The Water Institute’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Beaux Jones as president and CEO during their Dec. 11 board meeting. Jones is an environmental lawyer with extensive experience in coastal and environmental policy who previously served as the Institute’s general counsel and chief of staff. He has been serving as acting president and CEO since July.
The board believes that Jones’ deep experience in the critical environmental and policy challenges with which the state and world are grappling; his skill in sustaining organizational operations over the past several months following the tragic death of former Institute President and CEO Justin Ehrenwerth, and his commitment to solidifying the Institute’s role as a critical research organization asking hard questions that matter make him ideally suited to the role.
“It is abundantly clear to the board that Beaux is the right person to lead the Institute into the future. His passion for the work is contagious and the board is looking forward to seeing the great things that develop in the coming months and years,” said Kevin Reilly, outgoing chairman of the Institute board of directors.
“Working with the brilliant and committed team at the Institute has been the honor of my career and I could not be more excited for the future,” Jones said. “The Institute has a vision of resilient and equitable communities, thriving economies, and sustainable ecosystems and we cannot make this happen alone. We of course need high-quality, independent research, but equally as critical is the way that we work together across sectors, disciplines, parties, industries, and boundaries. I am excited to continue moving the Institute towards the ideals of its founding to serve as a catalyst for the region to ensure that the communities with which we work not only survive but thrive into the future.”
Prior to joining the Institute in 2019, Jones served as Environmental Section Chief at Louisiana’s Office of the Attorney General where he advised state agencies including the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Office of Coastal Management and regional levee boards. He has argued at every level of state and federal court in Louisiana, including the Louisiana Supreme Court and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. He also spent time working in private legal practice with the New Orleans firm Baldwin, Haspel, Burke, and Mayer.
"These are not easy times, certainly not for Louisiana, and we are going to have to be at the top of our game in order to have a state and a future to be proud of,” said Mark Davis, research professor and director of the Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane University. “The Institute will be a big part of that and, having known and worked with Beaux for what seems like forever, I am delighted to see him at the helm."
“Moving forward under Beaux’s leadership, LSU looks forward to working with The Water Institute in tackling big questions with multiple partners and collaborations,” said Robert Twilley, LSU vice president for research and economic development.
Jones is a dedicated volunteer in civic and environmental causes. He has been active in the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, served as a legal advisor to the Trombone Shorty Foundation, served as leader of Bike Baton Rouge, as board member of a New Orleans charter school, as the president of his neighborhood association and as an advisor to Get Lit Stay Lit, a project to create solar microgrids across New Orleans. Jones is a member of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, Inc. (C100) and Council for a Better Louisiana’s Leadership Louisiana class of 2024.
Originally from Ruston, LA, Jones earned his bachelor’s from Davidson College and his law degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU. He lives near Bayou St. John in New Orleans with his wife and two children.