The BBR Board of Commissioners

Rodney Braxton serves as the President of Southern Strategy Group, a governmental affairs firm. He previously served as Assistant Chief of Staff to former Governor Murphy J. “Mike” Foster, an Associate Commissioner of Governmental Relations for the Louisiana Board of Regents, Undersecretary of the Louisiana Department of Labor, and the first Executive Director of the Louisiana Commission on Human Rights. Currently, Braxton serves as Parliamentarian of the Malcolm Jenkins Foundation and as the Chair of the Young Leaders Academy. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of New Orleans and a J.D. from Tulane University Law School.

Braxton was appointed to the Build Baton Rouge Board of Directors in 2011 by former Mayor-President Holden and again in 2017 by Mayor-President Broome.

Charles Landry is a Partner with Fishman Haygood and practices in the areas of real estate development, real estate finance, land use and zoning. He has represented numerous parties in a wide range of real estate transactions, which have included residential developments, office buildings, shopping malls and centers, hotels and medical facilities, golf course communities, and industrial developments. He is widely recognized as one of Louisiana’s leading land use attorneys. He was a founding member of the East Baton Rouge Zoning Advisory Committee and served as the Chairperson from its formation in 2003 to 2017. Landry was instrumental in the formation of the Louisiana Technology Park and serves as General Counsel to the Research Park Corporation. He is the Co-Editor of The Foreign Investor’s Guide to the Legal Aspects of Doing Business in Louisiana, an extensive analysis of the laws of the United States and the State of Louisiana, as those laws may impact a party wishing to invest in Louisiana. Landry holds a Bachelor of Business and J.D. from Louisiana State University.

Landry was appointed to the Build Baton Rouge Board of Directors in 2019 by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

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Suzanne (Susan) Turner is a retired landscape architecture professor and spent 25 years as a member of LSU’s Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. She holds a Bachelor degree in art history from Emory University and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Georgia. During her years at LSU, Turner taught landscape architecture, worked as a consultant for firms across the country, was the graduate coordinator for the College of Art & Design, twice served the college as Associate Dean, and was the college’s Interim Director. She is currently the principal of a research and design firm, Suzanne Turner Associates, which specializes in historical and cultural landscapes and design and planning where meaning and place matter.

Turner is the author of The Garden Diary of Martha Turnbull, Mistress of Rosedown Plantation (LSU Press, 2012); coauthor of Houston’s Silent Garden: Glenwood Cemetery, 1871–2009 (Texas A&M Press, 2010); and coauthor of The Gardens of Louisiana: Places of Work and Wonder (LSU Press, 1997). In spring 2014, the College of Art & Design thanked Turner for her commitment to LSU and the Baton Rouge community by honoring her with the 2014 College of Art & Design Honor Award and inviting her to deliver the spring 2014 commencement address. Turner has spent many years volunteering in the Baton Rouge community. She is the co-founder of BREADA (Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance) and currently serves as an executive committee member and on the board of Louisiana Art & Science Museum.

Turner is the last of the original board members and was appointed to the Build Baton Rouge Board of Directors in 2008 by the Mayor-President Holden and again in 2017 by Mayor-President Broome.

Will Campbell currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Community Development for b1BANK and an adjunct professor at Southern University, where he teaches Entrepreneurship in the MBA program. Prior to his present work, Campbell served as the Vice President for Capital One Bank’s Small Business Lending Division, governing financial matters with the Small Business Administration and the Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Southern University. He was responsible for overseeing and managing the center, while providing business consulting for citizen in seven parishes. In addition, Will has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry; including his roles as the Vice President/Banking Center Manager for Bank One, Branch Manager for Wells Fargo Financial, and also the regional manager at Liberty Bank throughout the Baton Rouge and Opelousas regions.

Mr. Will Campbell is well known for his involvement in the lending industry, economic development programs, and community outreach initiatives. He is also the Senior Pastor of Serenity Praise and Worship Tabernacle Church and a Managing Partner of Millennium Consulting Network, Inc. Will is most proud of his 17 years of service as a Captain in the United States Army Reserves, where he served as a Traffic Management Officer and Family Support Liaison. After receiving his Masters of Arts degree in Management and Leadership from Liberty University, a certificate of Entrepreneurship Educators from Babson College, Campbell is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Management and Leadership.

Campbell was appointed to the Build Baton Rouge Board of Directors in 2021.

Bobby Hamilton is an Executive Director of Middle Market Banking for Chase in Baton Rouge. Prior to moving back home to Louisiana in 2019, Bobby spent 12 years in Houston, TX working in commercial banking for both Chase and Capital One. He started his commercial banking career with Hibernia Bank in Baton Rouge 18 years ago. As a Louisiana native and alum of Louisiana State University, he is excited to be back in Baton Rouge helping to fuel economic growth in the region. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and on the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Louisiana

Hamilton was appointed to the Build Baton Rouge Board of Directors in 2023.