Stephen Ortego
| Stephen Juan Ortego | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana State Representative for District 39 (Lafayette and St. Landry parishes) |
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In office January 9, 2012 – January 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Bobby Badon |
| Succeeded by | Julie Emerson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 13, 1984 Opelousas, Louisiana, USA |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Single |
Stephen Juan Ortego (born February 13, 1984) is a Democratic former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Carencro in Lafayette Parish. He was elected on November 19, 2011 and assumed office on January 9, 2012.
Ortego was born in Opelousas, Louisiana and reared near the city of Carencro. Ortego graduated from Carencro High School where he served as class president his senior year. He received a legislative scholarship to attend Tulane University from State Representative Clara Baudoin. During his time at Tulane, he learned French at Université Sainte-Anne and became a Louisiana French language activist. He also served as a Catholic missionary in Honduras where he designed and built homes. Ortego left Tulane University in 2007 with a master's degree in architecture.
After Ortego left Tulane, he ran for State Representative for term-limited Baudoin's open seat in 2007. He ran against businessman (and former Carencro mayor) Tommy Angelle, Carencro City Council member Bobby Badon, and former State Representative (and lone Republican) Raymond "La La" Lalonde. Ortego came in third in the primary, behind Badon and Lalonde. Badon went on to win the general election. Following his defeat, Ortego remained active in the community, co-founding Ecolafayette, a design-build firm specializing in energy-efficient homes in Acadiana. He also serves on the board of the World Studies Institute of Louisiana, a group whose mission is to develop a French Immersion academy in Acadiana for high school students. He also worked with the Make It Right Foundation, an organization focused on rebuilding the 9th Ward in post-Katrina New Orleans. In addition, Ortego currently serves on the 232-HELP / LA 211 Board of Directors.
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