LSUAA 2025 Summer Magazine

Summer 2025, Volume 101, Number 2

Master technology to transform business.

BS Information Systems & Decision Sciences is now BS Information Systems & Analytics with marketresponsive concentrations in analytics, cyber risk, and digital services and consulting.

New name, same incredible career opportunities.

“Thanks to the knowledge gained in my classes and the AWS certifications I earned while pursuing my degree, I absolutely crushed my interview and was hired by ECS Federal LLC as a cloud engineer. I am doing work that I enjoy and earning a six-figure salary as a new graduate. My classes made a huge difference. Cloud skills are in extremely high demand. Great things will come to those who get the Solutions Architect and Certified Cloud Practitioner certifications.”

— Daniel Lichowid Jr. ’24

Tech with purpose.

Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems

PRESIDENT Behind the Scenes of Scholarship First

LSU President William F. Tate IV stands with federal judges and local students during the 30th annual Black History Month ceremony at the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana in February. Tate was the keynote speaker.

“I

was honored to speak at the U.S. District Court on 'Benjamin Banneker’s Letter and the Geography of Opportunity.’ The exchange between Banneker & Thomas Jefferson— two men of science—is a must-read in American history.” (From President Tate’s LinkedIn page)

President William F. Tate IV, center, received the Trailblazer Award for Excellence from the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. This recognition celebrates collective efforts at LSU to serve the state through insightful teaching, groundbreaking research, and outstanding clinical education. The award was presented at a gathering at Southern University.

President Tate thanked University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman, shown here, for hosting the LSU Women’s Basketball Team and its fans in Knoxville’s Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. “A big win in a hard-fought game,” Tate said in a social media post.

President Tate seen here with his wife, Kim Cash Tate, and LSU Women’s Basketball player Aneesah Morrow, winner of the Katrina McClain Award as the nation’s top power forward, and her parents, right. Morrow was also recognized as SEC Player of the Year by USA Today. Both Tate and Morrow hail from Chicago’s south side. She was recently drafted seventh in the first round of the WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun.

The Advocate photo by Hilary Scheinuk

26 Golden Girls Alumnae Chapter members create sisterhood bond with dance team

Dozens of amazing dancing athletes auditioned this spring for a cherished chance to become one of the LSU Golden Girls, part of the Tiger Band. The selected few will find their lives forever changed. There will be long, grueling hours of practice, but the rewards are tremendous.

On the Cover – The 2025 LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction honorees include Ret. Brig. Gen. Gary “Mike” Jones, Alumnus of the Year; Lance Frank, Young Alumnus of the Year; Ann Forte Trappey, P.E.; U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D.; and Dr. Albert “Brent” Bankston.

Publisher LSU Alumni Association

Joe Carvalhido

President & CEO

Sally Stiel

Vice President

Marketing, Travel & Corporate Partnerships

Editor Chris Russo Blackwood

Editor Emerita

Jackie Bartkiewicz

Tricia Reed

Advertising Sales

Art Director/Graphic Designer STUN Strategic Creatives

Kimberly Mackey

Principal/Creative Director STUN Strategic Creatives

Chuck Sanchez

Contributors

Barry Cowan, Brian Hudgins, Kate Beske, Rachel Holland, Marc Stevens, Sally Stiel

Photography

Collin Richie, Brandli Greer, Sasha Robertson, Hilary Scheinuk, Katherine Seghers, Sally Stiel

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mark Kent Anderson, Chair Monroe, La.

James G. “Jimmy” Gosslee, Chair-Elect Shreveport, La.

Dr. Mario J. Garner, Immediate Past Chair Spring, Tx.

Dr. Jack A. Andonie, Director Emeritus Metairie, La.

J. Ofori Agboka, Carnation, Wash.

Michael B. Bethea, Madisonville, La.

David Braddock, Dallas, Tx.

Paul Buffone, Baton Rouge, La.

Dr. Corey Foster, Lake Charles, La.

G. Archer Frierson III, Shreveport, La.

Erin Monroe, Baton Rouge, La.

Lauren Olinde Hughes, Houston, Tx.

R. Scott Jenkins, New Orleans, La. Dr. Louis Minsky, Baton Rouge, La. Jeffrey M. Mohr, Baton Rouge, La. Jady H. Regard, Lafayette, La. Bart B. Schmolke, Alexandria, La. Ilene Sheldon, West Hills, Ca. Michael Wascom, Naples, Fl. Michael Woods, Shreveport, La.

LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by the LSU Alumni Association. Annual donations are $75, of which $6 is allocated for a subscription to the LSU Alumni Magazine. Periodical postage paid at Baton Rouge LA and additional mailing offices.

The LSU Alumni Association is not liable for any loss that might be incurred by a purchaser responding to an advertisement in this magazine.

Editorial and Advertising

LSU Alumni Association

3838 West Lakeshore Drive Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686

225-578-3838

www.lsualumni.org/editor@lsualumni.org

© 2025 by LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE, 3838 West Lakeshore Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4686

LSU ALUMNI MAGAZINE reserves the right to edit all materials accepted for publication. Publication of material does not indicate endorsement by the magazine, the Association, or LSU.

Our Hall of Distinction Gala is always inspirational

On a picture-perfect April evening, the LSU Alumni Association recognized some of our finest at our annual Hall of Distinction Gala. We were so happy the weather cooperated, because there were lots of photos to take of our distinguished inductees and guests. In this issue, you’ll meet our honorees, some of whom you may already recognize, and read about why they have been so vital, not just to our LSU community but across the country and the world.

As Ann Forte Trappey, one of our inductees, said, “LSU holds more memories than I can count. Family, friends, Delta Gamma sisters, football and basketball games, concrete canoe races, falling in love and getting your heart broken, to the excitement when a topic finally clicked the night before a final exam.”

The LSU Alumni Association is proud to be a gatekeeper of our alumni’s college memories, their bridges between young adulthood and who they are today.

Also, in this issue, we discover how LSU alums played important roles in the 2025 Super Bowl LIX, from inside the New Orleans business community, the non-profit sector, and one alum who’s looking forward to Super Bowl LX in 2026, which is being hosted by her employer’s organization, the San Francisco 49ers.

We also feature other alumni, from members of our Golden Girls Alumnae Chapter to another who opened a brewery in South Africa.

Almost everywhere you go, alumni display their Tiger pride and ingenuity. That’s a big part of who we are.

I hope you have a memorable summer.

Geaux Tigers!

Joe Carvalhido President/CEO

LSU Alumni Association

AlumniLSU

lsualumniassociation

LSU Alumni Association NEWS

Members of the LSU Alumni Dallas Chapter board and Texas Tigers repped the purple and gold when LSU Baseball traveled to Global Life Field to play Dallas Baptist University. LSU won 7-3.

Gosslee named Shreveport Business Leader of the Year

The Greater Shreveport Chamber honored lifelong leader James G. “Jimmy” Gosslee (1971 BACH BUS) as the 2024 Business Leader of the Year at its 115th annual banquet in January.

“We were delighted to recognize Jimmy for his decades of leadership and engagement in our community,” said Dr. Timothy Magner, Chamber president. “Through his almost 50 years in real estate, Jimmy has been instrumental in developing much of the commercial and residential infrastructure in Shreveport-Bossier, in addition to his broad civic engagement and dedicated philanthropy.”

Gosslee, a Shreveport native, is a graduate of Byrd High School. He currently serves as the LSU Alumni Association Board Chair-Elect.

Jimmy Gosslee, center, receives the Shreveport Business Leader of the Year Award

Scholarship donor Cathy Brown, left, meets and congratulates her scholarship recipients, George Guice and Alexandra Fontenot.

Face to face – Rich and Carla Hickman treated their scholarship recipient, Hinson Chesnutt, and his triplet sister, Emily Chesnutt, to lunch at The Chimes during a recent visit to LSU for Rich's LSU Basketball Reunion. Hinson and Emily were excited they both made the Dean's List. The Hickmans enjoy meeting their scholarship recipients each semester and building a relationship with the students. Hinson even mentioned his intention to "pay it forward" and support future LSU scholarships.

In Houston – LSU Houston area alumni had a great time cheering on LSU Basketball Alumnus Tari Eason and the Houston Rockets. LSU alumni also enjoyed a special live pregame broadcast featuring Guaranty Media/104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge radio's Matt Moscona and Gordy Rush, complimentary "Geaux Rockets" t-shirts, exclusive pre-game shootaround access with a special appearance by Tari, and pre-game networking in the club area.

LSU alums Greg and Terry Duhon; Joe Carvalhido, president and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association; Tari Eason; Guaranty Media's Gordy Rush and T.J. Solis

Tari Eason poses with LSU Alumni

Carla Hickman, Emily Chesnutt, Hinson Chesnutt, Rich Hickman

Amanda Ledet, marketing instructor at the LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business called upon the LSU Alumni Association to sharpen the skills of students in her NIL and Sports Marketing Class.

Sally Stiel and Lauren Giffin, LSU Alumni Association vice presidents, partnered with Ledet’s class to rebrand the Alumni Association’s Football Friday Event campaign to drive more exposure and event attendance.

Four groups presented innovative event ideas and unique tactics to target the ideal audiences. Stiel and Giffin provided real-world feedback for the students while collecting valuable insights for future Alumni Association campaigns and events.

with Alumni Association

In Spokane, Wash., LSU alumni and fans of the Lady Tigers Women’s Basketball Team gathered to cheer on the team as they prepared to battle NC State in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. The Tigers won that game to move on to the Elite Eight.

LSU NIL and Sports Marketing class members with members of the LSU Alumni Association staff

Luke and Sonja Laborde honored by Ducks Unlimited

Dr. Luke and Sonja Laborde were honored for a lifetime of commitment to conservation at the 2025 Ducks Unlimited Baton Rouge Grand Slam event, held in March.

The Labordes’ dedication to the conservation of wetland and waterfowl habitat across North America was celebrated throughout the evening, which included live and silent auctions and a three-course dinner.

After attending a Ducks Unlimited (DU) banquet in 1987, the Labordes’ dedication to young people and conservation quickly took shape. Attending the March event were friends from Ducks Unlimited Canada and Ducks Unlimited Mexico to make it a “Grand Slam” experience.

Last year, DU invested more than $21 million into Louisiana to restore, preserve, and conserve the ideal environment for waterfowl in our area.

Members of the Southern California LSU Alumni Chapter joined the LSU Beach Volleyball team for a Meet & Greet during the East Meets West Invitational Tournament held in March at Manhattan Beach, Ca. They were also able to attend the beach volleyball matches, which pitted LSU vs. UCLA and LSU vs. Loyola Marymount University, Cal, and Hawaii.

Dr. Luke Laborde

LSU Traveling Tigers: Where LSU Pride Meets Global Adventure

By Sally Stiel

Your Next Great Journey Starts Here – Explore 2025–2026 Leisure Travel – Whether it’s cruising the Danube, walking the storied streets of Rome, or tracing the northern lights in Iceland, Traveling Tigers’ educational and leisure trips are designed for curious minds and passionate travelers. Each trip offers enriching experiences, led by expert guides and guest lecturers who bring a deeper connection to history, art, science, or regional culture.

For the traveler looking to experience the world while forming new bonds within the LSU community, these thoughtfully curated adventures are more than just vacations—they’re meaningful connections that last a lifetime.

Whether you're chasing bucket-list destinations or chasing touchdowns, the LSU Alumni Traveling Tigers program is your ticket to unforgettable adventures. These trips are open to all LSU alumni, friends, and fans who want to experience the best of LSU spirit beyond the SEC.

Check out www.lsualumni.org/travelingtigers or scan the QR code to see where we’re headed next, lock in your spot, and get ready to geaux—because the Traveling Tigers are geauxing, and you’re invited.

From Death Valley to the vineyards of Tuscany, LSU alumni are proving that purple and gold pride knows no bounds. Through the LSU Alumni Association’s Traveling Tigers program, members and friends of the LSU alumni family are embracing the spirit of adventure, whether it’s cheering on the Tigers at away games or exploring the world through unforgettable leisure and educational trips.

This year, the Traveling Tigers itinerary is packed with opportunities for alumni, fans, and friends of the university to reconnect, celebrate, and experience the best of both worlds. The program offers a curated blend of domestic and international journeys, combining cultural immersion and lifelong learning with the camaraderie that only LSU alumni can bring.

LSU Football Sports Travel 2025 – Of course, for many alumni, travel season really kicks off when football season begins—and this fall, the LSU Traveling Tigers are hitting the road in full force. The 2025 away game schedule is stacked with marquee matchups, and the Traveling Tigers are ready to bring the energy to four iconic college towns:

• Clemson (Greenville, SC) – Experience Southern hospitality and a sea of orange as LSU faces Clemson in a showdown of Tigers. Traveling Tigers will enjoy pre-game events and the chance to explore charming downtown Greenville before the game.

• Vanderbilt (Nashville, TN) – It’s music, food, and football as LSU takes on Vanderbilt in the heart of Music City. Soak in the sounds of Broadway, indulge in world-class cuisine, and gather for a tailgate filled with Tiger pride.

• Alabama (Meridian, MS) – One of the most anticipated games of the season, the Alabama matchup offers a fierce SEC rivalry experience. Traveling Tigers can expect electric energy, great hospitality, and an unforgettable weekend steeped in tradition that starts in Meridian, MS, and heads to Tuscaloosa for gameday.

• Oklahoma (Oklahoma City) – As the Sooners settle into SEC play, LSU fans will bring their championship spirit to Norman via Oklahoma City. From Oklahoma City’s Bricktown entertainment, fan meetups, to game-day experiences in Norman, this trip will be one for the books.

Each football sports travel package is planned with the ultimate tiger fan in mind—from group accommodations and game tickets to exclusive LSU alumni events. It's more than just travel; it's an experience.

FIVE TALENTED ALUMNI INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF DISTINCTION

LSU Alumni Association continued its tradition of recognizing alumni at its annual Hall of Distinction Gala in April. This year’s five honorees represented a diverse range of career fields, including communications, engineering, medicine, politics, and the military. Congratulations to Brig. Gen. Gary “Mike” Jones, alumnus of the year; Lance Frank, young alumnus of the year; Ann Forte Trappey, P.E.; Dr. Albert “Brent” Bankston; and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. A few things they have in common are excellence, leadership, and Tiger spirit. They are shining stars among the many constellations of LSU graduates.

Joe Carvalhido, president and CEO of the LSU Alumni Association, welcomes guests to the gala

GARY “MIKE”

GARY “MIKE” JONES

2025 ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gary “Mike” Jones was born in Shreveport, graduating from C.E. Byrd High School in 1973. He accepted a football scholarship to LSU, where he played football until graduation.

Jones was a member of LSU ROTC, designated a Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG), and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Branch.

Upon completion of training as a Counterintelligence Agent (CI), Jones attended Airborne School at Ft. Benning, Ga., and was assigned to the Third Infantry Division in Germany, where he served as an agent, Infantry Platoon Leader, and Infantry Company Commander until 1981.

After he returned from Germany, Jones attended the Special Forces Selection and Assessment Course, was awarded his Green Beret, and served at all levels in Special Forces from A Team Commander, Company Commander, Battalion Commander, to Group Commander and, eventually, Commander of Special Forces Command.

As a young Special Forces officer, he deployed a Company to Panama after the invasion and remained to transition the country to stability. During this time, his company apprehended Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega’s personal pilot.

As Lieutenant Colonel and Battalion Commander, he deployed to Haiti as part of the invasion force and spent a year there assisting in the stability operation. As a Colonel, he was deployed to Bosnia, where he commanded a Joint Combined Special Operations Task Force to maintain peace. While there, he led the capture of more than 25 key persons indicted for war crimes and delivered them to The Hague for tribunals.

As Commander of the 3rd Special Forces Group Airborne, Col. Jones oversaw Special Operations throughout Africa for two years. He was then selected Deputy Commander of the US Army Special Operations Command, and 9/11 followed shortly thereafter. Col. Jones was promoted to Brigadier General and assigned as Deputy Director for Clandestine Military Operations, Counter Terrorism Center, CIA, where he was responsible for the synchronization of Agency and Department of Defense efforts in Afghanistan. He was deployed to Afghanistan with the CIA and, while there, was directed by the Army to serve as Assistant Division Commander for the 10th Mountain Division while still performing his duties to the CIA.

Upon completion of CIA duties, he was selected as Commander of Special Operations Command Europe Airborne, a sub-unified command of the European Command, and deployed to Europe. He provided Security Assistance Training to more than 25 African Nations and conducted three noncombatant evacuations in conflicted-stressed countries. Jones successfully staged and deployed forces from Turkey into Northern Iraq for Combat Operations in support of Kurdish Forces against Northern Iraqi Divisions during the Iraq War.

Jones’ last assignment was as Commander of the US Army Special Forces Command, Airborne, where he was responsible for a 9,700-man Green Beret Force with worldwide responsibility for fighting the Global War on Terrorism. Duties included manning, equipping, training, preparing, and deploying

Special Forces on over 200 special ops missions worldwide. He also deployed and redeployed 8 Combined Joint Special Operations Task Forces into and out of Afghanistan and Iraq during the peak of Combat Operations.

He retired in January 2006, after 28 years on active duty, and resides in North Carolina, where he serves as a Senior Military Consultant to Flyer Defense in Los Angeles.

Jones received his bachelor’s degree from LSU. He also completed studies at Greensboro School of Advanced Leadership, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Conflict Resolution and Negotiations Programs.

His military education includes the Military Intelligence Basic Course, Counterintelligence Agents Course, Special Forces Qualifications Course, Spanish Language Course, Infantry Officer Advance Course, Armed Forces Staff College, Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare Course, Army War College, and General Officers Management Course.

Jones is married to Helen R. Jones, and they have three children and five grandchildren.

“LSU means everything to me! My baseline for success was learned at LSU. I owe my life to LSU! Specifically, the LSU Football system that enforced accountability and discipline into a winning team mindset.”

FRANK LANCE

2025 YOUNG ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

Lance Frank is executive vice president, and head of communications, for CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, responsible for all internal and external communications across the division. He reports to Wendy McMahon (1996 BACH MCOM), president and CEO of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures, and Chris Ender, executive vice president and head of communications, CBS.

Frank was named head of communications for CBS News, Stations, and CBS Media Ventures in September 2024. In this role, he leads all communications and publicity efforts for every CBS News program and platform, CBS News Digital, CBS Stations, and the CBS Media Ventures portfolio. Additionally, Frank manages the executive communications strategies, media relations, and internal communications for the division's leadership.

Frank was promoted to executive vice president of communications for CBS News and Stations and Media Ventures in January 2024, and before that, he was the senior vice president of communications for CBS News, serving as deputy head of communications for the news division since 2020, overseeing communications strategies and media relations across the division. He joined CBS News in June 2011, after working in local newsrooms as a print and television reporter and producer.

At CBS, he has held roles of increasing responsibility in the newsroom and the communications department. He was the first person hired as a CBS News associate, a program for young journalists to hone their skills and gain valuable experience at different units across CBS News. He later worked at Channel One News, a daily news program for schools across the country, and returned to CBS News as a production secretary for the "CBS Evening News."

In 2012, Frank joined the CBS News communications team, where he helped launch "CBS This Morning" and later served as the principal publicist for the "CBS Evening News," where he worked on award-winning coverage for the war in Syria, the 2012 presidential election and promoted coverage for major domestic and foreign news stories. He has since been promoted to several positions with public relations oversight of flagship broadcasts and platforms across the news division, including “60 Minutes,” "Face the Nation,” “The CBS Evening News," CBS News 24/7, all political, foreign and breaking news/special events coverage and the CBS News Race and Culture unit. Frank is a trusted adviser and media strategist to executives, anchors, and key stakeholders across CBS News and has led the communications efforts for division-wide priorities and announcements, editorial and ratings achievements, investigative reports, and special projects.

Frank won the 2017 Rising PR Star 30 & Under honor, awarded by PR Week He worked on multi-faceted press campaigns for Emmy, Murrow, and Peabody award-winning news reports for “60 Minutes,” “The CBS Evening News,” and "CBS Mornings” that covered stories of international importance, including the Syrian civil war, the opioid epidemic, and the Boston Marathon bombings.

He is a board member for Partnership for A Healthier America, a non-profit organization devoted to improving food equity in this country, and for ZERO Prostate Cancer, a nonprofit organization devoted to ending prostate cancer.

A native of Lake Charles, La., Frank graduated from LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication and has completed executive education courses at Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and the London School of Economics.

Frank is a member of the LSU Manship School Advisory Committee. He lives in New York with his wife, Janesia Fontenot, and their two children.

“LSU is where my dreams took root. It’s the place that not only educated me but also shaped who I am personally and professionally. LSU provided me with opportunities, mentors, and experiences that built the foundation for my career and my life. It’s where I learned the power of storytelling, the value of hard work, and the importance of community. More than anything, LSU means pride, gratitude, and a lifelong connection to a place that believed in me and always poured into me – which is why I continue to and will also give back to it.”

“BRENT” BANKSTON DR. ALBERT

Dr. Albert “Brent” Bankston served as the team doctor for LSU sports from 1995 to 2023, primarily working with the LSU football team but also serving the basketball, track and field, swimming and diving, soccer, volleyball, and gymnastics programs. He cared for thousands of LSU student-athletes during his work with the Tigers. Bankston was available 24/7, 365 days a year for LSU.

He is one of the most admired sports physicians in the country and is sought for advice and mentorship by young doctors. His innate ability to relate to student-athletes during what is typically a difficult time for them. His sincere care and concern often help them overcome injuries and return to competition. Bankston’s commitment to excellent care across the spectrum of all of LSU’s sports was always on display.

He was the chairman of the Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic Board from 1998-2005 and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Physician of the Year in 2016. Bankston continues to serve LSU as an orthopedic consultant.

Beyond his family, including his wife, Kelli Bankston, who also graduated from University Laboratory School and LSU, and their five children, LSU has been Dr. Bankston’s biggest passion. Bankston also has three grandchildren.

After graduating from University Laboratory School, Bankston graduated from LSU in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. While attending LSU, he was president of the Sigma Chi fraternity. After undergraduate studies, he attended LSU Medical School in Shreveport. He completed his residency at the University of South Alabama Medical Center and his fellowship at the Center for Hip and Knee Surgery in Mooresville, Ind.

Bankston was inducted into the University High School Hall of Distinction in 2015 and was honored with the Significant Sig Award by his fraternity, Sigma Chi. He received the Biomedical Research Award and the Louisiana Orthopaedic Award. In addition to mission work in Cuba and Haiti, Bankston served as a team physician for Parkview and University high schools.

He currently has passions for golf and fishing and has served as the Admiral of the Golden Meadow/ Fourchon Rodeo.

“LSU has always meant home and family. From attending high school on campus to enjoying fraternity life and attending medical school, my deepest long-term relationships have been formed at LSU. My work with LSU athletes for the last 30 years has been the greatest honor and has given me the greatest fulfillment of my professional life. I will always be grateful for that opportunity and will always cherish the purple and gold.”

CASSIDY, M.D. U.S. SENATOR BILL

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, also a physician, is Louisiana’s senior senator. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District.

Cassidy is the Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee (HELP), and serves on the Finance Committee, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Following his successful efforts to lower the cost of health care, secure coastal restoration projects to protect Louisiana families from natural disasters, reform our nation’s mental health system, and secure many other legislative accomplishments, Bill was reelected in 2020 to his second term in the Senate.

In 2023, he became a Ranking Member of the Senate HELP Committee and was elevated to Chairman in 2025. He is the first physician to sit as HELP Ranking Member or Chairman since 1933, when it was called the Education and Labor Committee.

While serving at the Capitol, Cassidy was awarded GRAMMYs on the Hill Award from the Recording Academy; Fiscal Hero from Campaign to Fix the Debt; Service to Community Award from Leadership Baton Rouge Alumni Association; Guardian of Small Business Award from the National Federation of Independent Business; and the Champion of the Merit Shop from the Association of Builders and Contractors.

Cassidy grew up in Baton Rouge and graduated from LSU as an undergraduate and medical school student. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of Southern California Medical Center. In 1990, Bill joined the LSU Medical School faculty, teaching medical students and residents at Earl K. Long Hospital, a hospital for the uninsured.

While working there, he co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, which provides free dental and health care to the working uninsured. Cassidy also created a privatepublic partnership to vaccinate 36,000 greater Baton Rouge area children against Hepatitis B at no cost to the schools or parents.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bill led a group of healthcare volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency healthcare facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees.

Cassidy is married to Dr. Laura Cassidy, a retired surgeon, and they have three children. The Cassidy family attends the Chapel on the Campus in Baton Rouge.

“LSU was catalytic in changing my life from a high school senior to my current position.”

TRAPPEY, P.E. ANN FORTE

Ann Forte Trappey served as President and CEO of Forte and Tablada for nearly 30 years. Her father, Vincent A. Forte, was a founding partner of the firm, which has been a leader in engineering and surveying since 1961. Trappey began leading the South Louisiana engineering firm shortly after her father’s death.

Trappey is a Registered Professional Engineer in Civil and Environmental Engineering in Louisiana.

Trappey is the first female elected to numerous seats on the Board of the American Council of Engineering Companies/Louisiana (ACEC/L), including board president. She was inducted as an ACEC Fellow in 2007 and was the first woman elected as a state director of the Louisiana Engineering Society.

Trappey has held numerous chairmanships of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Louisiana Engineering Society. From 2003-2005, she served as president of the Louisiana Engineering Foundation, having been on that board since 1991.

She serves on the Executive Committee of the Public Affairs Research (PAR) Council as well as a member of the Home Bank Board of Directors. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Trappey served on the LSU College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and presently serves on the LSU Civil Engineering Advisory Committee and the LSU Real Estate Facilities Foundation Board. She assisted the College of Engineering in building the structure and commissioning the LSU River Model, the precursor to the larger model now housed at the LSU/CPRA facility at the Water Campus. Because of Trappey’s work, the original model building bore her father’s name: the Vincent A. Forte River Model building.

Trappey also served on the boards of the Girl Scout Audubon Council, the Baton Rouge YMCA, and the East Baton Rouge School System Foundation Board.

She was interim president of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber from 20232024, having served on various committees as well as Board Chair in 2016. She was also president of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge and the LSU Delta Gamma House Corporation Board.

Her awards include 1994 Outstanding Young Engineer; Top 40 Under 40; LSU’s Alumni Order of Omega Award; Girl Scouts Honor Pin; LSU Department of Civil/Environmental Engineering Hall of Distinction; LSU College of Engineering Hall of Distinction; Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow; Business Report Woman of Achievement; Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction; Greek Excellence Award; BRAC Jensen Holliday Award; the Delta Gamma Shield Award; and the 2024 Waldemar S. Nelson President’s Award from the Louisiana Engineering Society, recognizing her four decades of leadership.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from LSU, working at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for eight years before taking over Forte and Tablada.

From 1991-1992 she served as chief civil engineer, overseeing major road, drainage, and sewer improvement projects, new utility and utility relocation projects, and bridges and structural projects for various government agencies. She added managing the multi-disciplined consulting engineering and land survey firm to her purview in 1993.

Since 1993, Forte and Tablada has grown to serve additional markets with almost 100 employees.

In 2020, Trappey named her successor at the firm, Joey Coco. She continues in the role of vice president of outreach. She currently leads a team focused on clients and strategic pursuits. Trappey serves on the firm’s board of directors and stays involved with the business’ operations.

Trappey is married to Alfred “Fred” Trappey II and they have two children and four grandchildren.

“As a young child who grew up in a household with two parents who were LSU graduates, LSU and the purple and gold were frankly all I ever knew. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I realized the other schools weren’t just football teams but legitimate places of higher education. Despite that realization, LSU was the only place I knew I would ever call my alma mater. From watching the LSU Band practice on Saturday mornings with Dad, when he brought my sisters and me to piano lessons in Baton Rouge, to walking down the aisle in my cap and gown to receive my diploma, LSU holds more memories than I can count.

Family, friends, Delta Gamma sisters, football and basketball games, concrete canoe races, falling in love and getting your hear broken, to the excitement when a topic finally clicked the night before a final exam. Too many memories to count and so much to be grateful for.”

Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gary

“Mike” Jones returned to the LSU campus for his induction into the LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction. While at LSU, Jones spoke to LSU Army and Air Force ROTC classes and engaged with cadets individually. He also visited the William A. Brookshire Military Museum and Tiger Stadium, a venue he fondly remembers from his days as a member of the LSU Fighting Tigers Football Team.

Maj. Patrick Shanks, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Jones, and Lt. Col. Josh Trulock at the ROTC Building

Marshall Jones, Mike Jones, and Mike Leonard at Tiger Stadium

At the William A. Brookshire Military Museum: Cliff Deal; Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Gary “Mike” Jones; James Gregory; director; and Tracy Jones

Jones engaging Army ROTC Lt. Col. Josh Trulock and Army ROTC cadets

Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives features local alumni-owned restaurants

Several LSU alumni-owned Baton Rouge eateries were featured in recent episodes of the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”

Guy Fieri and his crew spent serious time at local eateries, including Phil’s Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant, Dempsey’s, Iverstine Butcher, Cou-Yon's, and Elsie's Plate & Pie this spring, with resulting episodes airing in April and May.

Phil’s is a 75-year-old restaurant, now located in Southdowns Shopping Center, was opened by Phil Tuminello and taken over by Gus Piazza in the 1970s. Today, Gus’s son, Anthony, continues his legacy, expanding into a full-service neighborhood restaurant, adding acclaimed Chef Peter Schlafani to the Phil’s team.

Also tucked along Perkins Road, Iverstine Butcher opened in 2016 as a fullservice butcher shop and smokehouse. In 2022, Galen Iverstine and company teamed up with other local farms to keep the supply flowing since they are the only whole-animal butcher shop in town and added a market and eatery with hot plate lunches and products from local vendors.

Dempsey's on Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge Mid-City favorite Elsie's Plate & Pie, and Cou-Yon’s Cajun Bar-B-Q in Port Allen. were also featured. Cou-Yon's owners (and brothers) Paul and Michael Mladenka attended LSU.

Guy Fieri and the team from Phil’s

Guy Fieri and members of the Iverstine Butcher team

That famous car in front of Dempsey’s

Michael and Paul Mladenka

LSU alumni helped lead Super Bowl LIX operations

By Rachel Holland

Hosting a Super Bowl is no small feat. It takes years of preparation and collaboration among the NFL, local officials, and the host city.

LSU graduates were at the heart of this effort, working with the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation to manage everything from logistics and fundraising to communications and marketing. While millions nationwide watched the NFL championship game in February, LSU alumni ensured that Super Bowl LIX would leave a legacy for New Orleans and Louisiana.

Billy Ferrante, senior vice president of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, has been deeply involved in bringing the Super Bowl to New Orleans. Ferrante is originally from New Orleans and graduated from LSU in 1985 with a degree in business management.

“Hosting the Super Bowl is such a great way to show off the culture, personality, and history of the city, the state, and the region,” Ferrante said. “It’s a lot of work— it’s a couple of years’ worth of work—but it’s certainly worth it.”

His day-to-day role focuses on private fundraising to offset the $35 million budget.

“We’ve got such a strong infrastructure of relationships in the business community and public sector. That includes infrastructure work that's being completed prior to the Super Bowl. There are beautification projects that have happened. And if you don't have everybody pulling in the same direction, a shared vision, a common goal, it doesn’t work; that’s what exists here, and that’s how we’re able to do everything that we’re responsible for,” Ferrante said.

Ellie Hamblen, a two-time LSU graduate, plays a key role in communicating the host committee’s efforts as communications manager for the sports foundation and the host committee.

“The host committee liaises with the NFL, the city of New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana to put on the Super Bowl—and not just the game, but all the ancillary events that come with it,” Hamblen said. “My role is to promote New Orleans and Louisiana as a premier destination for sporting events and to meet the NFL’s bid obligations for PR, media, and communications.”

Hamblen, originally from Alexandria, Louisiana, earned a communications degree in 2020 and an MBA in 2022. She works closely with 2017 LSU public relations graduate Katie Babin. Babin, from Metairie, Louisiana, is a senior account executive with the Ehrhardt Group. She credits her LSU education for preparing her for this high-profile role.

“The skills I learned at LSU I take with me and use every single day in my job,” Babin said. “I learned how to write for different audiences and connect with people across the country, which is so important in our field.”

Their LSU connection runs deep.

“It’s a statewide effort,” Ferrante said. “The LSU alums on our staff are just a small percentage of the LSU alums involved in this event—whether it’s serving on committees, working in city government, or leading marketing and security efforts. The purple and gold run pretty deep in this host committee.”

Chincie Mouton, a 2011 communication studies graduate, is no stranger to leading community programs for major sporting events. The Carencro native has been part of eight major events in the last eight years. She previously worked for the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission, which hosted Super Bowl LVI. Before living in Los Angeles, Mouton managed community engagement programs for the 2020 NCAA Men’s Final Four, Super Bowl LIII, and 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta. Now, she’s back in her home state as the director of community engagement for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and Super Bowl Host Committee.

“My role with community engagement is making sure that the people of New Orleans and the surrounding region are included and positively impacted by the Super Bowl,” Mouton said. “We want them to be engaged and involved, and we have a number of community programs that we run and activate.”

Chincie Mouton

Donald Dunbar

These initiatives include a supplier program, local nonprofit grants, STEM activations, community champions, and sustainability projects. Through Impact 59 Powered by Entergy, more than $3.5 million has been awarded to 65 local nonprofit organizations to help advance education, workforce training, youth development, health and wellness, and equitable opportunities. Mouton and her team also work closely with the NFL to implement the Super Bowl LIX Source program, which supports local underrepresented businesses by providing contracting opportunities, networking, and capacity-building resources. Host Committee sustainability efforts include environmental projects related to coastal restoration and tree plantings in addition to food recovery, carbon reduction, and waste management.

“For me, what's most rewarding is being able to represent the state of Louisiana, the city of Carencro and LSU, doing this work at home, and knowing that it's going to impact so many people,” Mouton said.

Donald Dunbar Jr., the assistant director of community engagement who earned his master’s degree in Sport Management from LSU in 2023, emphasized the broader significance of hosting the Super Bowl.

“We don’t have 11 Super Bowls in New Orleans for no reason,” Dunbar said. “It is because of relationships, experience, and the impact it has on both the NFL and the city. Large-scale events such the Super Bowl bring an influx of new dollars, sustainability efforts, and opportunities for small businesses that wouldn’t happen otherwise.”

William Dede, a 2016 LSU graduate from New Orleans and the senior director of operations and community affairs, takes pride in carrying the LSU brand into such a monumental event.

“In Louisiana, everyone knows LSU and what it stands for,” Dede said. “It makes me feel great to be part of other graduates doing successful things—not just in the world, but in this industry.”

For Dunbar, the Super Bowl’s impact goes far beyond the field.

“It’s more than just the game,” Dunbar said. “It’s leaving a lasting impact—a real impression on the city of New Orleans.”

For these LSU alumni leading the charge, it’s an opportunity to give back to their state, strengthen Louisiana’s presence on the world stage, and inspire future generations of Tigers to dream big.

“This profession is one that gets into your blood,” Ferrante said. “If it's something you're looking into, pursue it, and the best way is through an internship.”

“If you want to do this and you want to be a part of a winning team, you have to understand that there's going to be trials and tribulations of what you do,” Dede said. “There's going to be long nights and hours, but you have to say to yourself, if this is what I want to do, I'm willing to make the sacrifice to make it happen.”

“L-S-U. People know those three letters wherever you go around the world,” Dunbar said. “LSU has produced some of the world's most influential and notable people, and I'm glad that we are a part of that number now. I believe we're doing a great service to not only LSU but also to the state through our work.”

Billy Ferrante

William Dede Elle Hamblen

Katie Babin

By Chris Russo Blackwood

Media Scholars cover Super Bowl LIX

Deven Johnson’s career goal to work in sports journalism took a big leap forward when he was accepted into the Super Bowl LIX Media Scholars Program.

Developed by Chantelle George (2010 BACH BUS, 2024 PHD HS&E) of CG Consulting, the Media Scholars Program embedded 17 college students into multiple events surrounding February’s Super Bowl in New Orleans.

“The word I keep using to describe this experience is invaluable, but ultimately the experience was life changing,” said Johnson. “Having the opportunity to meet some of the most prominent journalists, athletes, and entertainers in the world was truly life-changing and the knowledge and network that I was able to accumulate in that short period was unimaginable.”

Johnson was one of 200 applicants from New Orleans college students. He was selected for the program after 40 interviews and made the cut to the 17 finalists.

George’s consulting company, CG Consulting, empowers youth through social impact, student success, and community engagement initiatives across 10 states. With expertise ranging from program strategy to social impact partnerships, CG Consulting impacts students through various entities like nonprofits, foundations, school systems, and corporations. As an NFL Source member, CG Consulting partnered with the NFL to lead community and youth engagement initiatives during Super Bowl LIX week.

George, alongside her team, has spent the past few months post-Super Bowl engaging with the 17 Media Scholars through group communication, events, and virtual professional development sessions. She said Johnson’s interview for the program was particularly poised and professional.

“He took this opportunity and made a name for himself,” she says. “He had researched all the players and had a notebook with data points. He also did a lot of amazing networking with media professionals as well.”

After starting the program, Johnson created a TikTok account and accumulated more than 40,000 views from Super Bowl week alone.

“This experience really elevated him,” said George. “He’s now competitive for internships and work opportunities. He’s in a better position.”

George continues to work as an NFL partner, looking forward to placing students in more events.

“We know there is an appetite for this program,” George says. “We’re working on what this looks like nationally and for events like the Final Four, Essence Festival, and the Olympics while we continue to build our team with local events.”

George spent 15 years in the higher education/non-profit sector before pursuing her doctorate at LSU. After a career working at the University of Houston, M.D. Anderson and the non-profit OneGoal, George began her own consulting company while working on her advanced degree.

When the New Orleans Pelicans and Saints organization reached out to start a scholarship program for one of their star players, CJ McCollum, George eagerly got involved alongside the nonprofit College Beyond, where she sits as the board president. It was her first foray into the sports arena and opened a new door where she could combine her expertise of scholar programs with her love for sports. She applied to be an approved NFL supplier for Super Bowl LIX, trained and was eventually part of a virtual meeting with organizers who wanted to incorporate more young people into the Super Bowl.

Two weeks later, in a Zoom call with the events team, George provided ideas that would increase access to youth across New Orleans and eventually become the Media Scholars Program.

“These students all live and attend college in New Orleans,” she says. “Now, they have portfolios that are competitive for opportunities post-graduation. If you can cover the Super Bowl, you can cover anything.”

Deven Johnson during an interview

Deven Johnson in the pressbox

Chantelle George with Media Scholars

LSU Alum Angele Cory looks forward to owner’s event for Super Bowl LX

By Chris Russo Blackwood

Angele Marshall Cory (2004 BACH BUS) lost her event planning job when Hurricane Katrina blew off the roof of one of her employers’ event venues.

She was just gaining momentum, creating collateral and marketing to college groups, when the aftermath of hurricane-force winds landed her across the pond. Cory was selected for an international business workstudy program at Cambridge University, which placed her in a marketing job at a London casino company.

“It was members only,” explains Cory. “You applied and had to wait at least 24 hours for admittance. It was very James Bond-ish and located in Mayfair, very fancy.”

While attending LSU, Cory worked for LSU Football administration’s Tiger Pride and decided she really wanted to work in sports marketing. As fate would have it, Caesar’s Las Vegas purchased the casino where Cory worked. Soon after, she was asked to market the World Series of Poker Europe, which its commissioner ran as a sport. In that capacity, Cory moved to Las Vegas, with trips back and forth to London, to manage the 50-plus-year-old brand. In these years before Las Vegas claimed amazing sports teams, Cory looked further afield for a position deeper into sports marketing and was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as an event marketer for all of their events.

“This was before Levi Stadium was built; we were at Candlestick Park,” she explains. “The team wasn’t all that good, and it was a small operation.”

For years, her group ran the Hall of Fame, draft, foundation, and all other events, leading up to the grand opening of Levi Stadium. They continued to create lots of special events at the new venue, including corporate events, weddings, concerts, and soccer games.

“It was a new awakening for the team,” says Cory. “The franchise began an upward trajectory.”

After Jed York took over as owner, he hired Cory as his assistant. As such, she is in charge of planning the pre-Super Bowl’s owners’ dinner. The pressure is on for the 2026 event, part of the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl LX at Levi Stadium.

“New Orleans Super Bowls are unique for us,” she explains. “We have followed New Orleans the last two times the 49ers have hosted Super Bowls. We hosted Super Bowl fifty and now sixty.’

Cory was in New Orleans in February for Super Bowl LIX, meeting with the organizers of Gayle Benson’s owners’ party, which is held on the Saturday evening before the game.

“New Orleans is the epitome of hospitality and of the culinary experience,” she says. “It was held in City Park and built from the ground up. It’s hard to impress this group of attendees.”

Cory’s team staged the 50thanniversary-event at San Francisco City Hall, in the heart of the city, with cocktails, dinner featuring a comedy show hosted by Jeremy Renner, and entertainment by the Steve Miller Band.

Cory has already begun preparation for the York family’s owners’ party for Super Bowl LX, with visits to possible venues and meetings with vendors.

“We incorporate different aspects of the city from vendors to entertainment,” she says. “The York family are wine enthusiasts and have friends among the Napa Valley and Sonoma vintners.”

Cory met her husband, Dan Cory, after he joined the 49ers as head of security. Now, he runs The Nickel Group, which provides security solutions to organizations, including the 49ers.

Of course, Cory hopes the 49ers end up playing in Super Bowl LX, which would be icing on the cake. Since moving to the Bay Area, she has become a huge fan of the team. If they make it, the odds are in their favor.

“The team has been to three Super Bowls during my tenure and we're 0-3.”

Angele Cory, left,at owner's dinner planning event at San Francisco City Hall in 2016 before Super Bowl L

San Francisco City Hall Owners’ Dinner setup in 2016

Angele and Don Cory at 49ers pregame tailgate in 2020 in Miami

By Brian Hudgins

Alumna makes mark in NASA VIPER squad

When NASA tasked Jordan Duhé (2012 BACH EGR) to help design VIPER, she and her peers had to design and build a vehicle capable of operating and performing science on the lunar surface, as well as perform testing here on Earth that simulated those lunar environments in order to prove its capabilities.

NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission involves a fully robotic rover designed to operate uncrewed on the Moon. VIPER is designed to go to the Moon’s south pole and search for water ice on and under the surface.

“We know there is some water there, but we don’t know how much and how it’s distributed,” Duhé says.

Duhé, a design engineer who is part of the Structures and Mechanisms Team at Johnson Space Center in Houston, has been part of the project since 2019.

“We are the team that makes sure this vehicle can support all the loads it is going to experience,” Duhé says. “That’s everything from driving around on the Moon's surface to the vibrations it is going to experience while it’s being launched into space. We have to make sure it can sustain all that.”

VIPER will send data back to Earth. It will not send samples back or return to Earth. It does the science on board. That water could potentially be used as either an equipment coolant or drinking water source during future Moon exploration missions. Duhé faced a couple of fun challenges during the VIPER process.

“One was understanding the different environments – operating on the Moon versus operating on Earth,” Duhé says. “Operating something that needed to work in a vacuum, that needed to work in a wide range of very hot and very cold temperature extremes.”

VIPER also has to be able to navigate the Moon surface where designers only know so much about how big the craters are and how big the rocks are. The design team took existing Moon surface data and applied it to the VIPER design.

“Looking at the wheel module – it has an active suspension, steering and drive motor and wheel,” Duhé says “It is designed to operate in lunar gravity in one-sixth Earth gravity.”

To simulate those conditions for testing, the team built a prototype vehicle that had flight-like wheel modules. They stripped down the chassis to include neither science

Taken during Simulated Lunar Operations Laboratory testing at the Glenn Research Center

Jordan Duhe with the finished rover

Duhe at the Glenn Research Center

instruments nor motor controllers to make the vehicle one-sixth of its normal mass. Designers use the scaled down vehicle to test that VIPER will be able to support lunar roving loads without encountering any structural failures.

VIPER is built and tested and NASA is seeking public/private U.S. partner proposals to land VIPER, conduct a science/exploration campaign and disseminate VIPER-generated data.

Duhé, a Gonzales, La., native, laid the groundwork for her NASA career by choosing a mechanical engineering degree plan at LSU with an aerospace engineering minor. A space system design class enabled Duhé to discuss all aspects of a space exploration mission, including launch vehicles, spacecraft power systems, and science payloads.

“It was every aspect of a project,” Duhé says. She also gained design engineering experience through the program’s Capstone Design class “My mechanical engineering capstone project involved designing a cryogenic tank that stored biosamples and liquid nitrogen. We were basically redesigning it to make it more user friendly and accessible.”

Duhé’s undergrad track also afforded her the chance to intern with NASA for a couple of summers at the George

C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

“The things I learned in classes and the relationships built at LSU were helpful,” Duhé says. “I heard about the internship because an LSU professor mentioned it and said I should apply.”

Her first summer at the Marshall Space Flight Center required Duhé to work in the Main Propulsion System dealing with valves, actuators, and the Ducts Design and Development Branch. Duhé also participated in the preliminary design and analysis of a since patented actuator design. Her work was highlighted in a NASA Tech Brief “Non-Collinear Valve Actuator.”

Duhé worked in the same environment in her second summer with one new responsibility. She participated in the development and testing of a liquid oxygen throttling cavitation valve for a cryogenic deep throttling engine.

Duhé supplemented her LSU degree with a master’s degree from Rice University. Her foundational LSU knowledge, the NASA summer internship, and the VIPER project have given her a view of what is possible in support of human space exploration.

“Being able to do all that remotely –the idea we can get there faster and cheaper with robotics and get good data – is very cool to me.”

“Being able to do all that remotely – the idea we can get there faster and cheaper with robotics and get data – is very cool to me.”

MGRU3 (Moon Gravitation Representative Unit)

Jordan Duhe with VIPER prototype hardware

Celeste Gehring empowers clients to find their blueprints for success

By Kate Beske

Celeste Gehring (1997 BACH MCOM) chased her dreams from Idaho to Baton Rouge, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Recruited from her hometown of American Falls, Idaho, she came to LSU on a full scholarship to play forward for the LSU Women’s Basketball team.

“When I got recruited by LSU to play basketball, I met so many people from all around the world,” Gehring says. Along with eating gumbo and crawfish, she says these were experiences she never would have had at home.

While on the team, she became a two-time SEC Academic All-American and participated in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, where LSU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

Gehring says LSU helped her to get her first internship as a CNN associate producer in Atlanta.

“These networking pieces to get into media and the sports industry, that’s what LSU really helped provide.”

After a year at her internship, she moved to Los Angeles, where she became a feed manager at FOX Sports Network. Eventually, she was promoted to vice president of production. While working at FOX, Gehring was a field producer and ran logistics for multiple Super Bowls and the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympics.

Gehring’s path and dream seemed clear, but she discovered that many people struggle to discern their purpose and goals.

“I wanted to help people get where they want to go.”

This inspired her to begin Visionary Building, a business where she coaches individuals on how to build their careers, lives, brands, or businesses using proven techniques, stories, and motivation. She describes her mission as igniting the power within people with a blueprint for success.

Gehring finds it important for people to take any opportunities that come their way.

“If that’s your dream, you have to go for it, because otherwise, you’re always going to wonder, and while you’re chasing your dream, you’re going to find something.”

She travels, leading workshops at media networks and universities. These interactive workshops help attendees build confidence and leave with an “elevator pitch.”

Besides her business, Gehring hosts two podcasts focused on women in sports: “Girl, How’d You Get That Gig?” which she hosts with sports journalist Amy Guitierrez, and the “Ladies Ball Podcast.” She published a book, Be You on Video, in 2022, in which she shares what she’s learned working in the media industry while showing how video can help you grow your business and revenue.

She said her time at LSU taught her the importance of organizing her time and mind. Her LSU memories include football games and dancing to Cajun music. As an LSU alumna, she adds, she can instantly connect with people worldwide.

“Louisiana just knows how to live,” Gehring says.

Celeste Gehring worked a variety of sporting events while at FOX Sports Network

Around CAMPUS

By Chris Russo Blackwood

Golden Girls Alumnae Chapter members create sisterhood bond with dance team

Dozens of amazing dancing athletes auditioned this spring for a cherished chance to become one of the LSU Golden Girls, part of the Tiger Band.

The selected few will find their lives forever changed. Of course, there will be long, grueling hours of practice – that drive for excellence – as Golden Girl Alumnae Chapter member Kim Boasso described it. But the rewards are tremendous. Just ask any Golden Girl.

“We are lifelong friends – a sorority in dancing shoes,” proclaimed Leslie Dease Day, one of 88 members of the LSU Alumni Association’s alumnae chapter. Since its inception decades ago by Jaye Brice, the alumnae chapter has evolved to provide more support for the collegiates, particularly by fulfilling items on the girls’ wish lists, including guest choreographers, practice attire, and videographers to enhance the dance team’s social media presence.

Blair Guillaume, Golden Girls instructor, pushed for a wish list item that would symbolize members’ lifelong attachment: a Forever Ring, gifted to graduating seniors. The team collaborated with Boudreaux’s Jewelers to design this keepsake ring based on Suzanne Perron’s fleur-de-lis design, which also graces Golden Girl costumes.

The alumnae chapter was reorganized in 2019, Golden Girls’ 60th anniversary. After the glitter of that year’s anniversary gala subsided, members got to work, with summer board retreats to plan the year’s events. These include a Family Day, held at the Band Hall during Tiger Band’s Reunion Weekend. Last year’s event drew more than 300. During a football bye weekend, the chapter sponsors a girlsonly event with a private yoga class, lunch, and shopping.

“We are mentors to them,” explained Day. “They reach out to us for their needs. We are like a family unit. We’ve gone through it. We know what they need to be successful.”

Harmony Rochon described how her Golden Girls instructor taught her the teaching methods she employs as a teacher now.

“I didn’t even realize it at the time,” said Rochon. “Later on, as I instinctively knew the concepts, I realized why. For me, so much of what I learned comes with you throughout your life’s experiences. It’s part of your identity for the rest of your life.”

Members of the Golden Girls Alumnae Chapter: Madalyn Higginbotham, Leslie Dease Day, Kim Boasso, Monica Deslattes, Judy Burch, and Harmony Rochon, left to right

Shelby Cox Conti scholarship supports Golden Girls

The newly created Shelby Cox Conti Golden Girl Scholarship fund preserves her legacy and supports future generations of LSU Golden Girls. Shelby Cox Conti (1965 BACH HS&E) passed away at her home in Los Angeles on March 21.

The Conti family has a rich history with LSU. She was born in Baton Rouge, the daughter of Frances and John A. Cox, former director of the LSU Cooperative Extension Service. At LSU, she met her future husband, film composer Bill Conti, during an audition for the Golden Girls dance team, where he was the accompanist. Their collaboration began there, with Shelby later becoming the team's first student director and choreographer, leading to many shared projects in theatre and band.

Shelby and Bill married in 1965, after graduating from LSU, and embarked on an adventurous life, first moving to New York City where Bill pursued graduate studies at The Juilliard School, and then to Rome, Italy, where they welcomed their daughters, Rachela and Nicola. When the Contis returned to the United States, they settled in Los Angeles, where Shelby worked at CBS Television City and KHJ radio.

In 2022, the Contis donated his Oscar and Emmy Award-winning scores as part of the William and Shelby Conti Papers, available in LSU Libraries Special Collections.

Shelby's commitment to her community was unwavering. For more than three decades, she dedicated her time and energy to various charitable and service organizations. She is survived by her husband, Bill; their two daughters; and five grandchildren.

For more information on the Shelby Cox Conti Golden Girl Scholarship, visit http://givelsu.org/shelbyconti.

Newly-named LSU Golden Girls: Shelby Sharp, Paisley Whiddon, Emily Clark, Blair Saltzman, Kelsey Keiser, Emma Gebbia, Julia Haley, Bella Grier, Madison Morrison, and Ashlyn Palmer, front row left to right; Gabby Collier, Jyllian Feet, Blaire Power, Addison Robert, Ella Meyers, Reiley Macicek, Emery Baudry, and Abby Grier, back row left to right

Shelby Cox Conti

LSU among first universities in country to create personalized AI app

By Kate Beske

Roy Haggerty, LSU executive vice president and provost, began brainstorming about how to use AI to make work in higher education more efficient soon after the introduction of ChatGPT.

When he started to discuss this idea with others, they would ask for specific use cases. After being asked that a couple of times, he began to say, “Imagine if we had something like ChatGPT, but customized with extensive knowledge about LSU – all of LSU’s policies, majors, faculty expertise, student services, HR, etc. – like a MikeGPT.”

He said everyone he told loved the idea, so he began developing it. Haggerty had the concept for MikeGPT, funded it, and advised on development with James Ghawaly, assistant professor of computer science, who he hired for his machine learning expertise and to lead development.

MikeGPT is a custom Large Language Model (LLM) system, a type of AI that can understand, generate, and translate human language. It was created for the LSU faculty, staff, and students to answer their LSU-related questions and provide a private alternative to ChatGPT for general tasks.

The AI answers questions through its access to most of LSU A&M’s public data and documents. It is also multilingual, available in 20 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, and more.

The LSU Academic Affairs website’s post on MikeGPT says it’s most accurate when effectively prompted. They say it’s important to include necessary details, such as including someone’s full title when asking how to contact them, and be specific in instructions, for example, saying “summarize the following email” rather than “What is this about?”

The Provost says within a few years, every large organization will have something like Mike GPT, and it was important to him that LSU was among the first.

“To my knowledge, we were among the first five universities in the U.S. to launch a customized Large Language Model with deep expertise about the university for faculty and staff efficiency and productivity gains,” Haggerty says.

He says LSU is a leader in AI, with MikeGPT being only one example. There are dozens, possibly more than 100 classes incorporating AI in various ways, some being unique and the first of their kind.

“We are putting AI to work for the people and economy of Louisiana,” Haggerty says.

Jacob Nguyen, Brandon Walton, and Bibhushita “Mimi” Baral

Biological Sciences Professor discusses research at Science Cafe

By Kate Beske As the director of the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium, Laura Lagomarsino

is in charge of Louisiana’s largest scientific collection of plants, fungi, and lichens.

At a recent Science Cafe, she discussed her research on how plant genomes, statistical modeling, and international research are unlocking secrets behind the evolution of flora in the Andes Mountains. She also showcased plants she collected in the Andes, including relatives of coffee plants, which are now stored as research specimens in the herbarium.

“One of the plant groups we study that I talked about is the coffee family; we have a few projects focused on this group,” Lagomarsino said in an interview. She says it’s the fourth largest plant family, and the plants are beneficial in many areas of human life because they’re full of alkaloids, including caffeine, quinine, and others that serve medicinal purposes.

The LSU Science Cafe is a public outreach event sponsored by the LSU Office of Research and Economic Development, where LSU faculty members discuss their research.

Lagomarsino was able to show off a cool property created from coffee plants during her Science Cafe. She says quinine is an alkaloid that gives tonic water its fizz but also glows under UV light. Gin and tonic drinks were featured at her talk, allowing her to show off this fizzy quirk to the audience.

During the talk, she also explained that the Andes mountains are speciesdiverse despite covering less than one percent of the Earth’s terrestrial surface. This is why, she says, the evolutionary research there can be applied to the evolution of plants across the globe.

According to the website for Lagomarsino’s lab, the plant group she’s focused on most is the Neotropical Bellflowers. She and her team have been developing it as a model system to link macroevolutionary patterns to microevolutionary processes.

She has been teaching and training in Latin America, training LSU students she brought there, and teaching students from Latin America in Spanish, which she says is building an international community.

Another major part of Lagomarsino’s career is mentoring for the Louisiana Graduate Network in Applied Evolution (LAGNiAppE), a National Science Foundation-funded post-baccalaureate research program for students who didn’t get research experience during their undergraduate studies.

“Scholars interested in ecology or evolution are paired with faculty and get to do research for a year,” she says.

Lagomarsino says the program gives opportunities for professional development with mentors from LSU and co-mentors from regional universities, including the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, Rice University, and the University of South Alabama. “We get this opportunity to communicate and provide opportunities across our departments,” she says.

Lagomarsino is focused on boosting the next generation and says she wants to keep generating knowledge, understanding the diversity of the plants she works on, and making a community environment for early career researchers.

“The longer I’m a faculty member, the more I want to make sure I make a difference for the folks coming up after me,” she says.

Lagomarsino joined LSU in 2017 and is currently an associate professor in the LSU Department of Biological Sciences. She says part of her decision to work at LSU was the strength of the undergraduate research faculty.

“I really appreciate becoming a part of this community,” she says.

Laura Lagomarsino holds glowing cocktail at Science Café (photo by Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty)

Coffee relative Palicourea elata taken at field site in Gerdardo, Costa Rica

Laura Lagomarsino with Ana Maria Bedoya and Diego Paredes-Burneo in the LSU Herbarium (photo by Jennifer Kluse)

About LSU Science Café

The LSU Science Cafe is held on the last Tuesday of every month except December at the Varsity Theatre. The event is sponsored by the LSU Office of Research & Economic Development and emceed by Prosanta Chakrabarty, a biological sciences professor and the Edwin K. Hunter Chair for Communications in Science Research.

Chakrabarty says the point of the LSU Science Cafe is to display to LSU, Baton Rouge, and the extended community the research faculty are doing. Science Cafe is a nationwide organization, but he says LSU’s Science Cafe is unique because of its network, making it one of the few crossdisciplinary events at the university.

“I hope more LSU alumni come and see what we do in person; we do record the talks, but it’s not the same as being there in person and seeing what’s going on,” Chakrabarty says. He says the Science Cafe is an opportunity to interact with researchers. During the event, there’s a 20-minute presentation followed by 40 minutes of questions, and he says he’s always surprised by how many questions people have.

Upcoming LSU Science Cafe’s:

JUNE 24, 2025 – Kalling Heck, an assistant professor of screen arts and English, examines relationships between aesthetics and politics through everyday media use.

JULY 29, 2025 – Garrett Hopper is an assistant professor at the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources. His research program advances basic scientific understanding of freshwater fishes and mussels to help in conservation and offer solutions to economic and societal issues related to freshwater resources.

AUGUST 26, 2025 – Crystal Johnson, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, is researching how Vibrio spp., a type of bacteria, responds to environmental cues. She also examines the genetic relationships among pathogenic vibrios.

SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 – Charles “Chip” McGimsey, adjunct professor and state archaeologist.

OCTOBER 28, 2025 – Mark Mitchell, professor of zoological medicine at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, focuses on his research on wildlife epidemiology, conservation medicine, and health.

NOVEMBER 19, 2025 – Pallavi Rastogi, an English professor, and Madoka Kishi, a professional in residence in English, present research about “Asians on the Third Coast.”

Around

Campus

By Kate Beske

Preserve the LSU Campus Mounds awarded grant for its conservation efforts

Two earthen mounds, among the oldest human-made edifices in the Americas, are at the heart of LSU's campus.

Nancy Hawkins, a specialist in mound building, says Louisiana has more than 800 mound sites, but only 14 from the earliest mound-building period, including the LSU Campus Mounds, and one has already been destroyed. The LSU mounds are seen today by the students, faculty, staff, and thousands of sports fans who visit the campus annually.

Due to their historical significance, LSU has been awarded a $220,871 grant from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures programs to conserve and protect the Campus Mounds.

The Committee to Preserve the LSU Campus Mounds was created to inform LSU and the greater community about their historical, cultural, and geological significance, develop clear guidance on respecting and protecting them, and communicate the opportunities and benefits of funding this initiative.

Members work on the LSU Campus Mounds Preservation Project, which focuses on mitigating erosion, repairing damage, and bolstering the mounds’ long-term stability by introducing drought-resistant grasses. The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana, the

Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, and the Louisiana Division of Archaeology are key partners in this project.

Sibel Ates, associate dean of academics and professor for the LSU College of the Coast and Environment, is the committee chair. She says she first got involved with the mounds in 2021 after funding became available to put fencing around them to prevent people from climbing them and causing more damage.

She notes it’s important to educate and communicate with the public why they can’t go on the mounds rather than just taking it away. Ates says the point of the 25-member committee is to help the public understand the necessary steps to preserving the mounds.

Ates understands the mounds being fenced off is bittersweet for some alumni who feel they lost the privilege to make more memories with their families on the mounds, but Ates says they can use their historic knowledge of them to educate their families and help LSU protect them.

“With this new knowledge, I feel we can create new memories, and I think we need alumni to help us,” she says.

Ates grew up in Anatolia, Turkey, where there are numerous historical sites, so she learned early to respect them. She says at LSU, the mounds

LSU Campus Mounds

Photo by Katherine Seghers

remind her that there’s human history there we cannot neglect.

Dennis Mitchell, a landscape architect for LSU, is also a part of the LSU Committee to Preserve the LSU Campus Mounds. He said when LSU was first establishing its campus here, the first thing they did was circle the mounds on a map and agreed to preserve them. He says LSU has done that, though the ways they protect them have evolved.

“The mounds will always be here; this is part of a long-term process to celebrate what we have,” Mitchell says.

Mitchell says the federal grant will assist with erosion control and protecting the Campus Mounds

through proper irrigation and adding a new vegetative cover.

As a Baton Rouge native, Mitchell says he’s been interacting with the mounds his entire life. He says they are a jewel, and his goal is to help them stay healthy and green. He hopes the university can share its research on the mounds with the community once it’s completed.

“I think for me what makes the mounds so special is the fact that it’s in a developed area, surrounded by people everyday, and they’re beautiful and they’re green,” Mitchell says.

As a Louisiana archaeologist for 35 years, Hawkins says it’s important to repair the damage to the mounds

that occurred through decades of recreational use. Through this project, the committee hopes to make the mounds’ surfaces healthy enough to support protective vegetation that will prevent erosion during recent climate swings.

“I’ve been delighted to see the role that LSU has played to protect these mounds,” she says.

Hawkins also believes it’s important to note the committee works closely with tribal representatives. She says they’ve provided input and are consulted to ensure they’re comfortable with the committee’s techniques and goals.

Sean Courtney is the inaugural associate vice president for research compliance, integrity, and analytics. In this dual role, Courtney will promote a culture of scholarly integrity and ensure all LSU research is conducted ethically, in a safe and productive environment, and compliant with federal, state, and university policies. He will also provide guidance, information, and education to LSU researchers, staff, students, and leadership.

Courtney comes from Purdue University, where he has served as senior compliance officer since 2019, following an extensive career in cancer research. He will report to Robert Twilley, vice president of Research & Economic Development, and will serve as LSU’s associate research integrity officer and research security officer.

Juliana Damasceno, a second-year graduate student at the LSU Museum of Natural Science (LSU MNS), has been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Geographic Society to become a National Geographic Explorer. The grant will fund her research in the Colombian Amazon, where she and a team of scientists will study the remarkable adaptations of ant-following birds, which have evolved unique strategies to find food. The impact of this research could provide new insights into avian foraging behavior and the role of scent in bird ecology.

Arne Flaten becomes the dean of the College of Art & Design in July.

Flaten is the Head of the Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance and a professor of Art History at Purdue University.

Prior to his appointment at Purdue, Flaten served as the director of the School of Art at Ball State University,

Noteworthy

chair of the Department of Visual Arts at Coastal Carolina University, and associate dean of the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Coastal Carolina University.

Flaten received his undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and English Literature from St. Olaf College in Minnesota and his master’s and doctorate degrees in Italian Renaissance Art History from Indiana University-Bloomington.

James C. Garand, the Emogene Pliner

Distinguished Professor of Political Science in the LSU Department of Political Science, received the 2025 Manning Dauer Award from the Southern Political Science Association. The Manning Dauer Award recognizes “exceptional contributions to the political science profession.”

LSU's Division of Computer Science and Engineering welcomed Reza Ghaiumy to its faculty. Ghaiumy comes from New York University, where he spent the last two years as a postdoctoral scholar and successfully acquired industry funding to support his research at the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), intersection of information privacy, and aging.

Mara Gibson, associate professor of composition at the LSU College of Music and Dramatic Arts, released her latest portrait album, “Unseen World.” This collaborative album marks a milestone in Gibson’s career, highlighting her evolving compositional style and solidifying her position as a leading voice in contemporary music. The work is available on Apple Music, and features performances by past and present LSU faculty members, LSU alumni, and professional ensembles.

LSU AgCenter named Kenneth Gravois to the American Sugar Cane League Chair in Sugar Production. This appointment recognizes Gravois' extensive contributions to the sugarcane industry and highlights the pivotal role of the American Sugar Cane League in advancing sugarcane research and production.

The Westminster Kennel Club named Sara K. Lyle, DVM, associate professor of theriogenology at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the recipient of its fourth annual Veterinarian of the Year Award. With more than 300 nominations from all over the country, Dr. Lyle was selected by an expert veterinary judging panel for her excellence, dedication, and values in animal care and advocacy. Dr. Lyle was recognized during the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.

Nick Mason, assistant professor and curator of birds at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, has been awarded the highly competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. This prestigious grant, totaling more than $1 million over five years, will support Mason’s groundbreaking research on high-elevation bird species in the Andes while fostering opportunities for undergraduate students in biodiversity science.

Lucio Miele, MD, PhD was named director of the LSU-LCMC Health Cancer Center. This announcement follows current Director Dr. Joe Ramos’ acceptance of an executive leadership position at the Lundquist Institute in California.

A native of Naples, Italy, Dr. Miele currently serves as LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine senior associate dean of research, chair of the Department of Genetics, and Cancer Crusaders Professor of Genetics. Before joining LSU Health, Dr. Miele served as director of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute for five years and held notable leadership roles in cancer centers associated with Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, and the University of Illinois Chicago.

The LSU College of Science inducted Dr. Erich M. Sturgis, the late Dr. John P. Wefel, and Dr. Isiah M. Warner into its 2025 Hall of Distinction, recognizing their outstanding contributions to scientific leadership. For more than 20 years, the College of Science has honored individuals who exemplify excellence and dedication to advancing science through this prestigious recognition.

Todd Tarifa was named associate director of youth development at the LSU AgCenter’s 90th annual Livestock Show. Tarifa oversaw both Louisiana 4-H and Louisiana Future Farmers of America, reaching more than 130,000 Louisiana youth.

Fahui Wang, Cyril & Tutta Vetter Alumni Professor in the LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology, is a 2025 Fellow of the American Association of Geographers. Wang, a leading geospatial information scientist, pioneered spatial accessibility modeling to address health disparities and access to services. His work, especially the ‘floating catchment’ method, is widely used to evaluate healthcare inequalities.

Mehdi Zeidouni, LSU Craft & Hawkins Department of Petroleum Engineering associate professor, received an LSU Institute for Energy Innovation grant for his research on underground hydrogen storage sites in Louisiana with the help of Vahid Atashbari, Southern University PTEC program lead. The project, titled “Identification of Underground Hydrogen Storage Sites in Louisiana: Assessing Geographical, Geological, Infrastructural and Environmental Factors,” aims to identify and evaluate potential underground storage sites for hydrogen in Louisiana, an important step in supporting the state's industrial decarbonization efforts.

FUEL initiative has four new directors

Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL), the LSU-led statewide effort with more than 50 public and private partners, has named directors for key strategic areas: Ashwith Chilvery, use-inspired research and development; Lacy McManus, workforce development; Stephen Loy, technology commercialization; and Girard Melancon, strategic partnerships.

FUEL is the recipient of a historic NSF Engines grant that will provide up to $160 million to support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs, and develop the energy workforce. The initiative was featured in the Fall 2024 issue of LSU Alumni Magazine.

Chilvery is the assistant vice president of research and sponsored programs at Xavier University of Louisiana. He brings experience in leading research consortia to drive innovative, industry-focused research at higher education institutions.

Loy, former executive director of Nexus Louisiana Technology Park, will use his background to coach early-stage companies through their entrepreneurial journey by moving technologies into the market quicker.

McManus led the $75 million H2theFuture program, a public-private coalition of 25 organizations accelerating decarbonization initiatives in the Louisiana industrial sectors with the most difficult paths to lowering carbon emissions. She will leverage her experience in leading workforce programs to cultivate a diverse, skilled energy transition workforce.

Melancon is the president and founder of workforce development/community benefits firm Durango Works Corps, a member of the United States Department of Energy Workforce Advisory Board, and the former vice-chancellor of Baton Rouge Community College.

FUEL is funded by the largest and most competitive grant in NSF history and $67.5 million from the state through Louisiana Economic Development. The funding will be spread over 10 years.

FUEL partners include the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources; the Louisiana Board of Regents; Louisiana’s higher education institutions; the Baton Rouge Area Chamber; Greater New Orleans, Inc.; Shell; ExxonMobil; and Baker Hughes.

FUEL is a statewide effort led by LSU with more than 50 public and private partners, supported by a $160 million National Science Foundation grant – the largest and most competitive award in NSF history -- and $67.5 million in state funding. FUEL will work to solve emerging challenges in areas like carbon capture, transport, and storage; hydrogen; use of carbon dioxide to produce lowcarbon fuels and essential carbon-based products; water use and management; sustainable manufacturing; and policy development.

Ashwith Chilvery

Lacy McManus

Stephen Loy

Girard Melancon

Three inducted into LSU Ag Hall of Distinction

Steve Harrison, the late Joe D. Burns, and the late Mike Danna are the newest inductees into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction. They helped to enhance the state’s agriculture industry through storytelling, reforestation efforts, and improving crop genetics. The event was held in March at L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge.

Burns was a forester formerly of Jonesboro. Danna was a longtime Louisiana Farm Bureau public relations director and host of the organization’s longrunning television program “This Week in Louisiana Agriculture,” formerly of Baton Rouge. Harrison, an LSU AgCenter small grains plant breeder, is also from Baton Rouge.

A joint effort of the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Radio Network, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, and Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction honors individuals who have made significant contributions to agriculture or agriculturerelated industries. Previous inductees have represented farming, ranching, forestry, aquaculture, education, and agribusiness.

TIGER TRIVIA

1. Which internationally known pianist received an honorary doctorate in 1979?

Mickey Gilley Liberace Jerry Lee Lewis Van Cliburn

2. When did the University of New Orleans first open? 1872 1926 1958 1967

3. When did UNO leave the LSU System? 2005 2011 2016 2020

4. Which former LSU baseball coach attended UNO? Paul Mainieri Skip Bertman Smoke Laval Jack Lamabe

5. Who led the Tigers to their first NCAA baseball tournament in 1975? Skip Bertman Smoke Laval Jim Smith Jim Waldrop

6. When did the first Alex Box Stadium open? 1926 1938 1953 2008

7. What was the Parker Coliseum’s claim(s) to fame when it opened in 1937?

It was the largest coliseum It had the largest copper-domed in the United States States roof in the United States A and B None of the above

8. When was the last basketball game played at Parker Coliseum? 1937 1958 1966 1971

9. Which LSU president resigned in 1883 to become president of Tulane?

William Preston Johnston David Boyd Thomas Boyd James Monroe Smith

10. Which collection in the Museum of Natural Science is the oldest and largest of its kind in the world?

Its collection of taxidermized Its frozen vertebrate tissue tigers collection

Its collection of exhibit None of the above dioramas

11. What was Foster Hall’s original purpose before becoming the home of the Museum of Natural Science?

It was a dormitory It was a gymnasium It was the main dining hall It was offices for the Daily Reveille on campus

12. Where were dances and other social events held before the LSU Student Union opened?

The Huey Long Fieldhouse Atkinson Hall

The Main Library The Gym Armory (now the Cox Academic Center for Student Athletes)

Tiger Trivia is compiled by Barry Cowan, assistant archivist, Hill Memorial Library.

Joe D. Burns

Mike Danna

Steve Harrison

Around Campus

LSU Faculty members selected as ‘Rainmakers’

The LSU Council on Research named six LSU faculty members ‘Rainmakers’ based on their outstanding scholarship and creative activity within their respective ranks and disciplines. The Rainmaker Award recognizes sustained work with high impact, often in alignment with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda to improve lives in Louisiana and worldwide.

The Rainmaker Awards were presented in March in partnership with Campus Federal Credit Union and include a one-time cash stipend of $1,000.

Associate Professor Lily Kim’s research centers on mental health and health risk behaviors in marginalized communities, particularly youth, immigrants, and refugees. She designs community- and school-based interventions to address behavioral health challenges. Her work is recognized for its community impact, earning her the Champion for Change Award from the Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants.

Associate Professor Matthew Hiatt studies the hydrology and geomorphology of river deltas and estuaries, focusing on coastal ecosystem design solutions. His research focuses on the flow of water, sediment, and nutrients between rivers and their surrounding wetlands emphasizing how these flows change over time. His work informs the ongoing efforts to protect and restore Louisiana’s coast and helps forecast flood risk in the Mississippi River Delta.

Associate Professor Chris Barrett is an internationally recognized scholar on Renaissance studies and ecocriticism, especially how people in early modern times thought about nature, time, and space. She is the author of “Early Modern English Literature and the Poetics of Cartographic Anxiety,” which explores how Renaissance-era maps—a technological novelty at the time—both fascinated and frightened people. Her second monograph, “The Forest for

the Trees: Eco-Poetics of the Obvious,” takes on obviousness as the dominant expressive mode of the twenty-first century, where the view of something as “obvious” often stifles both argument and counterargument.

Associate Professor Chao Sun studies how civil infrastructure, including offshore wind farms, buildings, bridges, and power grids, is impacted by coastal hazards, such as hurricane-induced wind, surges, and waves. The goal is to create more resilient infrastructure and coastal communities through better computational methods and innovative structures.

Professor Pamela Pike is an internationally recognized researcher in piano pedagogy. She shares her work with piano scholars, piano teachers, and practitioners worldwide, helping them teach systematically and according to the results of research. Pike is the author of two books, “Dynamic Group-Piano Teaching: Transforming Group Theory into Teaching Practice” and “The Adult Music Student: Making Music Throughout the Lifespan.” Her 36-lecture video series, “How to Play Piano,” is used internationally.

Professor Louay Mohammad is an endowed professor of civil and environmental engineering and coordinator of the Transportation Faculty Group at LSU. He is a registered professional engineer in Louisiana and Wyoming, a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Transportation Research Board emeritus member, an elected fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and an honorary member of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists. In 2024, he was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the ASCE Baton Rouge Chapter. Further, Mohammad is the founding director of the Sustainable and Resilient Pavement Materials and Technologies Center at the Louisiana Transportation Research Center and co-editor-in-chief for the ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering.

Youn Kyoung “Lily” Kim

Chris Barrett

Pamela Pike

Matthew Hiatt

Chao Sun

Louay Mohammad

Cutting-edge LSU research and discoveries lead to life-saving products

By Ted Griggs and Grace Myers

LSU’s ITC helps turn research into valuable products

The Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization’s (ITC) mission is to turn university research, creative works, and engagements into meaningful and valuable products. Whether it’s helping a faculty member patent a discovery or negotiate a licensing deal, ITC fosters innovation and drives advances that benefit the residents of Louisiana, the United States, and the world.

Grace Myers is a commercialization officer at LSU ITC. She bridges the gap between research and commercialization by evaluating new inventions, protecting intellectual property, negotiating licensing deals, supporting start-ups, and connecting with industry partners.

Ted Griggs is the assistant director of creative strategies at LSU’s Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development, the parent organization for ITC. He helps make the business case for faculty discoveries.

Welcome to a new column spotlighting some of LSU’s groundbreaking discoveries. In this issue, we look at research that could lead to the first new class of antibiotics in more than 40 years and a handheld device that shows surgeons where cancer cells end and healthy tissue begins.

Starve a bacteria, cure a chronic infection – Millions of Americans suffer from chronic infections. Some estimates say drug-resistant infections contribute to the deaths of as many 250,000 people annually. The U.S. spends billions of dollars each year on treatments that frequently fail. That’s because the antibiotics now available can’t get past the biofilm – a layer of proteins, sugars, and extracellular DNA – that protect the bacteria. The medications are about as effective as a bow and arrow against a battleship.

However, a breakthrough by Mario Rivera, LSU professor of Chemistry, bypasses the bacteria’s biofilm defenses. The new antibiotics kill bacteria by starving them of iron.

“Without iron, the bacteria can’t grow. They stagnate and die, allowing chronic infections to begin healing,” Rivera said.

His research team’s discovery could put an end to incalculable amounts of suffering. Every year, an estimated 1.6 million Americans develop foot infections associated with diabetes. The ulcers frequently lead to chronic biofilm infections and eventually to amputation. The U.S. spends more than $10 billion a year to treat these foot ulcers and their consequences.

“Finding solutions to our state’s health challenges is one of the goals of our Scholarship First Agenda, and this new class of antibiotics represents a major leap forward,” said Robert Twilley, LSU vice president of Research and Economic Development.

Dr. Rivera in his lab

Grace Myers Ted Griggs

Device could save 1.4 million cancer patients’ lives a year – In cancer surgery, clean margins can spell the difference between life and death, between a tumor that comes back and one that doesn’t.

Unfortunately, the current method of assessing the boundary between healthy tissue and cancerous cells during surgery is limited. Biopsies take time to assess, which means surgeons can take only a few samples without overextending a patient’s time under anesthesia.

However, a research team led by Jian Xu, associate professor of Electrical Engineering, developed SafeMargin, a handheld device he calls “a game changer” for cancer surgery.

“Physicians can see the line between cancerous and healthy tissue in real time and base their surgical decisions on that data,” Xu said.

Under the current system, surgeons have to make an educated guess where to stop cutting. The results can be devastating. Studies have shown clean margins could increase overall cancer survival rates by 15 percent.

“We expect SafeMargin to save 1.4 million lives annually if the device is used routinely during surgery,” Xu said.

For more about these and other discoveries, go to: www.lsu.edu/innovation news/11.1.2024_ handheldcancer_detector.php

Dr. Xu developed SafeMargins

LSU Gymnastics Falls Short of Title Defense, Chio Claims NCAA Vault Crown

There’s a bunch of broken hearts in that group because they’ve poured their souls into this program.

LSU Gymnastics began this season as defending national champions after last year’s landmark year which saw them claim the program’s first team national title. After a third-place finish in the NCAA Championship Semifinals, the squad’s season came to an end, narrowly missing a chance to defend their crown.

The Tigers final routine, a 49.5000 on floor, briefly vaulted them into second, But Utah and UCLA ultimately edged out the Tigers to qualify for the NCAA Finals.

Though LSU fell short of returning to the championship stage, the meet capped a season to remember including the regular season SEC title, its sixth SEC Championship, its firstever No. 1 national seed, and its 15th regional title. The team’s performance underscored the program’s depth and continued presence among the nation's top contenders.

Despite the result, the team fought to the end with solid routines and a national title on vault from Freshman Kailin Chio. She stole the spotlight with a near-perfect 9.9750 to become just the third freshman in program history to win an individual NCAA title, joining teammate graduate student Haleigh Bryant and former

In addition to Chio’s vault title, she and three other Tigers earned postseason All-America honors. Bryant was named to the Second Team on vault, floor and all-around. Aleah Finnegan earned First Team honors on floor, while Konnor McClain was named to the Second Team on beam.

Bryant’s performance pushed her career tally to a program-record 33 AllAmerica honors, closing out one of the most decorated careers in LSU history. Finnegan earned her 13th honor with a 9.9375 on floor.

After the meet, Coach Jay Clark said the result was especially tough on the gymnasts that would not be returning.

“There’s a bunch of broken hearts in that group because they’ve poured their souls into this program,” Clark said. “Those seniors have been here a long time and they’ve worked hard and shed blood, sweat and tears for a long time. They wanted it. They wanted it so bad. Sometimes you can want it too bad.”

As the program prepares for the next chapter, the Tigers’ will look to build on this year’s momentum with a core of emerging talent and the experience of another deep postseason run. The pursuit of another national title continues in 2026.

Tiger standout Kennedi Edney as individual winners.

Photos: LSU Athletics

Sylvia Fowles Selected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Few players in the history of basketball have matched the consistent dominance and impact of Sylvia Fowles (2009 BACH H&SS). From her record-setting days at LSU to her championship-laden career in the WNBA and international play, Fowles’ legacy has been cemented with her selection into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

Fowles’ path to greatness began in Baton Rouge.

The honor follows her earlier selection for the 2025 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, adding another chapter to a career defined by excellence at every level. She joins former teammate Seimone Augustus, who earned the dual Hall of Fame distinction in 2024.

Fowles’ path to greatness began in Baton Rouge, where she anchored an LSU program that reached four consecutive NCAA Final Fours from 2004 to 2008. Her presence in the paint was nothing short of historic: she remains LSU’s all-time leader in rebounds (1,570), blocked shots (321), and double-doubles (86). Averaging a double-double for her career — 15.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

But, she was more than just numbers.

A three-time First Team All-SEC selection, Fowles earned SEC Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2008, after claiming SEC Sixth Woman of the Year as a freshman. Her dominance wasn’t just felt — it was seen, notably when she became the only player in LSU women’s basketball history to dunk in a game.

The Miami native carried that excellence into the professional ranks after being selected second overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. In 2015, she joined the Minnesota Lynx, reuniting with Augustus and forming one of the most formidable duos in league history. Fowles led the Lynx to championships in 2015 and 2017, earning Finals MVP honors both times.

Beyond the WNBA, she was a force on the international stage. Representing Team USA, she won four Olympic gold medals across the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Games.

After her career concluded, her No. 34 jersey rose to the rafters as both LSU and the Lynx retired her number in 2017 and 2023, respectively. With her induction, Fowles’ name joins the game’s immortals — fitting for a player who redefined greatness on her terms.

Locker Room is curated and edited by sports writer and LSU Manship School of Mass Communication alumnus Marc Stevens. Marc is an avid sports fan, and Locker Room combines his passion for storytelling with LSU athletics.

Sylvia Fowles

Seven LSU Swimmers and Divers Earn CSCAA All-American Honors at 2025 NCAA Championships

Seven LSU men’s swimming and diving athletes earned AllAmerican honors after their top16 finishes at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Sophomores Jere Hribar and Jovan Lekic led the Tigers, both earning first-team All-American honors.

Hribar earned four separate AllAmerican accolades in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle relay, and 400-yard medley relay. He clocked a time of 41.20 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle, earning first-team recognition for his top-8 finish.

Lekic earned first-team honors with an eighth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. He posted a time of 4:10.55 in the final, but his preliminary time of 4:08.55 broke the LSU school record in the event – the 15th fastest time in NCAA history.

In addition to Hribar and Lekic, sophomore Stepan Goncharov, juniors Carson Paul and Andrew Garon, senior Griffin Curtis, and graduate student-athlete Mitch Mason each took home All-American honors.

As a squad, LSU had 11 athletes competing for national titles at this year’s championships. This impressive showing at the NCAA Championships highlights the continued growth and success of the LSU men’s swimming and diving program. With a mix of experienced athletes like Hribar and Paul, alongside emerging stars such as Lekic, the Tigers are positioned for greater accomplishments in the seasons ahead.

LSU Men’s 2000 SEC Championship Team Reunites to Celebrate 25th Anniversary

The echoes of a championship season came flooding back to Baton Rouge as LSU men’s basketball celebrated the 25th anniversary of its storied 2000 squad during basketball Alumni Day in February.

That year’s Tigers squad, led by head coach John Brady and SEC Player of the Year Stromile Swift, overcame long odds to capture the SEC Championship and advance to the NCAA Sweet 16. The team’s success marked a turning point for the program, ending a stretch of losing seasons and laying the foundation for a new era of LSU basketball.

Reflecting on that season, Brady pointed to Swift’s decision to attend LSU as the catalyst that changed everything.

“We were on probation that year. We had nine scholarship players, and the program had experienced four straight losing seasons,” said Brady. “Signing Stromile changed the whole trajectory of the LSU Basketball program.”

Swift, a Shreveport native and former standout at Fair Park High School, averaged 16.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game during the 1999–2000 season. He was joined in the frontcourt by Jabari Smith, who added 12.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, forming one of the most dominant duos in the SEC.

After a slow 1–3 start in conference play, the Tigers found their momentum. LSU won its final nine SEC games to finish 12–4. The team ended the regular season with 28 victories and entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the West Region.

Their postseason run featured a dramatic first-round win over Southeast Missouri State, sealed by a clutch three-pointer from Brian Beshara. In the second round, the Tigers topped Texas 72–67, thanks in part to a critical lategame block by Swift that preserved the lead and sent LSU to the Sweet 16. Swift declared for the NBA Draft following that season and was selected second overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies. His decision to attend LSU, and the success that followed, left a lasting legacy — one that helped keep future instate stars like Tyrus Thomas, Glen “Big Baby” Davis, and Tasmin Mitchell close to home.

“The decision to come to LSU was probably one of the best decisions of my life,” said Swift. “When I got here, I didn’t know what to expect, but … [the coaching staff] pushed me to a level that I didn't know that I could reach.”

Coach Brady emphasized the impact of that 2000 team not just in terms of wins but in helping restore the pride and competitive spirit of the program.

“You got in a situation where Louisiana players knew if they came here and played together, you could do something really significant and special,” said Brady. “[Swift] changed it. Other Louisiana players followed him, and I’ll always be grateful for the decision he made.”

“Signing Stromile Swift changed the whole trajectory of the LSU Basketball program.”

2000 LSU Men's Basketball Team

Tiger NATION

1970s

Leon Hirsch (1973 BACH BUS) was inducted into the North American Prospect Expo (NAPE) Hall of Fame at the annual expo in Houston. Hirsch dedicated 50-plus years to the land profession, the energy industry, and his community. His time on the NAPE board includes moving the expo to Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center in 1999. He also served as NAPE chairman in 2000. He received his master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, and a doctorate of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.

DEGREES

BACH Bachelor’s Degree

MAST Master’s Degree

PHD Doctorate

SPEC Specialist

DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

MLIS Master of Library & Information Science

JD Juris Doctorate (LSU Law School)

LLM Master of Laws

MD Medical Doctor (LSU School of Medicine)

DDS Doctor of Dental Science (LSU School of Dentistry)

COLLEGES/SCHOOLS

AGR Agriculture

A&D Art & Design

C&E Coast & Environment

H&SS Humanities & Social Sciences

SCI Science

BUS Business

HS&E Human Sciences & Education

ENGR Engineering

M&DA Music & Dramatic Arts

MCOM Mass Communication

SCE School of the Coast & Environment

SVM School of Veterinary Medicine

SW Social Work

1980s

Jude Bursavich (1983 BACH H&SS, 1988 JD) is the new managing partner of Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, leading the firm’s strategic vision while continuing his business and commercial litigation practice.

Scott D. Wilson (1985 BACH H&SS) has joined Breazeale, Sache & Wilson’s Baton Rouge office as Of Counsel, focusing on his practice of labor and employment law, handling litigation, counseling, and administrative matters.

1990s

Larry Carbo (1993 BACH BUS) of Houston was named managing shareholder by Chanberlain Hrdicka’s board of directors, effective Jan. 1.

Caroll Devillier (2006 JD) is a new member of the Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson management committee. He continues his legal practice of representing clients in complex commercial disputes.

Design Workshop welcomed Rob Gray (1997 BACH A&D) to its Denver studio as a senior design leader. With nearly three decades of award-winning experience shaping some of the nation’s most iconic public landscapes, Gray brings a bold vision to the firm’s growing portfolio.

Janie Kleinschmidt Hirsch (1990 BACH A&D) was inducted into the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) College of Fellows in Denver at the GATHER Catalyst 2024 national conference. This is the society's highest honor, bestowed upon

less than one percent of ASID membership, Kleinschmidt is the founding principal of the firm, J. Hirsch Interior Design, in Georgia, where she focuses on high-end residential design.

Benton Toups (1997 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD) of Cranfill Sumner in Charlotte, N.C., is listed in the Business North Carolina Legal Elite for 2025 and in the 2025 North Carolina Super Lawyers, a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained high peer recognition and evaluation.

2000s

Lisa M. Kaufmann, (2001 BACH BUS, 2004 JD), of the Phelps Houston office, has been elected partner in the firm.

Brett Miller (2009 BACH A&D) joined Design Workshop’s Los Angeles studio, bringing a wealth of expertise in landscape architecture and construction.

John Smith III (2006 BACH HS&E) of Philadelphia won the President Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The President bestowed the award upon 336 teachers and mentors nationwide honoring their vital role in shaping the next generation of technical leaders.

2010s

Sinella Aghasi (2019 PHD M&DA) is the new Director of the Old Governor's Mansion. In her role, Dr. Aghasi will enhance the Old Governor's Mansion as a cornerstone of Louisiana’s cultural heritage, collaborating with tourism and economic development agencies to elevate this historic site.

Anthony J. Gambino, Jr. (2013 BACH H&SS, 2016 JD), of the Phelps Baton Rouge office, has been elected partner in the firm.

Molly C. McDiarmid, (2012 BACH H&SS, 2015 JD), of the Phelps Baton Rouge office, has been elected partner in the firm.

Kate Williams (2013 BACH H&SS), founder and CEO of Kate’s Ice Cream of Portland, Ore., was recently awarded “Best Vegan Ice Cream Shop in the US” by VegNews, the world’s largest vegan media brand.

2020s

Gaven DeVillier (2024 JD) joined McGlinchey Stafford’s office in Baton Rouge. He defends Louisiana client interests in matters ranging from real estate disputes to employment issues to general business litigation.

Madeline Earles (2021 BACH H&SS, 2024 JD) joined McGlinchey Stafford’s office in New Orleans. She represents employers in labor and employment litigation.

Hailey Holland (2020 BACH HS&E) was honored with the Rookie of the Year award for 2024 by Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation Outpatient Therapy - East Region in East Dallas/Mesquite, Tx. Holland earned her doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

SHARE YOUR NEWS Share news of your new job or promotion, your wedding, honors, awards, new babies, and other celebrations with fellow alumni. To submit an item and photos for publication, e-mail editor@lsualumni.org.

In Memoriam

Retired U.S. Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, Jr. (1956 JD), a Shreveport native, passed away on March 25 in Sperryville, Va. He was 92. In 1963, Johnston was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives, where he served as floor leader. He served in the Louisiana Senate from 1968 to 1972, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate, serving four six-year terms. Johnston was a member of several influential U.S. Senate committees, including Appropriations, Budget, and Interior and Insular Affairs, later renamed Energy and National Resources, which he chaired for eight years. Among his most significant achievements was providing for the creation of nine National Wildlife Refuges and the preservation of more than 120,000 acres of valuable Louisiana inland wetlands. He also passed legislation to create the New Orleans Jazz National Heritage Park and the Cane River Creole National Historic Park. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the passage of the National Energy Security Act. Johnston’s ties to LSU run deep. LSU’s J. Bennett Johnston Sr. Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) is named for Johnston’s father. Johnston, Jr. was the center’s congressional sponsor. CAMD is the only state-funded synchrotron facility in the country, built with a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2014, the LSU Law Center established the J. Bennett Johnston Energy Law Endowment Fund to support student internships and field placements in energy law and policy, following an $800,000 gift from the J. Bennett Johnston Science Foundation. Johnston was inducted into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction in 1982.’ He is survived by his wife, Mary Gunn Johnston, four children, and 10 grandchildren.

Alice C. Foster, a 48-year resident of St. Mary Parish and native of Portsmouth, Va., died March 6 in Franklin. She was the wife of the late Gov. Murphy J. “Mike” Foster (1952 BACH CHEM), serving as First Lady of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004. As First Lady, Foster supported many causes such as The Governor’s Mansion Foundation, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Breast Cancer Awareness, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, and the promotion of the educational children’s book, You Are Sunshine, She leaves a family legacy of two sons, a stepson and stepdaughter, nine grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

1940s

Alice Raye Broussard Beck, 1947 BACH H&SS, Dec. 20, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Benjamin Edward Clark, 1949 BACH BUS, 1950 MAST BUS, 1973 PHD BUS, Dec. 18, 2024, Bolivar, Mo.

Margaret Huck Dolhonde, 1942 BACH HS&E, Jan. 30, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Harvey Schwartzberg, 1949 BACH EGR, March 1, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Dixon K Smith, 1943 BACH MCOM, 1997 MAST H&SS, Dec. 30, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

1950s

Gayle Donnell Anders, 1950 BACH HS&E, Dec. 22, 2024, Slaughter, La.

Barbara Dicharry Bergeron, 1959 BACH BUS, April 8, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Lawrence Emile “Bud” Bergeron, Jr., 1959 BACH H&SE, 1972 MAST H&SE, Feb. 24, 2025, Belle Rose, La.

Gerald Blackwell, 1959 BACH HS&E, 1963 MAST, Dec. 27, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

John H. Brydels Sr., 1958 MAST BUS, March 24, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Berlin Carroll “BC” Harris, Jr., 1956 BACH H&SE, Feb. 5, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

James Hugh Jenkins Jr., 1954 BACH ENGR, March 9, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Mayer Levy Jr, 1953 BACH BUS, Dec. 15, 2024, St. Louis, Mo.

Audrey Marie McElroy, 1959 MAST LIS, Jan.24, 2024, Shreveport, La.

Kamile Smith Geist, former Ava & Cordell Hayman Endowed Chair of Music Therapy, passed away on February 12. She graduated from West Monroe High School and received her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. Smith Geist began her career teaching middle school band in Plano, Texas, before pursuing a master’s degree in Music Therapy at Texas Woman’s University. She also completed her doctorate in educational research at Ohio University. In 2003, Smith Geist joined the Ohio University faculty, where she taught and directed the Music Therapy programs. In 2022, Smith Geist returned to Louisiana, becoming the first Ava & Cordell Haymon Endowed Chair of Music Therapy. She was instrumental in establishing LSU’s Bachelor of Music Therapy program, the first of its kind at a public institution in Louisiana. Her efforts culminated in her selection as a featured clinician for the 2025 Texas Music Educators Association Clinic/Convention, where she was set to lead workshops on music. She was recognized with the Ohio University School of Music Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, the American Music Therapy Association’s Scholarly Activity Award, and the Ohio University Presidential Teaching Award.

Charles G. “Chip” Groat died March 14 in Baton Rouge. From 1978 to 1990, he was an LSU professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics. He played a key role in state government, serving as Assistant to the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and as director and state geologist for the Louisiana Geological Survey. He also served as executive director of the American Geological Institute, followed by his tenure as executive director of the LSU Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources. He was the founding president and CEO of the Water Institute of the Gulf. Groat received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Rochester, his master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, and his doctorate from the University of Texas. In addition to his positions in Louisiana, Groat also worked at the University of Texas at Austin and El Paso. In 1998, Groat was appointed director of the U.S. Geological Survey by Pres. Bill Clinton and was retained in this position by Pres. George W. Bush.

Jacqueline “Jackie” Merrill McInnis, 1954 BACH H&SS, March 16, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Reggie Lee Pevey, 1951 BACH HS&E, Feb. 23, 2025, Ponchatoula, La.

Carlyle Alonzo Rogillio II, 1950 BACH ENGR, March 5, 2025

Carolyn Allen Tugwell, 1954 M&DA BACH, March 28, 2025

Gloria Carol Underwood Justice, 1954 BACH HS&E, March 13, 2025, Watson, La.

1960s

Rhenda Lynne Humphreys Addison, 1967 BACH M&DA, Jan. 25, 2025, Richardson, Tx.

Sidney Allison, 1960 BACH BUS, March 27, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Charles “Jim” Becnel, 1962 BACH A&D, February 19, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Robert A. Bourgeois, 1968 BACH ENGR, 1971 MAST BUS, Jan. 7, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Carolyn Woodfin Carnahan, 1961 BACH HS&E, Dec. 24, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Shelby Cox Conti, 1965 BACH HS&E, March 21, 2025, Los Angeles, Ca.

Ronald C. Delaune, 1967 BACH BUS, Jan. 29, 2025, Round Rock, Tx.

Theodore E. Donaldson, 1961 BACH ENGR, March 16, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Vannie Morgan Edwards, 1968 MAST HS&E, Jan. 28, 2025, Hot Springs, Ar.

Joseph Raymond Ferguson, 1965 BACH BUS, Dec. 16, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Tiger Nation

In Memoriam

Carol Ann Fulco, 1964 BACH BUS, Dec. 22, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Robert W. Gaston III, 1960 BACH HS&E, 1964 MAST HS&E, 1971 PHD HS&E, Jan. 20, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Carroll Joseph Gibson, 1960 BACH ENGR, Jan. 14, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Larry Lee Goux, 1964 BACH ENGR, Jan. 17, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Elizabeth Barrett Lobdell Griffin, 1963 BACH BUS, Dec. 26, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

John David “Johnny” Johnson, 1964 BACH BUS, Jan. 27, 2025, Minden, La.

Charles Enoch Jordan, 1964 BACH H&SS, Jan. 8, 2025, Zachary, La.

Patrick A Juneau Jr, 1960 BACH HS&E, 1965 JD, Dec. 31, 2024, Lafayette, La.

Mary Jane Lane, 1963 BACH, 1969 MAST HS&E, Jan. 22, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

William Alvin “Bill” Loudon, Jr., 1969 BACH EGR, Feb. 16, 2025, Central, La.

Eva Summers Marks, 1966 MAST H&SS, Jan. 31, 2025, Maurepas, La.

Edward John Mayeaux, 1960 BACH BUS, Feb. 4, 2025, Greenwell Springs, La.

Marilyn Clements Moorman, 1962 BACH HS&E, 1968 MAST HS&E, March 19, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Richard Edward Munson, 1964 BACH BUS, 1968 MAST BUS, Feb. 19, 2025, Houma, La.

Walter “Butch Naquin, Jr., 1969 JD, April 7, 2025, Thibodaux, La.

Evelyn Keller Netterville, 1963 BACH HS&E, 1996 MAST HS&E, March 11, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Lee Louis Robert, 1966 BACH BUS, Jan. 23, 2025, River Ridge, La.

Jacquelynn Douglas Sumerford Schexnayder, 1960 BACH HS&E, Jan. 4, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Agnes Martine Schexnaydre, 1966 MAST EDU, March 20, 2025, Gonzales, La.

Patrick Delano Settoon, 1961 MAST SCI, 1967 PHD SCI, March 13, 2025, Hammond, La.

David Alva Smitherman, 1961 BACH ENGR, Feb. 11, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Nancy Storey Walter, 1961 HS&E, Feb. 14,2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Martha Gerald Watts, 1968 BACH HS&E, March 23, 2025, Livingston, La.

1970s

Glenn Allen Acomb, 1972 BACH H&SS, Feb. 24, 2025, Gainesville, Fl.

Craig Lee Biggio, 1975 BACH H&SS, Feb. 4, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Thomas William Daniel, 1971 BACH H&SS, Feb. 14, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

John “Johnny” Lane Ewing, 1974 BACH ENGR, April 9, 2025, New Roads, La.

Jacque David Gregory, 1971 BACH A&D, 1973 MAST H&SS, Jan. 21, 2025, Prairieville, La.

Constance Randolph Henderson, 1971 BACH A&D, Jan. 24, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Larry Bruce Campbell

Dec. 29, 2024

Professor Emeritus LSU School of Music

H. Hale Harvey III BACH 1955, MD 1966

International pioneer in reproductive health Feb. 14, 2025

England

Mary Jane Collins

Former Dean College of Arts & Sciences Feb. 22, 2025 Miami, Fla.

Dr. Harry Heil Roberts

1966 MAST SCI

1969 PHD SCI

Retired Boyd Professor, LSU School of Coast and Environment

March 26, 2025

Baton Rouge, La.

Judith Kay Howe, 1978 MAST HS&E, Dec. 28, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Bette Brown Hinckley, 1974 MAST HS&E, Jan. 18, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Henry James Landry Jr., 1974 BACH ENGR, Dec. 20, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

William Scott “Scotty” Maxwell, 1974 JD, April 5, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Norman Carl Patterson, 1974 BACH H&SS, Jan. 30, 2025, Denham Springs, La.

1980s

Lillian Iverson Lynne Bankston, 1987 BACH H&SS, Dec. 26, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

Diana Schelin Barkate, 1984 BACH MCOM, Jan. 15, 2025

Janet Harper Freeman, 1982 BACH M&DA, 1984 BACH H&SS, 1994 MAST H&SS, Jan. 4, 2025, Plaquemine, La.

Timothy “Timmy” Hulin, Jr., 1983 BACH BUS, March 24, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Jamie Gerard Lorio, 1985 BACH BUS, Feb. 20, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Richard Joseph Lynch Jr., 1988 BACH ENGR, Jan. 16, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Laurie Powell Minarik, 1984 BACH M&DA, Jan. 29, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Susan Gandy Olds, 1980 BACH HS&E, April 6, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Blanca Isabel Rush, 1986 MAST HS&E, March 4, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Joseph Leo “Steve” Stevens, 1984 BACH BUS, March 25, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Sheldon Blaine Strasner, 1981 BACH BUS, 1983 MAST BUS, March 25, 2025

Dawn Noel Guillot Tessmer, 1986 BACH BUS, 1989 JD, Jan. 7, 2025

1990s

Byron David Basco, 1993 BACH H&SS, Jan. 8, 2025, Belle Chasse, La.

Chad Bolen Ham, 1993 JD, Jan. 2, 2025, New Orleans, La.

Kenyatta Ikeda Morrison Johnson, 1998 BACH BUS, Dec. 18, 2024, Baton Rouge, La.

John Anthony “Jack” Kellerman, 1992 BACH A&D, Jan. 29, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Douglas Paul Kozan, 1999 BACH BUS, Jan. 14, 2025, St. Francisville, La.

Virginia Gayle LeBlanc, 1994 BACH AG, Feb. 28, 2025, Baton Rouge La.

Wendy Diane Lurvey, 1995 BACH H&SS, Dec. 26, 2024, Dickinson. Tx.

Dr. Thais Egydia Perkins, 1996 PHD M&DA, Jan. 16, 2025, Zachary, La.

Stacy Sharpe, 1992 BACH H&SS, Jan. 20, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Warren Harvey “Bud” Smith, 1997 BACH A&D, March 16, 2025 Baton Rouge, La.

Kimberly Lori Dean Sullivan, 1992 BACH HS&E, Feb. 7, 2025, New Orleans, La.

2000s

Jodi Brecher Pipes, 2000 BACH SCI, Feb. 6, 2025, Baton Rouge, La.

Mary Davis Former administrator LSU Medical Center Baton Rouge office March 30, 2025 Tampa, Fla

Helen Stander Taylor

1968 BACH AG

1991 MAST H&SS

Retired Asst. Dean, Manship School of Mass Communication Feb. 26, 2025

St. Francisville, La.

Thomas “Thom” James Fronek LSU Drum Major Former employee, LSU Alumni Association Jan. 15, 2025

John P. Wefel

Professor Emeritus, College of Science

March 30, 2025

Port Townsend, Wash.

Tigers in Print

Helen Regis & Shana Walton Bayou Harvest: Subsistence Practice in Coastal Louisiana University Press of Mississippi

This book is an in-depth study of the power and pride of cooking, hunting, harvesting, foraging, and thriving in coastal Louisiana. It is the winner of the 2025 James Mooney Award from the Southern Anthropological Society.

To inhabitants of the Gulf Coast region of Louisiana, food is much more than nourishment. The acts of gathering, preparing, and sharing food are ways to raise children, bond with friends, and build community. In Bayou Harvest: Subsistence Practice in Coastal Louisiana, Helen A. Regis and Shana Walton examine how coastal residents deploy selfreliance and care for each other through harvesting and sharing food. Pulling from four years of fieldwork and study, Walton and Regis explore harvesting, hunting, and foraging by Native Americans, Cajuns, and other Bayou residents. This engagement with Indigenous thinkers and their neighbors yields a multifaceted view of subsistence in Louisiana. Readers will learn

about coastal residents’ love for the land and water, their deep connections to the place, and how they identify with their food and game heritage. The book also delves into their worries about the future, particularly storms, pollution, and land loss in the coastal region.

Walter McDonald (1966 BACH) Successful Key Account Management

Successful Key Account Management focuses on examining the best industry practices for machine dealer managers in industrial equipment dealerships. The definition of a key account must include providing sustainable revenue, potential for sales growth, a relationship match between the dealership’s positioning and customer expectations, and the account’s fit in the Strategic Direction of the Dealer’s model.

Every dealership has a small number of very large accounts that contribute significantly to the overall success of the business. If you lost your large account, this loss would have a catastrophic impact on your business.

Of equal importance, this book examines how product support can play a crucial role in acquiring and keeping those very important customers. The text explores the key account management procedures and policies that yield the best results, as well as the metrics that contribute most to Successful Key Account Management.

For more than five decades, and in more than 2,600 dealer management workshops worldwide, Walter McDonald has helped industrial equipment and capital goods dealers collaborate with their manufacturers to drive superior results by employing practical strategies, effective tactics, and insightful management tools.

Successful Key Account Management is McDonald’s eleventh book in his Master’s Program in Dealer Management Series.

WEDDING BELLS

Melissa Parmelee (2005 BACH MCOM) and Andrew Fitzgerald were married in March in Florence, Italy. They reside in Baton Rouge, where Melissa works for Habitat for Humanity and Andrew works for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

BABY BENGALS

Jessica Lasseigne Blakely (2008 BACH H&SS, 2010 MAST H&SS) and Patrick Blakely welcomed Mark Lasseigne Blakely on March 18. He was born in Houston at the Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

LSU

Alum Brings Beer (to Cape Town, South Africa)

LSU Tigers have a way of finding each other, even if it’s half a world away. LSU alumni Bob and Kat Boccaccio (both 1981 BACH MCOM) walked into Soul Barrel Brewing Co. while recently visiting Cape Town, South Africa, and discovered the owner was a fellow LSU alum. Nick Smith, (2006 BACH BUS) moved to South Africa in 2016. He opened Soul Barrel the next year and has been building his business ever since. Soul Barrel is located in the heart of the Cape Winelands. The beers and the brewpub graphics call out Nick’s South Louisiana roots. With family still in the area, Nick gets back to Baton Rouge as much as he can.

“One of the biggest things I miss about the U.S. is LSU football!” he said. “And, of course, the Louisiana music and food. The last time I visited, I at least got in a run along the LSU lakes, which brought back fond college memories. LSU was an amazing experience for me that had a major influence on the rest of my life. Starting and growing a business in South Africa has its challenges, and LSU taught me life skills that have helped carry us through.”

WHAT’S YOUR VOLUNTEER PASSION? Send a photo of yourself “in action” and tell Tigers Around the World how and why you share your time and talents with others. Email photos to editor@lsualumni.org

Kat Boccaccio, Nick Smith, and Bob Boccaccio at Soul Barrel Brewing Co.

Newlyweds Melissa Parmelee and Andrew Fitzgerald

The LSU Museum of Art has again achieved accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded to the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.

I Am A Bunny is one of the illustrations from Golden Legacy: Original Art from 80 Years of Golden Books, a vibrant and nostalgic exhibition featuring sixty original illustrations that have captivated generations. The exhibition, which ran from February through May, took visitors on a journey through the rich history and creative artistry of Little Golden Books.

All registered LSU Alumni members are eligible for complimentary Museum admission for the member and one guest annually.

Snapshots

I Am A Bunny by Ole Risom, illustrated by Richard Scarry. Gouache and Watercolor. © 1963 Random House.