Christel Slaughter, PhD

As CEO of SSA, Christel helps leaders and organizations chart a clear path forward through strategic planning, organizational assessment and transformation, and leadership development. She works closely with executives, boards, and senior teams to address complex challenges, improve performance, and position organizations for long-term success.  

Over the course of her career, Christel has become a trusted confidant to Louisiana’s top leaders. She is recognized for her ability to listen, build consensus, and guide organizations through high-stakes decisions and leadership transitions. Whether facilitating planning sessions, leading C-suite and board discussions, or conducting high-profile executive searches, she combines patience, pragmatism, and insight to move groups toward confident decisions. A gifted presenter, Christel makes management concepts relatable by connecting them to real-world examples that resonate with her audiences. She has a rare ability to engage people across all levels of an organization, helping them process challenges, align priorities, and take meaningful action.  

In keeping with her record of established leadership, Christel serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is the former Chair of the U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Council. She has also held distinguished leadership roles as immediate past-Chair of the Louisiana Association and Industry and the Federal Reserve Bank New Orleans, in addition to serving on numerous other esteemed boards. Beyond client engagements, Christel drives SSA’s strategic vision and growth. She is a Certified Hogan Assessment Systems Leadership coach and a frequent keynote speaker on organizational effectiveness, leadership, and change management.  

Christel holds a PhD in Management and a BS in Marketing from Louisiana State University. She is actively involved in community and professional organizations, continuing to invest in relationships that strengthen her community and the state. Christel’s commitment has been exemplified by her years of volunteer work. Among her many honors, she was a torchbearer for the 1996 Summer Olympic Torch Run and in 2009 was awarded the Brotherhood Sisterhood Award of Greater Baton Rouge “which recognizes individuals in the Greater Baton Rouge community who have devoted their professional, philanthropic, and volunteer capacities to humanitarian service."

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

• PhD Systems Management and Organization Design, Louisiana State University
• Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Louisiana State University
• Certified Hogan Assessment Systems Leadership Consultant

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Organizational and operational assessment and redesign
• Executive coaching
• Leadership development
• Strategic planning
• Executive searches

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• Established and implemented Blueprint Louisiana
• Designed integration strategies for the State of Louisiana’s multibillion-dollar coastal protection and restoration efforts
• Leading ongoing organizational development, design, and build-out of Louisiana Emergency Response Network
• Brotherhood and Sisterhood Award, Capital Area United Way
• Distinguished Alumni Professor, Louisiana State University
• Inductee into the LSU College of Business Hall of Distinction
• LSU Sesquicentennial Honoree
• Baton Rouge Business Reports Influential Women in Business (1994)