Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top Women Leaders of Louisiana for 2024. In addition to being an amazing place for anyone who appreciates fine dining, lively entertainment, and all things outdoors, Louisiana’s diverse economy also offers ample opportunities for business leaders in a wide variety of fields. The state is home to many traditional industries, like energy and manufacturing, as well as emerging sectors, including technology, science, and aerospace. Plus, being ranked one of the top 10 most fun states in the US, the entertainment industry in Louisiana is also booming.
In the emerging industries of technology and science, this year’s honorees include Anne Foundas. As Managing Director of the Brain Institute of Louisiana, Foundas is focused on developing innovative treatment programs to enhance speech function, language learning, and memory in brain-injured patients.
Within the realm of manufacturing, we also honor the CEO of Aerowest International, Maria Bhacca. AeroWest International has been a trusted manufacturer and service provider for over 140 years, and Bhacca brings over 30 years of executive experience to this leadership role.
Finally, we acknowledge the accomplishments of honoree Kristi Satterla, an HR leader for Sasol, a global chemicals and energy company, where she brings her extensive professional experience in labor relations to Sasol’s global workforce.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top Women Leaders of Louisiana for 2024.
Christine Albert
Chief Experience Officer, LCMC Health
Christine Albert is the Chief Experience Officer for LCMC Health and its nine-hospital system. She provides strategic leadership for marketing planning and employee experience across the entire LCMC network. Her commitment to their system and their city’s residents has helped them build a powerful reputation for the brand. Established in 2009, LCMC Health is a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system serving the healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast region.
Before her current role, Albert served LCMC Health as the VP of marketing, the SVP of marketing and communications, and the chief marketing and experience officer. Before that, she was an associate VP of marketing communications at Touro Infirmary. She was promoted from director of marketing communications to implement a comprehensive digital marketing strategy and expand community outreach.
Albert has also worked in public affairs positions for the Department of the Navy and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Albert graduated from George Washington University with an MPP, from LSU Shreveport with an MBA in business administration and management, and from Loyola University New Orleans with an undergraduate degree in communications and public relations and French.
Mandy Johnston
Chief Financial Officer, BLG Logistics
Mandy Johnston is the Chief Financial Officer of BLG Logistics. Founded in 1877, 65 merchants founded BLG Logistics under the name Bremer Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft, a pioneer in seaport operations headquartered in Germany. The BLG Logistics Group has developed into a $1.5 billion globally-operating logistics company.
Johnston started at the company as the deputy chief financial officer in July of 2023 and was appointed to her current role just a few months later. She is an executive finance and administration leader with over 20 years of financial accounting, analysis, and planning experience throughout North America. She is skilled in governance and risk management, people and culture leadership, internal controls, and building solid processes and teams.
Previously, Johnston was a management resources consultant at Robert Half. Before that, she was a chief financial officer at Bitcoin Well. Earlier in her career, she worked with Mercedes-Benz US International, Inc. as a corporate controller. Johnston earned an MBA in strategic management and planning and an undergraduate degree in accounting from The University of Alabama.
Vicky Romero
Chief Information Officer, SCP Health
Victoria Romero brings more than 18 years of experience in healthcare IT, mergers and acquisitions, finance, strategy, and leadership. In her role as Chief Information Officer for SCP Health, she is responsible for directing the overall technology strategy, including mobile, web, and enterprise application development, infrastructure, and security.
Romero maintains both a professional interest and personal passion for providing high-value interactive solutions to healthcare providers, patients, and clients. SCP Health (SCP) is a healthcare solutions company. At their core, they work to bring hospitals and healers together in the pursuit of clinical effectiveness, always focusing on delivering exceptional patient care. With a portfolio of over 8 million patients, 7500 providers, 30 states, and 400 healthcare facilities, SCP Health is a leader in clinical practice management spanning the entire continuum of care, including emergency and hospital medicine, critical care, wellness, telemedicine, and ambulatory care.
Romero first got her start in 2002 as a systems analyst at Stuller, Inc. From there, she eventually moved to Acadian Ambulance as a developer, her most recent position prior to joining SCP Health. Romero graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with an undergraduate degree in management information systems.
Deborah Ford
Chief Nursing Officer & VP of Quality, Ochsner Health
Deborah Ford is the Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Quality of Ochsner Health, the leading not-for-profit healthcare provider in the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers.
Ford is an accomplished and proven senior executive with a solid history of achievement. She is a motivated, innovative leader with strong organizational and prioritization skills and the ability to roll out multi-million dollar healthcare projects to include major construction and team member engagement strategies. Ford has achieved the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet status at more than one organization.
Previously, Ford was a chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at Our Lady of the Lake. Before that, she was a vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer at Lafayette General Health. Earlier in her career, she worked with Rapides General Hospital as a staff registered nurse. Ford earned an MA in nursing administration from Northwestern State University and an undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Annette Dowdle
Senior Vice President, HUB International Gulf South
Annette Dowdle is the Senior Vice President for HUB International Gulf South, a leading full-service global insurance broker providing property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, and investment and risk management products and services.
With a desire to help people, Dowdle’s career in the insurance industry began over 20 years ago. When working with Dowdle, clients gain her years of experience and wealth of knowledge. Her mission is to fervently bolster client company culture by personalizing employee-centric benefits and mitigating risk with the goal of contributing to a thriving and profitable organization. Her vision is to help clients navigate cost containment and mitigate risk while improving culture, today, and tomorrow.
Dowdle completed Loyola Women’s Leadership Academy and was Co-Chair for the 2022 American Heart Association Northshore Heart Walk. She is a member of the National Women in Construction and serves on HUB’s National Best Practices Task Force. She is a graduate of Leadership St. Tammany and Leadership Louisiana.
Eugenie Guillot
Vice President, Lockton Companies
Eugenie Guillot is the Vice President of Lockton Companies, the world's largest independent insurance brokerage providing customized solutions. Guillot joined Lockton in the fall of 2015 after spending nine years working in the health insurance industry. She started as an assistant vice president and was promoted to VP the following year.
Starting her career in the insurance industry on the property casualty side, Guillot moved to healthcare in 2006. She held a senior leadership role for Coventry Health Care and Aetna as the leader of the sales and service teams for Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Her extensive knowledge of healthcare cost management and healthcare reform makes her uniquely qualified to help business owners develop effective strategies for their employee benefit plans and communications.
Guillot has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was a Merit Scholarship Recipient, a TOPS Scholarship Recipient, a member of the Phi Sigma Epsilon Honor Society, and a member of the Beacon Club, a student organization at whose mission is to work together to help eliminate barriers that students with disabilities must surmount in order to obtain their fullest physical, mental, social, vocational, and economic potential.
Jodi Conachen
Chief Operating Officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Jodi Conachen is the Chief Operating Officer for the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Louisiana’s largest cancer care organization that’s been leading the fight against cancer for more than 50 years. From early detection through their innovative Prevention on the Go screening and education program, to diagnosis, treatment, and life after cancer, Mary Bird Perkins offers a wide array of individualized support services to improve survivorship and lessen the burden of cancer.
Conachen previously served Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center as vice president of marketing and communications and has been a member of the senior management team for almost four years. Conachen is an experienced healthcare leader and has operated in an executive leadership capacity. In her marketing and communications role, Conachen had taken on many operational challenges over the last few years and was successful in creating and implementing innovative solutions.
She received her Master’s degree in Business Administration from LSU in Shreveport and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Mass Communications from Louisiana State University.
Kimberly Gramm
Chief Innovation & Entrepreneur Officer & VP, Tulane University
Kimberly Gramm is the Chief Innovation and Entrepreneur Officer and Vice President for Tulane University. Gramm’s primary focus is building Tulane’s innovation and entrepreneurial pipeline and increasing regional capacity for new venture creation. This work improves lives throughout the world and creates transformative economic growth and sustainability for New Orleans and the region.
Gramm has over 14 years of early-stage technology venture development experience. More than 279 startups have been created in university environments under her management, which helped raise more than $470 million in investment capital. She has been awarded more than $12 million in federal and economic development grants for research and commercialization funding in support of innovators and entrepreneurs. Gramm has founded two university accelerators, FAU Tech Runway and Texas Tech University Accelerator, as well as the Texas Tech Research Park, Inc. She also founded a $10 million seed fund to support agriculture technology startups.
In her most recent role as associate vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship at Texas Tech University, Gramm was responsible for leading economic and industry engagement, increasing startup development, and increasing commercialization programs to support faculty and students, as well as developing the university’s innovation district. Gramm earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, an MBA from the University of Tampa, and a PhD from Texas Tech University.
Michele Sutton
President & CEO, North Oaks Health System
Michele Sutton is President and CEO of North Oaks Health System, one of Louisiana's largest and most progressive community hospital organizations. Sutton joined North Oaks Health System in 1988 as a community resources officer. Since then, she was promoted in 2006 to COO and again in 2008 to executive vice president and COO. In 2012, she assumed the additional roles of administrator and CEO of North Oaks Medical Center, and in 2017, she was appointed president and CEO of the health system.
Sutton also serves on the Board of Governors of the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international professional society of more than 48,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems, and other healthcare organizations. Board certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow, Sutton served as an ACHE Regent for Louisiana from 2015 to 2018. Additionally, she has served on several ACHE committees, and she was president and vice president of ACHE – Southeast Louisiana Chapter, which later merged with another chapter to become the Louisiana Chapter of Healthcare Executives.
In addition to her service to ACHE, Sutton has been a member of the Louisiana Hospital Association since 1988, where she has served on numerous committees, and is a member-at-large for the association’s board, its political action committee board, and its trust fund’s board. She serves on the American Hospital Association’s Foster G. McGaw Committee, and she is actively involved in the Northshore Business Council, Northshore Healthcare Alliance, and the New Orleans Chapter of the Women’s Healthcare Executive Network. Sutton earned an MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Southeastern Louisiana University. In 2019, the Southeastern Alumni Association honored her as Alumna of the Year.
Lauren Gibbs
Chief Executive Officer, Gibbs Construction
Lauren Gibbs is the second-generation owner and CEO of Gibbs Construction. A daughter of company founder Lawrence C. Gibbs, she took the helm in July 2019. Gibbs Construction is a leader in the construction industry in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast and has operated since July 4, 1976. They are a commercial general contractor and design-builder with average annual revenues of over $100 million building projects for the military, federal, state, and local government, healthcare, education, multi-family, historic restoration, and hospitality markets. They are proudly 100% woman-owned and hold Women's Business Enterprise certification through the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.
Gibbs came to the company in 2011 after starting her career in Nashville, where she earned both a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering and a Master’s of Engineering/Construction Management from Vanderbilt University and worked in project management for American Constructors. She also has an MBA from the University of New Orleans.
At Gibbs, she has served as an estimator, project coordinator, project engineer, project manager, and executive in charge, and she was named a vice president in October 2017. Gibbs is gifted with innate organizational skills, which are complimented by her ability to quickly and clearly perceive the basic components of complex topics. She is a leader and collaborator with the insight and experience to elevate the team.
Erin Monroe
Market Vice President, Greater Louisiana, Cox Communications
Erin Monroe is the Vice President for Greater Louisiana for Cox Communications Market, overseeing operations in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. As the largest private broadband company in America, they operate fiber-powered networks in more than 30 states, providing connections and advanced cloud and managed IT services for nearly seven million homes and businesses nationwide.
Monroe was promoted from a VP role in government and public affairs for the Southeast region, where she built and maintained a positive image and reputation for Cox by overseeing its government affairs, media relations, employee communications, and community relations in Louisiana, Florida, and Georgia.
Before joining Cox Communications, Monroe held various public and private sector leadership roles, including serving as a special counsel to Governor John Bel Edwards and former Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu and as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Monroe is a native of Shreveport who earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the Southern University Law Center.
Becca Thompson
Associate VP for Enrollment Management & Student Success, Louisiana State University
Becca Thompson is the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success of Louisiana State University (LSU), the flagship institution of Louisiana and one of only 30 universities nationwide holding land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant status.
Thompson has been with LSU since 2008, starting as an associate director. In this role, she served as the academic advisor for the baseball and men's and women's swimming and diving teams. In 2015, she was promoted to assistant director and athletics certification officer. She was promoted again just three years later to director of retention and student success at the Office of Enrollment Management. She was appointed to her current role in 2022.
Before joining Louisiana State University, Thompson was an academic counselor at The Ohio State University. Earlier in her career, she worked as an academic coordinator at Ohio University. Thompson graduated from The University of Georgia with an MEd in sports administration and an undergraduate degree in sports studies.
Gina Simoneaux
VP of Patient Services, North Oaks Health System
Gina Simoneaux joined North Oaks Health System’s leadership team as Vice President of Patient Services in 2021. North Oaks Health System is one of Louisiana's largest and most progressive community hospital organizations and is strategically based between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. A veteran nursing leader with more than 20 years of experience, Simoneaux oversees cardiology services, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, centralized cardiac monitoring, hospice, pastoral and respiratory care, women and children’s services, and the medicine, telemetry, intermediate care, and medical intensive care units.
She came to North Oaks from Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, where she served as director of nursing development and ancillary departments. She had also served as the nurse manager for post-surgical trauma and bariatrics at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. Simoneaux’s prior experience includes 17 years with Lafayette General Medical Center, where she progressed from staff registered nurse to nurse manager to director of the orthopedics, neurology, cardiovascular, telemetry, and medical-surgical units. During her tenure, she was recognized as an Acadiana Top 25 Nurse in 2011, the hospital’s Heart of Gold Award recipient in 2008, and the Heart of Nursing Award recipient in 2006.
Simoneaux earned a Master’s degree in Leadership and Management from Walden University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and an Associate’s degree in Nursing from Louisiana State University – Eunice. In addition, she is certified as a neurofeedback practitioner through the EEG Institute based in Los Angeles.
Kristi Satterla
Human Resources Business Partner & Labor Relations, Sasol
Kristi Satterla serves as the Human Resources Business Partner and Labor Relations for Sasol, a global chemicals and energy company that harnesses its knowledge and expertise to integrate sophisticated technologies and processes into world-scale operating facilities.
Satterla’s previous role was at Furmanite, where she worked within the human resources function primarily in recruiting, executing, and managing effective interview and selection processes. She completed full life cycle recruiting for vacancies at multiple locations and partnered with hiring managers to recruit for full-time positions, assuring positions are advertised to attract the most successful candidates, and coordinating on-campus and community recruiting efforts.
Before that, Satterla was an administrator at Texas Roadhouse. Earlier in her career, she worked with Northwestern Mutual as an associate financial representative and recruiting intern. Satterla earned an MBA from LSU Shreveport and an undergraduate degree in marketing and accounting from McNeese State University.
Cynthia DiCarlo
Professor, Louisiana State University
Cynthia DiCarlo holds the Diane Toups Goyette Professorship in Early Childhood Education and is the Executive Director of the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool at Louisiana State University (LSU). DiCarlo also serves as the coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Teacher Education Program, and her research focuses on interventions to improve outcomes for young children and clarification and innovations in recommended practices in early childhood.
Prior to joining LSU, Cynthia was a clinical assistant professor at LSU’s Health Sciences Center. She has been recognized for her research, teaching, and service. Her research on children's attention during whole group instruction received the 2012 Research Paper of the Year from the Journal of Research in Childhood Education, and she was recognized for excellence in teaching receiving the Tiger Athletic Foundation Teaching Award (2010). Additionally, she has received recognition for her service, receiving the College of Human Sciences and Education Faculty Service Award and the Louisiana Champions of Service Volunteer of the Year: Plantation Region.
DiCarlo has incorporated her passion for research into the courses she teaches and her work in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. Since its inception in 2014, DiCarlo has mentored 67 undergraduate students who have subsequently presented at LSU Discover Day. She currently serves on the editorial boards for Infants & Young Children, the Journal of Teacher Action Research, and Beyond Behavior.
Susan Amos
Chief Marketing Officer, Senior Helpers Lafayette
Susan Amos is the Chief Marketing Officer of Senior Helpers Lafayette. Senior Helpers was founded in 2002 and over the past 21 years has grown into a national leader in professional, in-home senior assistance services. The company has expanded to more than 345 franchises worldwide of which Senior Helpers’ Lafayette ranks in the top 10.
A vibrant, experienced marketing representative, Amos has a documented record of high achievement. She is intensely self-motivated and highly effective at creating referrals and revenue, and she is a proven professional with sales, administrative, and leadership skills. Over her 25 years of sales and marketing experience, she has established contacts within the unique area of Acadiana and has the ability to successfully build programs. She is experienced in business development and marketing of acute care, LTAC, rehabilitation, in-home care, occupational medicine, and nursing home facilities.
Before joining Senior Helpers Lafayette, Amos was a director of sales and marketing at A First Name Basis, a well-known home care company that served a diverse clientele and boasts a rigorous selection process for all staff. Amos was also the regional director of business health services at Dauterive Hospital, where she was responsible for developing special projects, training department staff, strategic planning, and budget preparation. Amos graduated from the University of Southwest Louisiana with an undergraduate degree in elementary education and teaching.
Jeanne Goedecke
VP of Loan Syndications, Hancock Whitney
Jeanne Goedecke is a Vice President of Hancock Whitney Bank. For more than 100 years, Hancock Whitney has served the Gulf South as an institution anchored in values, reinforced with resilience, and focused on opportunity as one of America’s strongest, safest banks.
Goedecke has been in finance for over 12 years, with her most recent role being a foundational member of the Loan Syndications department. Established in 2019, the loan syndications team provides debt capital to financially sound businesses in the form of multi-bank commercial loans in amounts over $25 million. She has been a key player in the department’s success and expansion with the current portfolio boasting over 20 clients managed by a small team of associates. Her passion for service and uplifting women inspires her to participate in various committees, including the Junior League of New Orleans, Safe Sitter, and the CFA Society of Louisiana.
Jeanne graduated from the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University with a major in Finance in May 2012 and earned her CFA charter in April 2023.
Dina Eppley
Chief Tax Officer, Accenture
Dina Eppley is the Chief Tax Officer for Accenture, a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments, and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth, and enhance citizen services.
She first joined the Accenture team in 1998 as the director of tax accounting and then as director of tax operations and geographic tax. She was promoted to deputy chief tax officer in August of 2020 and added the responsibilities of her current role in September of 2021.
Eppley started her career in 1990 in the tax group of Arthur Andersen as an intern while pursuing a degree in accounting from the University of New Orleans. She now has over 30 years in corporate tax leading and supporting domestic and international tax planning and compliance activities, navigating highly complex jurisdictions, providing strategic insight and guidance on complex tax matters, and building and leading tax teams, processes, and policies.
Mendi Robinson
VP of Creative, Lamar Advertising Company
Mendi Robinson is the Vice President of Creative at Lamar Advertising Company. Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising Company is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America, with approximately 363,000 displays across the United States and Canada. Mendi is responsible for training Lamar's sales force and designers to sell and create effective OOH advertising. She also manages the team of designers responsible for Lamar’s brand, as well as the planning, creation, and execution of all sales and marketing collateral.
Robinson first joined Lamar Advertising Company in 1997 as AVP of marketing and creative director, where she managed the team of designers responsible for Lamar’s brand, web presence, and all corporate and sales collateral. She also served as creative director, and in this role, she created and managed Lamar’s National Creative Team, a group of six of Lamar’s top designers.
A graduate of the Louisiana Art Institute, Robinson is active in the Baton Rouge community as a member of the local Advertising Federation. She serves on the board of directors for The Boys and Girls Club in Baton Rouge and is Vice President of The Marichi Turner Foundation. She was elected to the Baton Rouge Business Report’s Forty Under 40 class in 2015. Nationally, she has served on the Ad Council Creative Steering Committee and is the former Chairman of the OAAA Creative Committee. She had the privilege of serving as a judge for the 61st OBIE Awards.
Kelly Rabalais
VP of Communications & Strategy, St. Tammany Health System
Kelly Rabalais is the Vice President of Communications and Strategy of St. Tammany Health System, a healthcare system that is nationally recognized for quality, safety, and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice, and U.S. News & World Report.
Before she was appointed VP, Rabalais served St. Tammany Health System as an assistant vice president of communications and strategy and an assistant VP of strategic planning and implementation. Before joining the hospital, Rabalais was a chief administrative officer at St. Tammany Parish Government. Earlier in her career, she worked with LeBlanc Butler as an associate.
Rabalais graduated from LSU Law with a JD in law, from LSU Shreveport with an MHA, and from Louisiana State University with an undergraduate degree in political science. She holds multiple accreditations in public relations and health law.
Eboni Buchanan
SVP of Physician Services, Woman's Hospital
Eboni Buchanan is the Senior Vice President of Physician Services of Woman's Hospital, one of the first women's specialty hospitals in the nation, and is currently one of the largest in the United States. Since its opening in 1968, Woman's has welcomed more than 375,000 babies, making it one of the largest delivery services in the country and the largest in Louisiana.
Buchanan is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of women’s physician practices and the continued advancement of clinical services. A healthcare executive with over a decade of progressive leadership experience, Buchanan has expertise in clinical operations, physician management, finance, business development, and program implementation. She is a demonstrated leader and innovative thinker, able to address business challenges through strategic planning, financial initiatives, and physician/provider/staff involvement.
Previously, Buchanan was a senior director at MedStar Health. Before that, she was a manager of physician practice at Holy Cross Health. Earlier in her career, she worked with the Louisiana Department of Health as a nutrition services and WIC program specialist. Buchanan earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of New Orleans and her Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the National Association of Health Service Executives.
Patrice Bell
VP of Administration & Chief of Staff, Xavier University of Louisiana
Patrice Bell is the VP of Administration and Chief of Staff at Xavier University of Louisiana. Patrice has held this position since September 2017. Founded in 1925 by Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of The Blessed Sacrament, Xavier is the only Black and Catholic University in the US.
Bell is an innovative thinker and dynamic change agent with over 20 years of experience and a future-focused approach. She successfully drove strategic marketing, communications, public affairs, media relations, external and internal relations, and branding efforts for clients across diverse industries, including transit, banking, and nonprofit sectors. Bell is an accomplished spokesperson with proactive and crisis communications experience, a capital project community outreach expert, and a government relations professional. An award-winning advertising campaign and branding master, she has successfully developed impactful messages, producing measurable results.
Bell previously worked as the public information officer at Transdev North America. Prior to that, she was the director of marketing and communications at the American Red Cross. Bell has a graduate certification in higher education management from Harvard University and a Bachelor's degree in Marketing Communications from the University of New Orleans. She also has a certification from the American Red Cross in Metro 30 CEO Training and MCFLY in Norman C. Francis Leadership Institute Class of 2019-2020.
Maria Bhacca
CEO, AeroWest International
Maria Bhacca is the CEO of AeroWest International, a trusted manufacturer and service provider of odor control, air freshening, and hygiene solutions. She brings more than 30 years of executive experience to the company and her belief that administration and customer satisfaction are at the base of any successful business.
Bhacca, a native of Italy, came to the US, while she was working on her Doctorate in Foreign Languages and Literatures. She started her own company, Accent Travel, in 1984, a pre-internet corporate travel agency taking care of companies with multimillion-dollar travel budgets. From there, Bhacca was appointed CEO and president of West Industries, where she was responsible for the total operations of the company, including the service division, product sales division, and manufacturing division.
Bhacca is a former member of Rotary International, a Charter Member of ACTE, and a member of SITE. She was one of 100 American travel executives invited by The Department of Tourism of Israel to visit their country as their guest and one of 200 worldwide travel executives invited by the Hong Kong Tourist Office to visit Hong Kong after the transfer back to China in 1997.
Mullady Voelker
President of Growth & Strategy, Gifted Healthcare
Mullady Voelker is the President of Growth and Strategy of Gifted Healthcare, an award-winning company that offers excellent career opportunities to clinicians and school-based professionals. The mission is to help clinicians and school-based professionals advance their careers by providing exceptional job opportunities, day-one benefits, and 24/7 support.
In this role, Voelker oversees the company growth plan, including expansion into new markets and the successful launching of new service lines resulting in multi-million-dollar revenue streams. She also leads strategic client consultation, resulting in a 95% retention rate of top clients year over year, and drives product and service line positioning, resulting in unprecedented revenue growth year over year. Voelker influences creative and strategic results-driven campaigns, resulting in 40% growth of the potential contingent workforce
Before joining Gifted Healthcare, Voelker was a clinical social worker at the Children's Bureau of New Orleans. Before that, she was a social worker at River Oaks Psychology. Voelker graduated from Tulane University School of Social Work with an MSW and from Vanderbilt University with an undergraduate degree in human and organizational development.
Carmen Randolph
Founding President & CEO, Women's Foundation of the South
Carmen Randolph is the Founding President and CEO of the Women's Foundation of the South (WFS). WFS is an organization for women and girls of color in the South, led by the same, and founded on the principle that solutions are often held by those closest to the problem. WFS raises funds for active programs, services, and resources for women and girls of color and their families to stimulate building health, wealth, and power and serves women of color in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In August 2021, Randolph was thrilled to take on the role of Founding President and CEO of a ground-breaking new foundation. Over the course of her 25-year career in philanthropy, she has worked hard to successfully galvanize funders, donors, policymakers, and grassroots activists to forever change lives, systems, and communities for good. She is particularly passionate about building prosperity for women and girls of color and firmly believes in the ineffable power a sisterhood holds to support, nurture, and amplify one another.
Randolph is presently a fellow in the Aspen Institute and the Neighborhood Funder’s Group Philanthropy Forward initiative, and she was recently invited to join Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Membership. Randolph graduated from American University with an undergraduate degree in American studies.
Marjorie Briley
VP of Business Development, Ascend Math
Marjorie Briley is the VP of Business Development of Ascend Math. Ascend Math is written to Common Core and rigorous state standards. Instruction is delivered in a logical math sequence and students move ahead at their own pace and track their own progress. Ascend Math is currently used by hundreds of schools and districts serving tens of thousands of students throughout the US and Canada.
Briley has twenty years of experience in educational technology and consulting with school districts, ranging from 1,000 to 120,000 students. She has focused predominantly on working with administrators on strategies to accelerate learning so that students at risk of passing high-stakes tests will succeed.
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, she is very fond of working with schools to improve student success. Briley has presented at NCTM, NCSM, ASCD, and TCEA and is currently authoring a blog series on equity in education with a focus on coaching teachers to help students discover a math identity.
Katie Walmsley
Chief Financial Officer, KIPP New Orleans
Katie Walmsley is the Chief Financial Officer of KIPP New Orleans Schools, which serves as the city’s largest network of open-enrollment public charter schools and educates over 10% of New Orleans’ public school students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. As CFO, Walmsley is accountable for an operating budget of $72 million that supports over 600 employees across the school support center and 12 schools and serves over 5400 students.
Prior, she served as finance and administrative officer of Teach For America-Greater New Orleans, where she led efforts to raise and manage $58 million by aligning the priorities of funders with TFA's strategy, bringing over 1200 education leaders to Greater New Orleans. Earlier in her career, Walmsley joined the founding team of a web-based talent recruitment startup, raising $5 million, growing registered users to 100,000, and spearheading online marketing, communications, and product redesign. Before that, she held managerial positions in finance and operations at McMaster-Carr, a large supplier to commercial facilities worldwide, increasing productivity and managing quality and profitability.
Walmsley began working in education to advance access to opportunity and equity in the city of New Orleans. Through her work on the board of directors of Propeller from 2011 to 2017, she oversaw the launch of their accelerator programs and the incubation of over 100 ventures tackling social and environmental disparities. In 2017, Walmsley joined the board of directors of College Beyond, which helps New Orleans youth enroll and succeed in college, and the Crescent City Corps, which is building a talent pipeline that creates the next generation of law enforcement leaders. Walmsley was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics. She spent her childhood in New Jersey and lives in New Orleans alongside her husband and their two children.
Deb Grant
President & CEO, Corporate Playbook
Deborah (Deb) Grant, a visionary leader, is an independent director at SoundThinking SSTI (NASDAQ), where she chairs the Human Capital and Compensation Committee, and at DJE Holdings (Edelman), one of the largest PR firms in the world. She is the Executive Vice Chairwoman at CNEXT, a highly diverse global community for the advancement of high-impact leaders.
Additionally, Grant is CEO of Corporate Playbook, a firm with an impressive global client list that provides senior executives with strategic direction to elevate leadership, inclusion, and culture. Grant is also the creator of Dining with Deb, an innovative experience built by women, for women, celebrating women. Her work is informed by many years of success, as GE’s first black female corporate officer and President of the GE Foundation. She led global philanthropic efforts, deploying a $130 million budget to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges.
Grant has received numerous accolades, including the 50 Most Powerful Women in Philanthropy from Inside Philanthropy, the Women of Excellence Legacy Award from the National Association for Female Executives, the Women of Power Award from the National Urban League, Keeper of the Dream Award from the National Action Network, and the NCAA’s Legacy in Leadership Award. She holds a BA from LSU, an MPA from Southern University, and an Honorary Doctor of Science from Clarkson University. She and her husband reside in New Orleans.
Sandra Cashe
Chief Customer Officer, Veriforce
Sandra Cashe serves as the Chief Customer Officer for Veriforce, a global leader that delivers supply chain risk management and compliance solutions that help bring workers home safely each day.
Cashe began her career in 1993 as director of sales for Cardinal Health, then a $25 billion publicly traded healthcare company. She continued in the pharmaceutical industry, joining Walsh Healthcare Solutions in 1997, where she served as senior VP and general manager, helping to grow the company from $300 million to $2 billion in annual revenues with responsibilities for sales, distribution operations, and the company’s technology division.
In 2004, Cashe joined Neill Corporation, the largest independent distributor of Aveda products, as VP of Aveda sales and education, she was responsible for marketing, sales, education, and support of the company’s 1,000 Aveda salon and spa clients. In 2008, Cashe moved to become president of Neill Technologies, makers of SalonBiz and SpaBiz software, a global technology leader in the beauty industry. Cashe earned an undergraduate degree from Sam Houston State University.
Veronica Gillispie-Bell
Medical Director, Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative & Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review, Louisiana Department of Health
Veronica Gillispie-Bell is also the Medical Director of the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review for the Louisiana Department of Health. In this role, she leads initiatives in the state of Louisiana to improve birth outcomes for all birthing persons in Louisiana and eliminate the Black-white disparity gap. Gillispie-Bell has testified before Congress and led Congressional briefings to inform on the drivers of maternal mortality and legislative policy to improve maternal outcomes. She was an invited speaker at The White House Maternal Health Day of Action.
Gillispie-Bell is a Board-Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Associate Professor for Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana. She serves as the Senior Site Lead and Section Head of Women’s Services at Ochsner Kenner. Additionally, she serves as the Director of Quality for Women’s Services for the Ochsner Health System and is the Medical Director of the Minimally Invasive Center for the Treatment of Uterine Fibroids. She has served in several other local and national leadership roles, has been quoted in and published in several local and national publications, and was featured in the 1619 Project Docuseries.
She earned her medical degree from Meharry Medical College and completed her residency training at Ochsner Health System. She has a Master of Applied Science in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has received certification in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University. Gillispie-Bell also performs advanced laparoscopic and robotic-assisted laparoscopic procedures and is known nationally for her expertise in the management of heavy menstrual bleeding associated with fibroids.
Kristen Riegel
Chief Philanthropy Officer, Second Harvest Food Bank
Kristen Riegel is the Chief Philanthropy Officer of Second Harvest Food Bank, a private, not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization. Second Harvest's mission is to provide food to people facing hunger and work to advance hunger solutions.
A member of the executive leadership, Riegel joined Second Harvest in 2015 with more than 15 years of development experience. After several years in event fundraising and major gifts for the University of Houston, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Rice University, and Buckner International, Riegel spent eight years raising funds for social service organizations. A native of New Orleans, she brings her years of major-market experience in fundraising to the mission of Second Harvest. She is a graduate of the Academy of the Sacred Heart and attended LSU for both undergraduate and graduate school.
Dolfinette Martin
Housing Director, Operation Restoration
Dolfinette Martin is the Housing Director at Operation Restoration, a nonprofit that supports women and girls impacted by incarceration, where she manages all housing programming provided by Operation Restoration and supervises staff, interns, and volunteers working for Hope House NOLA. Martin was appointed to New Orleans’ first female mayor Latoya Cantrell’s transition team, and in 2019, she was appointed to the New Orleans Audubon Zoo Board of Commissioners. She was a founding member and former president of the New Orleans chapter of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. She is a recipient of the John Thompson Leadership for Change Award and a Freedom Fighter Award.
Martin is an equal partner in Tulane University’s Newcomb Art Museum’s (Per)Sister exhibition and an equal partner in the latest iteration of the exhibition Unthinkable Imagination. She was instrumental in creating the first Women’s Gathering Fellowship for women of color with the Center for Community Change and was one of the first ten cohorts. She also contributed her expertise to help create The Power Coalitions-SheLeads Fellowship, which also focuses on women of color doing on-the-ground organizing. Based on her legislative advocacy, Governor John Bel Edwards appointed her to sit on the Louisiana Women’s Incarceration Task Force in 2018, and in 2021, after the unanimous passage of SCR 45, she became a member of the Survivor Informed Task Force.
Martin earned a college degree in 2015 after her release from prison in 2012. She is frequently asked to contribute her expertise and wisdom to panels and media. She serves on the Formerly Incarcerated Transitional Clinic Advisory Board, where she also has co-authored, a publication titled Healthcare in Louisiana Prisons-Women. She is a panelist on the Criminal Background Check Review Board for the Housing Authority of New Orleans and a fierce advocate of safe and affordable housing for people touched by the criminal legal system.
Melissa Ehlinger
Chief of External Affairs, YouthForce NOLA
Melissa Ehlinger is the Chief of External Affairs of YouthForce NOLA, an education, business, and civic collaborative that builds bridges between school and work. Ehlinger is an experienced executive focused on affecting change through partnerships across non-profit, private, and public entities. She’s a strategic thinker with expertise in translating across systems that do not speak the same language.
Prior to this role, Ehlinger served as the senior vice president for strategy and business development at the New Orleans Business Alliance, New Orleans’ official economic development organization. During her tenure at the Business Alliance, Ehlinger served as the interim president and CEO and was an integral part of crafting the organization’s overall economic development strategy. She also oversaw day-to-day business attraction and retention functions, as well as the organization’s research department. Her previous experience includes work with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, where she worked as a project manager in residential and commercial corridor redevelopment and worked as an attorney with the US Department of Transportation and the US Office of Special Counsel.
A native New Orleanian, Ehlinger holds a BA in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, Phi Beta Kappa; a JD from The George Washington University; and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of New Orleans. Ehlinger was awarded UNO’s College of Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumna Award in 2016 and serves on the Board of the Good Work Network.
Anne Fuselier
Interim Managing Director of Advancement, Undergraduate Schools, Tulane University
Anne Elizabeth Fuselier is the Assistant Dean of Advancement for the School of Science and Engineering and Interim- Managing Director of Advancement for Undergraduate Schools at Tulane University. She is also the Executive Director of Marsalis Harmony Park Partners, in New Orleans and assists with Theodent, a “born in New Orleans” innovative oral care company.
In her distinguished career at Tulane University, Anne has not only excelled in elevating the institution's fundraising initiatives but has also played a critical role in its major transitions and capital projects. Prior to joining the Tulane team, Anne provided decade-long philanthropic leadership to Start The Adventure In Reading, STAIR; a not-for-profit children’s literacy program whose mission is to improve the self-esteem and reading skills of lower elementary public school children.
Beyond her professional achievements, Anne's commitment to community betterment is evident through her co-founding of Marsalis Harmony Park Partners; a not-for-profit organization that works to maintain and improve the 5.6-acre family-friendly park and playground that had been devastated after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Anne has displayed an admirable duality in her career, masterfully intertwining the high-paced realm of major strategic philanthropy and a selfless drive for local positive social impact. Anne’s dedication to community betterment, particularly through STAIR and Marsalis Harmony Park Partners, highlights her commitment to enhancing Louisiana’s educational and social fabric, making her an exemplary member of Louisiana's Top 50 Women.
Maddy Devine
VP of Strategic Finance, Calibrate
Maddy Devine is the VP of Strategic Finance at Calibrate, a modern, medical metabolic health business changing the way the world treats weight by defining a new category in metabolic health that mirrors what the research shows – that weight reflects their biology, not their willpower.
Before joining Calibrate, Devine was a VP of finance at Bevy, where she was the lead for a $40 million Series C raised in March 2021. She was promoted to this role from director of finance. Before that, she held multiple leadership roles at Lucid, LLC, including senior manager, associate director, and director of financial planning and analysis. Earlier in her career, she worked with Teach For America as a 2009 Greater New Orleans corps member.
Devine graduated from The Fuqua School of Business of Duke University with an MBA in finance and social entrepreneurship and from Boston College with an undergraduate degree in economics and English.
Casey Kucera
Chief Financial Officer, Jefferson Financial Credit Union
Casey Kucera is the Chief Financial Officer of Jefferson Financial Credit Union, a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution serving more than 50,000 members with fourteen locations across south Louisiana.
Kucera has spent the last 15 years serving clients and staff at Jefferson Financial Credit Union. She started with the organization in 2009 as an accountant, a role she worked for just one-and-a-half years. Then, she was promoted to accounting manager in 2020. Just over two years later, she was promoted to her current role – a meteoric rise for this dedicated financial professional.
After earning her BSM in finance from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, Kucera returned to school for an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She earned this degree in 2014. In 2015, she added a Master of Science in Finance, also from the Kelley School of Business to her impressive list of credentials.
Ingrid Payne
SVP of Member Services, La Capitol Federal Credit Union
Ingrid Payne is the Senior Vice President of Member Services of La Capitol Federal Credit Union. Founded in 1961, La Capitol’s first office was in the basement of the state capitol building. But from their humble beginnings serving employees of the State Department of Commerce and Industry, they’ve grown into a statewide network with branches stretching from Ouachita to Tangipahoa.
Payne was appointed to her current role at La Capitol Federal Credit Union in August 2009, and she has continued serving clients and staff since then. In addition to her extensive professional experience, Payne is also a Certified Compliance Officer through NAFCU (National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions), a US trade organization representing the nation's federally insured credit unions. She earned this accreditation in April of 2015.
Payne graduated from Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge. While studying there, she was involved in multiple activities and societies, including Women in Government, Ladies of Roses Social, and Civic Club.
Kie McNabb
Chief Nursing Officer, Beauregard Health System
Kie McNabb is the Chief Nursing Officer of Beauregard Health System. The hospital's name changed in 2018, and the new name reflects the organization today and where the organization is going in the future. As they have maintained their mission to improve the health and well-being of the people in Beauregard Parish and surrounding communities, they have also evolved and strive to be the premier provider of health and wellness services in their community, as well as the primary connector to healthcare solutions wherever individuals and families are best served.
McNabb started her first director-level role in 2008 as director of surgical services at Doctors Hospital at Deer Creek. After nearly five years in this position, she was appointed director of surgical services for Beauregard Health System, where she served patients and staff for eight years. In November of 2020, she was appointed to her current role, a career highlight for McNabb.
McNabb earned an Associate of Science in Nursing Science from Valencia College to jump-start her career in the medical field. Then, she got her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from The University of Southern Mississippi. She returned to The University of Southern Mississippi for her Master of Science in Exercise Physiology to complete her education.
Scheherezade Daftary
VP of Finance, iSeatz
Scheherezade Daftary is the Vice President of Finance of iSeatz. She first joined the company in 2022. iSeatz provides digital commerce and loyalty tech solutions that enable travel and lifestyle bookings. Daftary is a visionary executive who builds best-in-class finance teams and strategizes data-driven plans to deliver unprecedented and continued growth. Her passion is overseeing financial operations with a continuous improvement mindset and providing integral direction to help organizations scale. Throughout her career, she has worked with both well-established companies and startups.
With a long career in financial leadership roles, Daftary previously served as a finance manager at News Corporation and as the director of finance at Fox for film, TV, and sports. After nearly eight years working as a finance and accounting consultant, she accepted the head of finance role for Happy Mushroom, a fast-growing startup with a focus on profitability, efficiency, customer service, and continuous improvement, in 2021, before moving into her current role.
Daftary earned an MBA in accounting from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and an undergraduate degree in art history and Spanish literature from Washington University in St. Louis.
Kate deKay
CEO, Eustis Mortgage
Kate deKay is the CEO of Eustis Mortgage Corporation and is responsible for leading all Eustis Family of Companies brands, including Eustis Mortgage Corporation; Finance Home America; Verity Mortgage; Legacy Mortgage Corporation; and Prosperity Mortgage Advisors.
Coming from a long line of family leadership, deKay is the third generation of the Eustis family and an owner of the company. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, she served as the company’s SVP. She began with Eustis in 2007. During that time, deKay worked as a mortgage specialist to originate loans and assisting homebuyers with loan product selection and has served roles in leadership, where she initiated growth strategies, expansion, and loan processing into multiple states. Under her direction, the company has embraced technology and made numerous advancements to help clients obtain loans more fluidly through an app interface and online application. She remains dedicated to her local New Orleans market while playing a large role in the company's continuing to adapt to the changing world.
She is active in the community she serves and is a former President of the Mortgage Lenders Association in New Orleans. Prior to her presidential term, she served on the board as VP and other roles over three years. She remains active within the association and also finds time to serve as a member of the Women’s Council of Realtors. She recently introduced a company-wide initiative by engaging employees to be active in the community and to recognize the efforts of those who embark on civic endeavors.
Anne Foundas
Managing Director, Brain Institute of Louisiana
Anne Foundas is the Executive Director of the Brain Institute of Louisiana, Managing Partner of NOLA Brain and Behavior, and Research Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The Brain Institute of Louisiana is a private nonprofit that promotes brain health in Louisiana through research and education.
Foundas has extensive experience in graduate and undergraduate medical education. Many of her students have become leaders in academic and healthcare settings. She served as director of the Neurology Residency Training Program at the Tulane University School of Medicine, vice chair of clinical research in the Department of Neurology at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, and chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri. Her clinical practice focuses on patients with memory and cognitive disorders. Her research is designed to learn how atypical brain architecture leads to developmental disorders of speech and language, and how brain aging can be enhanced through early detection and treatment of memory problems. Her research program has been funded by local, state, and national funding agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Wellesley College and her medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans. She completed residency and fellowship training in neurology and cognitive and behavioral neurology at the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville.
Tammi Griffin-Major
Chief Operating Officer, lgiers Charter School Association
Tamara Griffin-Major is the Chief Operating Officer at lgiers Charter School Association. She is an experienced educator, leader, strategist, and community relations expert with a proven track record of setting and achieving systems’ goals, working with community organizations and agencies to formulate mutually beneficial partnerships, and developing relationships among groups that formulate a powerful collective/collaborative.
Griffin-Major is single-minded in her efforts to benefit the children of the City of New Orleans while having the uncanny ability to foresee and understand how seemingly extraneous factions interconnect. Her vision and passion have led her from the classroom, where she taught mathematics, to her current role.
Griffin-Major earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics education from Southern University of New Orleans, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Xavier University of New Orleans, and a Doctorate of Education in Executive Leadership at the University of Holy Cross. Born, raised, and educated in the City of New Orleans, Griffin-Major is a devoted wife and mother who wants the same incredible education she received for every child and works tirelessly to build the substructure from which every child can soar.
Tamara Jackson Wyre
SVP & Director of Talent & Diversity, Hancock Whitney
Tamara Wyre is a true champion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the finance industry. As the leader of Talent and Diversity functions at Hancock Whitney, Tamara integrates DEIB strategy with talent management and learning operating models to build teams that serve the diverse needs of clients and communities. Her innovative approach to DEIB has made her a thought leader in the industry. She leads a team focused on attracting, developing, and retaining a talented and diverse workforce while enriching the company's culture, business growth, and community engagement. With her passion for promoting equity and creating pathways to leadership, Tamara is truly making a difference.
Wyre joined Hancock Whitney in 2018 as part of the Capital One Asset Management LLC acquisition as the Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, spearheading the company’s first socially responsible investment strategy called the SRI-Diversity Leaders Investment Equity Strategy, which invests in companies that demonstrate inclusive practices around gender and equality. With over 25 years of experience in wealth and asset management, Wyre has a strong track record of creating equity strategies that mirror the belief systems of those who own them. Prior to joining Hancock Whitney, Wyre was a Portfolio Relationship Manager with U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Atlanta, GA.
Tamara earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Hampton University College, an MBA from Tulane University, a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA ®) Certification from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida.
Tamara is a true force for education and economic empowerment, actively serving on multiple boards and committees. Her passion for promoting financial literacy and career readiness shines through in her work facilitating workshops for youth and young adults. Tamara's dedication to introducing girls to careers in finance is especially noteworthy through her involvement with Rock the Street Wall Street. Her hard work and achievements have not gone unnoticed, as she has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2022 Woman of Achievement Corporate Award and being selected as a "Top Women in Asset Management" by Money Management Executives.
Imanni Sheppard
Director of Medical Education & Social Scientific Research, The Medical Humanities and Health Disparities Institute
Imanni Sheppard is an alumnus of the University of New Orleans and the University of Houston, where she received her undergraduate degree in biological anthropology and her Master’s degree in Medical Anthropology, respectively. Thereafter, she continued her education at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where upon graduation she became the first African American in the United States with a PhD in the medical humanities.
Her academic journey afforded her the opportunity to later become the Director of Medical Education and Social Scientific Research at the Medical Humanities and Health Disparities Institute, where she works with private companies, community organizations, and any interested stakeholders to help build medical educational materials and develop health and wellness programming to address health disparities and medical inequities. Sheppard is also the co-director of the bioethics and medical humanities curriculum thread, an assistant professor, and a medical education facilitator at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign-Carle College of Medicine, touted as the first engineering-based medical school in the world.
Sheppard is a member of Xavier University’s community advisory board for the College of Pharmacy’s Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education, an op-ed fellow, and a newly appointed ambassador for the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Collaborative for Health Equity: to Act, Research, and Generate Evidence (CHARGE). Over the last ten years, she has authored Health, Healing, and Hurricane Katrina: A Critical Analysis of Psychosomatic Illness in Survivors (sold globally); authored “Embodied Trauma and the Dissociation of the Self” in Dark Denials and Domestic Violence, was supplemental author of Anthropology textbook, What Does it Mean to be Human; and has written numerous encyclopedia articles and several poems in Kaiser Permanente Journal. Her latest book is The Parallax of Medical “Progress.” Finally, Sheppard is the recent recipient of the Osmosis Faculty Raise the Line Award.
Krista Raney
SVP for Development, LSU Foundation
Krista Raney is the Senior Vice President for Development for LSU Foundation, the primary fundraising entity for academics at Louisiana State University. Raney started with the foundation as assistant vice president for development in 2018. After serving in this role for just two years, she was promoted to VP for development. Raney was appointed to her current role in September of 2022.
Prior to joining the LSU Foundation, Raney worked for Louisiana State University. She started as director of development, where she was responsible for the robust relationship management of major donors. She was promoted to senior director in less than a year. She led the major and principal gift fundraising efforts through an integrated development team approach for the Colleges of Humanities & Social Sciences, Music & Dramatic Arts, and the LSU Press.
Raney graduated from Louisiana State University magna cum laude with an undergraduate degree in history. She returned to her alma mater and earned her MBA in 2023.
Leigh Ann Ripka
Senior Director of Culture & Marketing, Rudick Construction Group
Leigh Ann Ripka is the Senior Director of Culture and Marketing for Rudick Construction Group, a growing operation across Louisiana and Texas. In this role, Ripka has a heavy hand in anything that's publicly visible throughout the company. She also leads the company's internal organizational and talent development efforts, which has been a brand new arena for her and she's loving every minute.
In addition to her position at Rudick Construction Group, Ripka founded and leads Let's Vibe, LLC, an organization that supports women and female interests, particularly in areas of fundraising for special causes and elevating women. She is also actively involved in One Acadiana, LIA, and KOK’s Advisory Board. A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Ripka graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she earned her undergraduate degree in public relations.
Tiffanie Ortis
VP of Global Supply Chain, Stuller
Tiffanie Ortis is the Vice President of Global Supply Chain of Stuller, a prime manufacturer that provides a wide range of goods and services for jewelry professionals worldwide. Stuller’s core product categories include bridal jewelry, wedding bands, fine jewelry, mountings, diamonds, gemstones, findings, metals, tools, packaging, and digital solutions.
Ortis is an experienced inventory planning and procurement leader with production planning experience across multiple facilities. Her specialties include inventory management, replenishment forecast and analysis, procurement, vendor management, and supply chain operations. She has a strong working knowledge of Oracle software, Microsoft Office, and business applications.
Previously, Ortis was an accountant/personal assistant at Bradley Broussard Land Services, Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked with Enterprise Rent-A-Car as an MA and account executive. Ortis earned an MBA in business administration and management from LSU Shreveport and an undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Sabrina Kortlandt
First Vice President, SRS Real Estate
Sabrina Kortlandt is the First Vice President of SRS Real Estate. Founded in 1986, SRS Real Estate Partners is building upon its retail foundation to provide extensive commercial real estate solutions to tenants, owners, and investors. Kortlandt focuses on advising clients through ground-up development, asset repositioning, lease negotiation, and 1031 exchanges. Within the past year, she was responsible for over $105 million worth of assets sold, placed under contract, and exclusively listed.
She started her career as an associate at SAB Capital, a group of seasoned real estate brokers specializing in the retail and net lease, national affordable housing, and industrial sectors. In 2020, Kortlandt moved to New Orleans to open an office for SRS and has sold over $200 million worth of real estate since 2018.
Kortlandt has a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University, where she graduated cum laude. She also spent part of her college career at the Université de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France, where she studied international business management. In her free time, she volunteers with the Make a Wish Foundation in the Gulf South as a Wish Grantor.
Larissa Stout
Regional Vice President, Post-Acute, 3M
Larissa Stout is the Regional Vice President, Post-Acute at 3M, an American multinational multi-industry company that operates in the fields of industry, worker safety, healthcare, and consumer goods.
With over 20 years of comprehensive experience in the healthcare industry, Stout has expertise in sales, key account management, contract negotiations, and implementation. She consistently delivers results, develops others, and has a positive attitude with a focus on leadership, relationship skills, and communication. Stout has been with 3M for over two decades of her career, starting with the company as an alternate site care representative for the 3M medical division. She was continuously promoted over the years, with her first national role in 2016 as a national key account manager. In under two years, she was promoted again to strategic account director and was then appointed to her current role in 2020.
Earlier in her career, Stour worked as a senior account executive at Lamar Advertising Company, one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the world. Stout has a Bachelor of Science in finance from Louisiana State University.
Alice Glenn
Executive Vice President, New Orleans & Company
Alice Glenn is the Executive Vice President of New Orleans & Company, the official destination sales and marketing organization for New Orleans’ tourism industry. Founded in 1960, their mission is to inspire, promote, and encourage travel to their city for the economic, social, and community benefit of New Orleans and its people.
Over a two-decade career, Glenn has worked on political campaigns and with organizations such as the United Way, Loyola University of New Orleans, and the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Most recently, she served as the founder and CEO of Glenn & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in strategy, fundraising, and community affairs that helps organizations leverage advocacy and philanthropy to maximize impact. She has supported government officials, including a term as a legislative assistant to Louisiana House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Walt Leger.
She is active with several nonprofits, currently serving as President-Elect of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). Locally, Glenn serves on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO), Citizens for One Greater New Orleans, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana's Campaign Cabinet; the Executive Committee of Women United; an Institutional Advancement Committee member for the Academy of the Sacred Heart; and the advisory board for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Tulane's School of Professional Advancement. She is a sustaining member of the Junior League of New Orleans after serving on its board of directors three times, including as Board President. She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, and a master’s degree from Tulane University.
Victoria Paz
Director of Sales & Marketing, Silver Slipper Casino Hotel
Victoria Paz is the Director of Sales and Marketing of Silver Slipper Casino Hotel, a popular casino resort. Paz is responsible for overseeing the sales and marketing departments that handle casino promotions, database/direct mail programs, advertising, and group sales.
Paz has spent her career at Silver Slipper Casino Hotel. Starting as a retail clerk, she was quickly promoted to marketing administrator and then advertising and publicity manager. She was appointed to her current role in 2019. Paz is proud to have been honored as one of Edge of the Lake's Top 40 Under Forty in its inaugural year (2020) of the award and for being recognized as one of Slidell's Best Volunteers in 2018, nominated for the Professional Women of St. Tammany Women's Choice Award in 2022, nominated for Athena Young Professional Award in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
She has a deep passion for giving back to the community and has done so over the last decade through her work as a board member of various local nonprofit organizations. She served in a variety of leadership capacities in several nonprofit and business organizations. Paz earned an undergraduate degree in industrial and product design from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Jené Liggins
Director of Talent and People Development, Pahara Institute
Jené Liggins serves as the Pahara Institute’s Director of Talent and People Development. In this role, she builds organizational culture for and through people, creating rituals, processes, and systems that support the talent management lifecycle across Pahara. Liggins’s work facilitates opportunities for their internal team to thrive in their roles while doing work that is aligned with their professional goals and Pahara’s organizational legacy. The Pahara Institute seeks to strengthen the movement for educational excellence and equity by developing and sustaining values-driven leaders.
Before joining Pahara, Liggins first got her start in 2006 as a legislative assistant at the Louisiana House of Representatives. From there, she went on to First City Court for Orleans Parish, before eventually rising to director of policy and chief of staff at New Schools for New Orleans. Her work in education began in charter school operations.
A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Liggins earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, with a minor in music, from Loyola University New Orleans. She earned her JD from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. Liggins lives in the Greater New Orleans area.