LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — A former candidate for Lafayette’s mayor-president seat, Carlee Alm-LaBar, has been named as the new president/CEO of United Way of Acadiana, according to the organization’s press release this morning.

Alm-LaBar’s new position is effective February 26, although United Way said she will begin onboarding immediately. Interim President/CEO Troy Cloutier will continue to serve and aid in the transition over the next several weeks.

“Over the last several years, I’ve been in positions that allowed me to see the needs and opportunities in our region,” said Alm-LaBar. “United Way of Acadiana is a perfect fit to leverage that knowledge and bring people and passion together to improve the lives of our citizens.”

Alm-LaBar, who recently ran for mayor-president of Lafayette Parish as a no-party candidate, said running for office helped her get a deeper level of understanding of the issues that face Lafayette and other communities in the United Way of Acadiana service area.

“I was blessed during the campaign to have connected with so many people,” Alm-LaBar said. “United Way has an amazing history of transformative change in Acadiana, and I’m thrilled to be a part of helping our citizens thrive.”

Alm-LaBar was most recently the Director of Traditional Neighborhood Developments for Southern Lifestyle Development. She worked for Lafayette Consolidated Government for eight years, serving in the Mayor-President’s office under Joey Durel and then Joel Robideaux, who appointed her the Director of Development and Planning. Prior to her roles in government, she worked more than eight years in the nonprofit sector.