On October 22, Anita Begnaud took over as the new CEO of the Downtown Development Authority.

Previously she was the Senior VP of One Acadiana.

Begnaud says one of her main goals is to continue to revitalize the downtown region.

“24 hour downtown is critical so you have a good mix of residential and working.”

There is only so much space available to develop, so in some ways they are landlocked to a degree, but Begnaud says there is another option.

“Llimited in space, how do we build up instead of out.”

Begnaud is an Acadiana native. She says she spends a lot of time Downtown, and this job is very close to her heart.

“I love downtown, its a place I spend a lot of time and energy in.”