Douglas Menefee

Chief Information Officer

Douglas Menefee, a Gulf War veteran, has been involved with technology since the early 1990’s. In 1994, he resigned from the University of Louisiana to become a pioneer in the Internet economy by co-founding Planet Symphony, a website creation and interactive marketing management company. The company gained national attention in 1995 when it staged the first-ever Internet video broadcast of Mardi Gras. To capitalize on the dotcom boom, Planet Symphony split into two distinct entities: Planet Symphony, which was acquired by the Graham Group in December 1995 and StarSeed, which was acquired by Geocities/Yahoo in December 1998.

Keeping his roots in Louisiana, Menefee remained with the Graham Group, leading the convergence of interactive and traditional media until 2001 when he transitioned back into an entrepreneurial role by co-founding Menefee INSIGHT and Yadacast. In 2005, Menefee joined Schumacher Group as Chief Information Officer. Since joining Schumacher Group he has led the deployment of a multimillion dollar technology initiative to upgrade and/or replace every enterprise system.

Menefee is a recognized military, business, and community leader. During Desert Storm his most notable recognition was an Air Medal for a life saving mission as a flight medic. He has been recognized as the Rising Young Business Leader of the Year and one of Acadiana’s “most important people.” Additionally, he has received the Innovator of the Year Award from the Governor of Louisiana twice, once in 2003 as an individual, and then again in 2006 on behalf of Schumacher Group. Menefee is also a graduate of Leadership Lafayette and a Master Graduate of Rapport Leadership International.