighborhood plans to tribal resilience plans and climate adaptation strategies for the state’s highest-risk areas, including planning for home buyouts and whole-community relocation. Just as important, it includes the tools that get plans built, from local ordinances like the Baton Rouge Complete Streets Ordinance to state legislation, along with CPEX’s Smart Growth Summit, which brings together leaders from across Louisiana.

“Camille understands that great places to live don’t happen by accident—and that the smart growth movement has an important role to play in informing the decisions that shape our communities,” said Beth Osborne, President and CEO of Smart Growth America. “As a fellow Louisianan, I’ve seen how her work has helped communities across the state navigate big challenges and make smarter decisions about their future. She knows how to bring people together, turn big ideas into action, and build the support and resources needed to make them happen. I’m thrilled to work alongside her to expand Smart Growth America’s reach, deepen our impact, and build even greater support for our work.”

“Louisiana has taught me that how we plan our communities decides how they hold up when the storm hits, the water rises, or the power goes out, and how well they thrive the rest of the time. At CPEX, we’ve seen what’s possible when local leaders have good information, strong partners, and a real plan. Smart Growth America brings that same practical, community-first approach to places all across the country, and it has never been more needed. As chair, I want to help SGA reach more communities, build new partnerships across sectors, and grow the support that turns good ideas into great places to live. I’m excited to work alongside Beth and this remarkable board,” said Manning-Broome.

The leadership transition comes as Smart Growth America works to reach more communities and shape more of the transportation, housing, and development decisions that determine whether places are healthy, prosperous, and resilient for everyone who lives there.

Camille succeeds Madeline Fraser Cook, who served on the SGA Board for 16 years and as chair from 2020 to 2026. During her time as Board chair, Madeline helped guide the organization through a period of significant growth and change, including Smart Growth America’s 25th anniversary.

About Camille Manning-Broome

Camille Manning-Broome is President and CEO of the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) and an internationally recognized leader in resilience, community planning, and systems-level policy innovation. Her career spans the federal government, the private sector, and the nonprofit world, and she has worked across several state administrations on some of the largest planning efforts in Louisiana’s history. She was among the first land-use planners on the ground after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, helped lead FEMA’s long-term community recovery work in Louisiana, and helped develop and implement the Louisiana Speaks recovery plans. She co-authored the state’s first Coastal Master Plan and its first Climate Action Plan, and she played a key role in building Louisiana’s all-of-government approach to climate adaptation under Governor John Bel Edwards.

At CPEX, she leads work on climate resilience, clean energy, and community-centered planning, from neighborhood plans and complete streets policy to resilience hubs that keep communities powered through storms. She has built partnerships with experts across the country and abroad, including leading a delegation to Germany on wind energy, and brings those lessons home to Louisiana. She holds a B.A. in Art History and an M.S. in Environmental Sciences from Louisiana State University’s College of the Coast & Environment.

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