Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas is the President and CEO of CPEX, the Center for Planning Excellence. As the former head of Plan Baton Rouge and the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, Boo has been an advocate for smart growth in Louisiana throughout her career. If the term smart growth confuses you, then this episode is a must-listen. Her story of getting her hands dirty to truly make Baton Rouge a better place is 100% inspiring. From painting bike lanes and planting borrowed shrubs to show people what's possible to picking up over 300 tons of garbage from Mid-City, Boo has literally been up to her elbows in creating better spaces for people to live and work. While her work at Plan Baton Rouge focused on the revitalization of the downtown area, in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, she led CPEX in facilitating the Louisiana Speaks recovery process, which set national records for public participation with over 27,000 South Louisiana residents. I was so inspired by this episode, and I know you will be too.