BATON ROUGE, La. – Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that he has appointed Monique Edwards as Commissioner of Conservation, following the passing of Richard Ieyoub, Sr. who served in the position since 2016.

“Monique Edwards is immensely qualified to fill this role bringing years of experience in natural resource management and mineral law,” said Gov. Edwards. “Richard Ieyoub’s passing is a great loss for our state and all those who were fortunate to know him, but I am confident that Monique is prepared to continue his work and the important mission of the Office of Conservation.”

Monique Edwards most recently served as a visiting professor at the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. She is a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Louisiana Advisory Committee. Edwards is also a member of the Louisiana Mineral Law Institute Advisory Council where she is the first African American woman to serve. Previously, she was appointed by former Governor Bobby Jindal as the first African American secretary of the Louisiana State Mineral and Energy Board and Assistant Secretary for the Office of Mineral Resources of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). In addition, she served as executive counsel at DNR under former Governor Kathleen Blanco.

A Louisiana native, Edwards has served as counsel to the Louisiana House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources and Environment. This committee has oversight over Louisiana Departments of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources and Wildlife & Fisheries. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s Dominican College formerly in New Orleans and received her Juris Doctor from the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.