Meet the ConnectLA Team

ConnectLA is working to bring high-speed internet access to communities across Louisiana. Our dedicated team is committed to bridging the digital divide and empowering local residents through connectivity.

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Veneeth Iyengar serves as the executive director of ConnectLA and is the first executive director for the State of Louisiana's broadband efforts. Under the leadership of Gov. Jeff Landry, he is responsible for coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local leaders by allocating nearly $1.6 billion in federal funds to eliminate the digital divide in Louisiana by 2028, if not sooner.

He and his team are considered thought leaders in the broadband community for their rapid scale-up and execution of federal dollars to bring access to the 1.7 million residents in Louisiana who lack high-speed internet. Louisiana's efforts have been recognized nationally as having the best broadband office in terms of execution, and Veneeth is often asked to speak at events hosted and/or organized by leading organizations like the Pew Charitable Trusts, National Governors Association, Consumer Electronics Show, Fiber Broadband Association, National Conference of State Legislators, National Association of Counties, U.S. Department of Commerce's SelectUSA Summit, Federalist Society, American Enterprise Institute, and Brookings Institution.

From 2018 to 2021, Veneeth was the assistant chief administrative officer for the mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, primarily responsible for economic development. He was involved in the lifecycle of economic development deals, in addition to leading the administration's response in helping small business owners during the pandemic.

In 2020, Veneeth was asked by the governor to co-chair his Resilient Louisiana Healthcare Task Force, which included the CEOs of leading healthcare systems, payors, and rural healthcare organizations in the state. The task force recommended approaches to create an innovative healthcare economy given the challenges posed by the pandemic. Prior to his time as a public servant, Veneeth helped build the venture capital/private equity healthcare practice for Sage Growth Partners and worked in the office of the former CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation under President George W. Bush.

Veneeth was named a Forty Under 40 recipient by the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report (2018) and a Leadership Louisiana recipient by the Council for a Better Louisiana (2020). In addition to these honors, Veneeth received the Woodrow Wilson Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service from Johns Hopkins University (2022) and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System Impact Award (2023).

He currently serves on Ochsner’s Healthy State Advisory Board, focused on significantly improving healthcare rankings in the state, as well as the board of directors for the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation. He also serves as board chairman for Innovation Catalyst, a nonprofit evergreen investment fund based in Baton Rouge that has made more than a dozen startup investments.

He received his Master of Science in Finance from Johns Hopkins University and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Purdue University. Veneeth grew up in Baton Rouge and attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School.

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Arielle Collins is an accomplished and dedicated professional who serves as a Director of Federal Program Operations for Louisiana’s Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity (also known as ConnectLA). She is also a highly skilled Certified Public Accountant with over a decade of auditing experience in various state agencies within Louisiana. In her role as Program Manager, Arielle will use her financial expertise and acute attention to detail to ensure ConnectLA complies with all requirements related to the federal grants it administers.

Arielle's educational background includes earning her Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 2012 and Master of Business Administration in 2013 from Southeastern Louisiana University. She went on to become a licensed Certified Public Accountant in 2016, a testament to her hard work and dedication.

Arielle began her accounting career with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office in 2013. During her time with LLA, Arielle performed and assisted in the external audits of numerous state agencies within Louisiana, including the following: Department of Children and Family Services, Southern University System, Southern University Law Center, Louisiana State Police Retirement System, Office of Group Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Administration.

Additionally, Arielle served as Auditor-In-Charge of the following audits: Louisiana School Employees Retirement System, Office of Financial Institutions, Louisiana Utilities Restoration Corporation, Louisiana Public Service Commission, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Louisiana Department of Revenue, Louisiana Economic Development, and Louisiana Board of Regents.

Following her time with LLA, Arielle joined the Department of Administration’s Internal Audit Section. In addition to typical Internal Audit duties, Arielle assisted with the administration and review of local and state applications related to the Louisiana Cares Act. During the funding review, Arielle ensured LA Cares applications met the requirements for funding and approved or denied LA Cares applications based on review. When necessary, Arielle communicated with LA Cares applicants to obtain any missing documentation or explain why requests were denied. Finally, Arielle composed and submitted the required federal quarterly reports on LA Cares Act funds.

Following her tenure with DOA, Arielle accepted a job as the Internal Auditor for the Louisiana Department of Treasury. In addition to her duties as the Internal Auditor, Arielle assisted with the administration of the Main Street Recovery Program, federally funded by the CARES Act, and also served as the bookkeeper for the Tobacco Settlement Financing Corporation.

Arielle is a native of Lutcher, Louisiana, and currently resides in Ascension Parish with her husband and two daughters. When not buried in a spreadsheet, you can typically find Arielle relaxing with a good book, watching LSU sports, spending quality time with her family and friends, or listening to Taylor Swift.

Arielle's passion for her work and her commitment to achieving exceptional results make her a valuable asset to her organization and a role model for aspiring professionals in her field. Arielle’s extensive experience with the administration of federal programs gives her a unique skill set required to be the Program Manager for ConnectLA’s federal grants. Arielle looks forward to approaching the administration of all ConnectLA’s grants with integrity and poise, ensuring that the people of Louisiana receive the Broadband internet they deserve.

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Emmy Hicks is a strategic program leader with nearly two decades of experience building cross-sector partnerships and translating complex policy and data environments into actionable public impact. She grew up along the bayous of South Louisiana while spending summers with her family, who are primarily from Montana. She understands firsthand small-town, rural life and is passionate about improving digital literacy and access to broadband internet in these communities.

She currently leads a $45 million portfolio at ConnectLA, focused on the construction of multipurpose community centers and accessible device distribution initiatives designed to strengthen economic competitiveness in underserved, rural communities.

Recognizing inefficiencies across multiple funding streams, Emmy spearheaded the development of a statewide data governance and standardization strategy and engineered a data management hub — a centralized system supporting oversight of more than $1 billion in federally funded broadband and digital access investments. The platform equips legislators and agency leaders with actionable insights to improve stewardship of public resources across education, workforce development, health, and economic growth.

Previously, Emmy served in leadership roles in academia where her work bridged policy, data, and community engagement to align stakeholders across sectors toward shared outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Emmy holds a master’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in Applied Research, Measurement and Evaluation from Louisiana State University. She has completed her coursework for a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Research and is nearing her defense, all while working full-time as a dedicated public servant. Her academic scholarship on federal regulation, consumer perception, telework/remote work and learning, employee stress, and domestic norms has earned her recognition and speaking opportunities at academic conferences across the nation and the American Society for Public Administration Founders Fellowship. She has served on several advisory boards, contributing her leadership to organizations that support local communities.

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Meet the ConnectLA Team

Our Team

Veneeth Iyengar

Arielle Collins

Emmy Hicks