McLaren was named the Government Financial Manager of the Year by the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants. She was praised for her achievements in the areas of financial leadership in government programs, as well as her individual integrity in applying innovative management techniques. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News Editor
The assistant executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, who served as its interim executive director during its transition from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the Office of Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, has resigned.
Kristin McClaren has taken the position of Executive Director of the newly established Chef John Folse Foundation. During her tenure as with the Seafood Board, she was responsible for numerous management operations for the successful operation of the board.
Hired first as a contractor, McLaren became assistant executive director in November 2011. In 2013, Lt. Gov. Dardenne recognized her for her leadership in transitioning the Board from the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism.
Two themes have often gone hand in hand during her career of public service and private industry, crisis management and fiduciary responsibility.
The politics of seafood is vast and complex. As assistant director of the Louisiana Seafood Board, McLaren worked closely with federal, state and local officials. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
During her tenure with the Seafood Board, McLaren provided direct financial oversight of $1.7 million in Federal grants. McLaren was involved in accounting for the Board’s expenditures of $32 million in BP funding and $1.5 million in state funds allocated to general seafood marketing which includes funding for specific shrimp, oyster and crab promotions.
Additionally, she secured a $500 thousand grant for the Board’s use in promoting Louisiana seafood following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill April 20, 2010
In an email of congratulations, Seafood Board member Sarah Voisin, widow of Seafood Board founder Mike Voisin, wished McLaren good luck in her new adventure. “Chef John Folse is a lucky guy to have you on his team. Both you, and your talents, will be sorely missed by the entire seafood community. Thank you for your years of hard work and true dedication to the industry,” she said.
McLaren’s diverse career covers both private and public sectors. A graduate of Tulane University with a degree in journalism, she has served on boards and commissions, worked for a state agency and been on the floor of the Louisiana legislature.
Before joining the board she has served numerous organizations including:
- Commissioner-at-Large for the Louisiana Tourism Development Commission.
- Commissioner/officer for the St. Tammany Economic Development Commission.
- Member of the Children’s Advocacy Center Board, helping victims of sexual abuse through the judicial and healing process.
McLaren is a recent graduate of LSU’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program, in January she visited the Panama Canal and the proposed Nicaragua canal. Photo: Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
A recent graduate of LSU’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program, in January she visited the Panama Canal and the proposed Nicaragua canal site with classmates to obtain a global perspective on the impact the widening of the Panama Canal, and the new Nicaraguan project, will have on imported seafood products.
Last week, McLaren was named the Government Financial Manager of the Year by the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants. She was praised for her achievements in the areas of financial leadership in government programs, as well as her individual integrity in applying innovative management techniques.
“Kristin was instrumental in redesigning the Board’s Treasurer Reports to not only serve governmental purposes, but also to effectively communicate expenditures to the citizens served by the Board,” said Tommy Williams, former Treasurer of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
McClaren will start her new position later this month. Her departure leaves the Seafood Board with one executive staff member, Karen Profita. Profita, recently hired as the new executive director, was previously a radio talk show host and the executive director for the Baton Rogue United Way.
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