SB GOOD TO KNOW BY SEVA MAY UNITED WAY OF NORTHWEST LOUISIANA NAMES LATORIA W. THOMAS AS PRESIDENT & CEO United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) has announced that LaToria “Tori” W. Thomas will become the next President & CEO of the organization, effective March 1. Thomas will be the first woman and first African American to lead UWNWLA. She currently serves as Vice President of Community Investments & Operations at UWNWLA. Thomas brings more than 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience to this role, including work in foundations and grant-making organizations, fundraising, program development, and management. Thomas has served on the boards of the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Commission, Young Leadership Council, and Forum 35. She currently serves on the Executive Committee for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.- Sigma Rho Omega Chapter, the Advisory Board for the Greater Shreveport Chamber’s Leadership Program, and AFP North Louisiana Board. A national search was conducted for the President & CEO position that attracted 37 candidates. After several interviews, Thomas was chosen by a selection committee made up of five UWNWLA board members. For the next three months, Thomas will be working alongside retiring UWNWLA President & CEO Dr. Bruce Willson to prepare for her induction. After 13 years of service to the organization, Dr. Willson is assured that he is leaving UWNWLA in good hands. “It has been a pleasure to watch Tori grow and exceed expectations over the past three years,” said Dr. Willson. “She has a vision for this organization that is grounded in meeting the needs of our community in the most efficient way possible. She has been an asset and blessing to United Way since she came on board, and I look forward to seeing her vision come to life.” Thomas graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Northwestern State University. After graduating, she started her nonprofit career at Shreveport Green as an AmeriCorps Crew Leader. Thomas then relocated to New Orleans to assist with the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s rebuilding efforts after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She later served as the community specialist and program analyst for the AARP Foundation, the charitable affiliate of AARP that serves vulnerable individuals 50 and older by creating and advancing solutions that help them build economic opportunity and social connectedness. Thomas also served as an Executive Director for Dress for Success New Orleans and as the donor services officer for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, where she managed 19 national and local scholarships. LSU SHREVEPORT GRADUATE STUDENTS WIN INTERNATIONAL MARKET STUDY COMPETITION A team of three LSUS MBA students won the 7th Annual STR Market Study Competition earning a $1,000 cash prize. The international event was hosted by the STR SHARE Center in ear-
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ly November 2021. Competing in the graduate division, the LSUS team had three online graduate students from different states: Stephen Bickel, Derek McCrory, and Holden Murray. Dr. Minsun Kim, an LSUS Assistant Professor of Management and Marketing, was the faculty advisor and coach. Competitors included 26 undergraduate and 11 graduate teams representing 35 schools from 11 countries. Each team was asked to analyze various live data and information from the hospitality and tourism industries to then present findings to a panel of senior-level industry judges. LSUS’s presentation focused on Los Angeles, California. “I am thrilled that LSUS graduate teams performed so well last year (2nd place) and this year (1st place),” Dr. Kim said. “I am very proud of our students who converted the live hotel data into meaningful and fantastic presentations. We have had many discussions via Zoom and email. It was indeed challenging but enjoyable. I was very fortunate to work with these talented MBA students. I am thankful for LSUS’s support.” LSUS won second place last year in its first appearance in the competition, and it included 37 undergraduate and 13 graduate teams representing 44 colleges and universities across 17 countries. Brandi Chambless, Ryan Dickerson, and Nicole McVey were the inaugural team with a presentation focused on Tokyo hospitality amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the anticipated 2020 Olympics. Dr. Kim and her teams spend months practicing and training for the competition. The event serves as the next step after completing the Hospitality Analytics course, which provides an opportunity to earn two industry certifications— Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) and Certification in Advanced Hotel and Tourism Analytics (CAHTA). “We’ve received feedback that the experience was overwhelmingly positive for the students,” STR Vice President, Duane Vinson, said. “They learned so much while analyzing data and working together as a team on their presentations.” UNITED WAY OF NWLA HOSTED FIFTH ANNUAL DAY OF SERVICE WITH CADDO SCHOOLS United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNWLA) partnered with Caddo Parish Public Schools to host its fifth annual district-wide volunteer day for students, parents, educators, and more. Volunteers consisted of 19 teams representing K-12 Caddo schools that partnered with a nonprofit agency across Bossier and Caddo parishes. Together, the teams completed three in-person projects and 16 collection drives. Their efforts yielded more than 8,028 essential items and made an impact of $13,075 in economic support. During Caddo’s Day of Service, 20 volunteers completed 74 hours of community service while learning about civic needs. Volunteers are the backbone of nonprofit organizations because nonprofits often do not have the financial resources or manpower to hire outside help for upkeep; that’s where volunteers come in. “We know participation of a single student group and their team captain makes a significant impact during our Day of Service events,” said Community Engagement & Creative Coordinator Harper McKnight. “This fall, multiple teams from high schools, such as Captain Shreve, Green Oaks, and Southwood, chose to go the extra mile. With four additional teams on board, our volunteers multiplied the opportunity to give back.”
