NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s School of Business will host an October Virtual Business Seminar that will focus on governmental and non-governmental agencies that support business activity locally and globally. Featured guest will be Laura Lyles, president of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce, an organization that aids business students as well as community members in understanding their role in connecting businesses to other businesses and assisting enterprises in navigating the local economic landscape.
The monthly virtual business seminar will begin at noon Thursday, Oct. 8. To register, visit http://bit.ly/NSUVBS-Oct.
Lyles, a member of the College of Business and Technology’s Dean’s Executive Advisory Board, will share insights regarding various chambers of commerce and their position in industry from her extensive management background, years of service to the community and continued diligent involvement in the education and economic development spaces.
Lyles is a Natchitoches native with a passion for the Chamber and over 10 years of business management and government contracting experience. She is a graduate of Northwestern State University with a B.S. in Hospitality, Management and Tourism and earned her M.B.A. from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. Lyles played a significant role in the start up and growth process of three sister aerospace engineering companies in Norman, Oklahoma, for eight years before moving back to Natchitoches in 2015.
Lyles volunteered with the Natchitoches Chamber for two years prior to joining the full-time staff as president. She serves on the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission and the Natchitoches Community Alliance for economic development and the sits on the board for the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. She has implemented several new Chamber programs in her short time as president, including the A+ Coalition, Leadership Natchitoches and the GoNatchitoches collaborative shop local campaign.
Lyles spends her free time with her husband, Dr. Chris Lyles, interim department head for the NSU College of Physical and Biological Sciences, and their two sons, Carson and Cooper.
For more information on the October Virtual Business Seminar, contact Dr. Carmella Parker, associate professor and coordinator of outreach and special projects for the School of Business, at (318) 357-5723 or parkerc@nsula.edu.
