Our Leadership

Casey O’Banion

Casey O'Banion serves as President and CEO of YEA BR, where he works to develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and community leaders throughout the Capital Region.

Originally from Texarkana, Texas, Casey earned his bachelor's degree and Juris Doctorate from LSU before receiving an MFA in Los Angeles. Casey and his wife, Melissa, chose Baton Rouge to grow their family, and have been back since 2016. He believes deeply in the future of the Capital Region and is committed to helping young people see the opportunities that exist here to build successful careers, businesses, and lives.

Prior to leading YEA BR, he served as Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership, helping support business growth, talent development, and innovation initiatives across the region.

In addition to his work with YEA BR, Casey is a faculty member of the English Department at LSU and is a writer and Pushcart Prize recipient.

A Letter from the President

Talent is one of the most valuable natural resources our region possesses.

Every year, we search for students who are curious, driven, creative, and willing to challenge themselves. Our mission is not simply to help students start businesses – it is to help them become the best, most capable versions of themselves.

Entrepreneurship is the vehicle. Growth is the destination.

Through YEA BR, students discover their creative spark, build confidence in their abilities, develop meaningful relationships with mentors and community leaders, and learn how to transform ideas into action. Along the way, they gain something even more valuable than business skills: belief in themselves and belief in the place they call home.

Today, we are beginning to see the shade of the tree that so many people planted years ago.

• One hundred percent of YEA BR alumni graduate from high school.

• Eighty-five percent either remain in the Capital Region or return after college, bringing their talent, leadership, and ambition back home. Some of the future CEOs, educators, innovators, elected officials, and community leaders who will shape Baton Rouge are already walking through our classrooms today.

• Our students have earned more than 500 hours of college credit through LSU—many of them the first college credit earned in their family. They have launched more than 140 businesses and received over $200,000 in seed funding that has been invested directly back into our community through products, services, jobs, and entrepreneurial ventures.

  Most importantly, they represent Baton Rouge. Our students come from public schools, private schools, charter schools, and homeschool programs. They come from every corner of our region and from every imaginable background. We are not looking for a specific type of student. We are looking for students who are willing to learn, willing to work, and willing to grow.

If you are a student, and you’re still reading — go apply. You’re who we’re looking for. Take advantage of this hands-on opportunity to challenge yourself, build confidence, and create something meaningful. Read the stories throughout these pages. These are real businesses launched by real CEOs. They just happen to be your age.

If you are a member of our community, we invite you to get involved – everyone has a story worth sharing, so come speak to our students, or become a mentor and help a young entrepreneur navigate the launch of a product, service, or business idea.

Become a donor and help ensure these opportunities continue for the next generation. YEA BR does not exist—and certainly would not be recognized as one of the best youth entrepreneurship programs in the country—without the generosity of our community. Scholarships, field trips, guest speakers, pitch competitions, seed funding, and transformational experiences are all made possible through community support.

This work would not be possible without extraordinary partners who have invested in the future of Baton Rouge and the Capital Region. Our partnership with Louisiana State University and the E. J. Ourso College of Business allows students to learn on LSU's campus, earn college credit, engage with professors, and envision themselves succeeding in higher education. Through our relationship with the Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership (GBREP), we are connected to the business leaders helping shape the future of our economy. With support from Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and countless community donors, sponsors, mentors, and volunteers, we provide opportunities that many students would otherwise never experience.

Together, we are doing more than helping students launch businesses.

We are developing leaders.

We are creating connections.

We are building confidence.

We are giving talented young people a reason to believe that their future can be built right here in Baton Rouge.

I hope you'll join us.

Come meet these students. Hear their stories. See their ideas. Witness their ambition.

Thank you and much respect,

Casey O'Banion
President & CEO
Young Entrepreneurs Academy of Baton Rouge