Office of the Secretary

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle names acting assistant secretary

Monique Edwards

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Angelle has named Monique Edwards to be the acting assistant secretary for the Office of Mineral Resources and secretary of the State Mineral Board.

Edwards, who will also continue to serve as Executive Counsel for DNR, will be the interim replacement for Marjorie McKeithen, who is stepping down to return to private practice as an attorney.

The assistant secretary of the Office of Mineral Resources oversees the administrative functions of oil and gas leasing in the state. The role of secretary of the Mineral Board calls for working with an eleven-member group appointed by the governor to grant and execute mineral leases on state-owned land and water bottoms, encompassing over 7 million acres in the state.

A Louisiana native, Edwards is former counsel with the Louisiana House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources. Prior to that, she was the managing member for Edwards, Valdez and Ellis, LLC of Orlando, FL, heading up the business law and governmental relations departments.

She is a graduate of St. Mary’s Dominican College formerly in New Orleans and received her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.  Edwards is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and The Florida Bar.

“We are also blessed to have someone of Monique’s experience and expertise in-house and ready to take on this critical role on an interim basis. She is a strong leader and has already proven herself more than capable in all that has been asked of her,” Angelle said.

“It is a great opportunity to be able to serve the citizens of the state in an additional capacity,” Edwards said.

McKeithen had served as assistant secretary since October of 2006.

“We appreciate the energy and innovation Marjorie brought to the Office of Mineral Resources, the Department and the state, and wish her well as she moves on in her career,” Angelle said. “As the daughter of former Secretary of State Fox McKeithen and granddaughter of former Gov. John McKeithen, she capably continued her family’s honorable legacy of public service.”

McKeithen expressed her appreciation for the support offered by Sec. Angelle and the staff of the Office of Mineral Resources during her time as assistant secretary.

“It has been a privilege to work with this office and this department, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” McKeithen said.

No timetable has yet been set for seeking a permanent replacement in the office.