LSU Names Kimberly J. Lewis Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer

BATON ROUGE – LSU has named Kimberly J. Lewis, who most recently served as secretary of revenue in the Louisiana Department of Revenue, as Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer. Lewis will begin at LSU on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

“From serving as senior policy advisor on revenue, economic development and insurance policy for Gov. Blanco to leading the state Department of Revenue under current Gov. Edwards, Kimberly’s impressive background makes her an outstanding addition to our leadership team and further positions us to meet the needs of Louisiana through our core research and scholarship-related priorities,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said. 

In her new role, Lewis will focus on executive-level planning, implementation and assessment of financial and administrative strategies, policies and procedures, which enhance LSU’s core mission of discovery, learning, diversity and engagement.

“I am grateful for the outstanding leadership Kimberly Lewis has provided to the state of Louisiana over the last six years as both a trusted advisor and my Secretary of Revenue,” said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. “An intelligent and exceptional public servant, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of our state and our people. I offer her my heartfelt congratulations as she transitions to her new leadership role at LSU. Geaux Tigers!”

Lewis will work closely with senior leadership across all of LSU’s campuses, serving as chief advisor to the president and the LSU Board of Supervisors on all fiscal and administrative matters.

“ I am grateful for the outstanding leadership Kimberly Lewis has provided to the state of Louisiana over the last six years as both a trusted advisor and my Secretary of Revenue," said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. "An intelligent and exceptional public servant, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of our state and our people. I offer her my heartfelt congratulations as she transitions to her new leadership role at LSU. Geaux Tigers! ”

As secretary of revenue, Lewis served as the Chief Executive Officer for the Department of Revenue for six years. The Department collected over $10 billion in state taxes during the 2021 fiscal year and is also responsible for collecting outstanding debts owed to state and local government through the office of debt recovery, and the regulation of charitable gaming as well as the sale of alcohol, tobacco and CBD through the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control. 

Lewis has provided leadership at the national and state levels serving as President of the Federation of Tax Administrators Board of Trustees. She co-chaired the Task Force on Structural Changes in Budget and Tax Policy and chaired the Louisiana Retail Food and Beverage E-Commerce Task Force. Her work has extended beyond Revenue to include the Resilient Louisiana Commission and the Governor’s Health Equity Task Force. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Sales Tax Streamlining and Modernization Commission, the Task Force on Ad Valorem Tax Structure, and the Transportation Infrastructure Funding Task Force. In addition, she is a member, and past chair, of the Louisiana Sales and Use Tax Commission for Remote Sellers, the single collection entity for sales tax from online retailers.

Before becoming Secretary of Revenue, Lewis was a partner in the Tax & Estates Practice Group at Jones Walker LLP focusing primarily on state and local tax matters, economic development financing, incentives and government relations. Prior to joining Jones Walker, she served as Special Counsel for the Office of the Governor, where she provided legal counsel to Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and served as Senior Policy Advisor on Revenue, Economic Development and Insurance Policy.

Lewis is a 1998 graduate of the LSU Law Center. She attended LSU, where she received her B.A. in Political Science in 1993 and a M.P.A. in Public Administration in 1995. She is a member of the LSU Law Alumni Board of Trustees, LSU John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, the Chancellor’s Council and the LSU Department of Public Administration Advisory Board.