Ben Jeffers
Ben Jeffers has devoted more than five decades to public service at the national, state, and local levels. A resident of Baton Rouge, he is a graduate of Southern University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business.
In 1978, Jeffers founded Ben Jeffers, Inc., a successful management and marketing consulting firm. He currently serves as Senior Advisor to U.S. Congressman Cleo Fields. Throughout his career, Jeffers has held senior leadership roles in the private sector and in every level of government. His municipal service includes serving as Personnel Administrator for the City of Baton Rouge. At the state level, he was appointed Acting Director of New Orleans Charity Hospital, Undersecretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Director of Human Services, and Chief of Staff to Governor Edwin Edwards. He later served on the Louisiana Tax Commission by appointment of Governor John Bel Edwards.
Nationally, Jeffers served as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Carter Administration and as a congressional aide to Congressman Edwin Edwards. He also held leadership roles in journalism as General Manager of the Lake Charles Newsleader and publisher of the Lake Charles Times.
Jeffers has chaired or held leadership positions on numerous state and federal boards and initiatives, including voter education programs, public safety task forces, and aging services. Deeply engaged in civic life, he has led arts, economic development, and political organizations at the local and national levels.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Jeffers also ran statewide for Louisiana Secretary of State. He and his wife, Salomia Lawson Jeffers, have one son and are active members of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.