Tiger Nation
Alonzo Luce (1992 MPA, 1994 MAST HS&E, 1999 PHD HS&E), Gonzales, La., was named the 2013 Superintendent of the Year by the Louisiana Association of School Executives (LASE) and will compete for the national superintendent’s award from the American Association of School Administrators in 2014. As superintendent, he has led 4,000 students and thirteen learning sites in St. James Parish since July 2007. He came to his current positions after a successful career in education while simultaneously excelling as an officer in the U. S. Army. Following his first instructional assignment at Istrouma High School and Technology Magnet in Baton Rouge, Luce was named technology magnet coordinator and eventually assistant principal of instruction. Following his tenure at Istrouma, he was assistant director and technology coordinator for independent studies at LSU and spearheaded the technology change that helped the unit sustain its ranking as one of the nation’s top ten independent study programs. Kristen Lubaczewski Pettinato (1998 BACH H&SS) has been named director of chapter services for Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity headquartered in Lancaster, Pa. The nonprofit organization fosters the ideals of scholarship, leadership, and fellowship among college students and alumni at more than 130 chapters nationwide. Pettinato will be responsible for the consulting team which assists with recruitment, leadership development, and chapter management. C. deShea Richardson (1996 BACH BUS, 1999 JD), is a partner in the law firm of Harrison & Richardson. She joined the law offices of Paul E. Harrison in 2009 after
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developing a diversified practice that included both transactional and civil litigation work and was made a partner in 2012 when the firm became Harrison & Richardson. She handles workers’ compensation matters for both national and local clients, represents individuals and businesses in property, personal injury, and collection claims and counsels clients on wills and estate planning. Richardson is a member of the Covington Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, and Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel. She is admitted to practice before all Louisiana state and federal courts as well as the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chris Trahan (1993 BACH H&SS) has joined Zehnder Communications as a public relations account executive. A veteran of marketing and communications, he previously served as director of communications and community engagement for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and as manager of federal relations for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Washington, D.C. He is a past president of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana.
Beverly Brooks Thompson (1993 BACH H&SS, 2005 MAST H&SS) has been named chief development officer for Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. Thompson previously was vice president and executive counsel with Pursuant Ketchum in Dallas and director of Forever LSU: The Campaign for Louisiana State University, which exceeded its $750 million goal. She also served as director of external affairs for LSU Student Life & Academic Services. A Certified Fundraising Executive, Thompson was recently named to the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report’s Top Forty Under 40. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in human resource development at LSU.
R. Kyle Alagood (2007 BACH MCOM), a student at the LSU Law Center, is the National LGBT Bar Association Student Congress Regional Chair for the Southern I region. A published expert on government transparency and national security, before and during law school Alagood held various positions at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, including research associate for the Liberty and National Security Program, legal intern to the chief counsel, and legal intern for special projects. As an undergraduate, Kyle organized LSU’s largest-ever gay rights education event, the LSU Campus Colloquium on Homosexuality in Modern America. He earned a master’s degree in democracy and democratization from University College London.
Benton L. Toups (1997 BACH H&SS, 2000 JD), an attorney with Cranfill Sumner & Hartzog in Wilmington, N.C., was named by Business North Carolina magazine as one of the magazine’s Legal Elite 2014. Toups was recognized in the area of employment law.
2000s
Ryan Bilbo (2003 BACH BUS, 2009 MPA) and Secretary Kathy Kliebert accepted the Vision Award on behalf of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) at the 2013 Esri Health GIS Conference. The award is given to an