LAPL Veterans Luncheon

Andrew Ward

Founder | The Boot

Founder & CEO | Acadiana Veteran Alliance (AVA)

Chairman | Lafayette Veterans Affairs Commission

Member | Louisiana Governor Transition Team (Military Affairs)

Scholar | George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program

Andrew Ward is a combat veteran and former infantryman with the Louisiana Army National Guard who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004 and 2005.

He is the Founder and CEO of Acadiana Veteran Alliance (AVA), a non-profit improving outcomes for veterans and their families through its WORK, HEAL, and GIVE programs. AVA connects veterans to career opportunities, addresses combat related PTSD through innovative behavioral health partnerships, builds stronger veteran communities, and advocates for policies that make Louisiana a better place for veterans to live and thrive. In 2026, Andrew also created Mission: Launch, an entrepreneurship program designed to help veterans launch and grow businesses.

In 2021, Andrew was selected as a Scholar in the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program. In 2024, the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs named him the state’s Veteran of the Year in recognition of AVA’s HEAL Program and its work addressing PTSD and veteran suicide.

Andrew also founded The Boot in 2024 in collaboration with the Louisiana Governor’s Office and Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs. The statewide nonprofit focuses on economic development by recruiting and retaining transitioning service members, veterans, and military spouses in Louisiana. In less than three years, The Boot has helped place nearly 400 service members into Louisiana careers, generating more than $30 million in economic impact for the state.

Andrew is also a cofounder of PathRecon, a technology platform designed to connect transitioning service members and veterans with education, training, and career pathways while helping states and employers build stronger military talent pipelines.

Andrew currently serves as Chairman of the Lafayette Veterans Affairs Commission, where he helps guide local veteran initiatives and works with government and community leaders to expand opportunities for veterans and their families.