After a career that’s spanned 50 years in military and civilian sectors, Jeanerette native Ivan Bolden is retiring with his head held high.

Bolden, who is part of the Jeanerette High School Class of 1970, is retiring from the Pentagon in Washington D.C. after having served more than 50 years in war and peace. Bolden has spent 27 years as an active-duty officer and the last 23 as a Department of Defense civilian.

His work has included working as a senior director with years of military and DoD civilian leadership experience in public to public and public to private partnerships, housing privatization and strategic planning.

Bolden has worked as Chief of Army Partnerships, working at military installations and their surrounding communities that has included work in his home state of Louisiana.

“I’ve been fortunate to help with policy for Congress, policy for the Army, that’s a lot for a small-town kid from Jeanerette,” Bolden said.

That important work has led to a wide variety of awards and commendations for Bolden’s years of service to the United States. After having worked “on both sides of the fence” in military and civilian sectors, Bolden said the time was right to retire.

But looking back on his own story, Bolden still remembers his Jeanerette roots.

“I’ve had a lot of success, and I want to pay it forward,” Bolden said. “I hope my story can reach a kid from Jeanerette and they can say, ‘I can do that too.’”