Heidi Melancon is currently the Regional Director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at UL Lafayette and has been with the network since 2005. She is responsible for the
management and operations of an 8-parish regional SBDC with multiple collaborative partners. Her areas of specialty include strategic planning, loan packaging, market research, and
management. In addition to her counseling and director duties, she has been the regional coordinator of the Louisiana Economic Development Small & Emerging Business Development
Program since 2006. She is a board member and treasurer of both the Lafayette International Center Foundation and The Opportunity Machine. She also serves as an advisory member of
the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program for the Lafayette Regional Airport and for the Business Department at South Louisiana Community College. Her center was recently awarded
the 2018 SBDC Excellence and Innovation Award for Louisiana and for SBA Region VI which covers the Southeast region of the U.S. She is an alumna of the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette where she received her B.S. and MBA degrees.