Avoyelles Parish Residents Contribute Significantly to LSUA’s Success!
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Welcome to "Coreil's Career Corner"!
First, I would like to introduce myself to Avoyelles Parish residents who may not know me. On June 30, I retired from Louisiana State University of Alexandria (LSUA) after serving a total of eight years as Chancellor—first as Interim Chancellor in 2013–2014 and then as permanent Chancellor from 2019–2026.
Prior to my service at LSUA, I spent 35 years with the LSU AgCenter, including 12 years as Vice Chancellor and Director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service from 2001–2013.
Earlier in my career, I served in a variety of professional positions with the AgCenter in Baton Rouge, Cameron Parish, and Calcasieu Parish. My 43-year career with the LSU System has been incredibly rewarding and a true blessing for
both me and my wife, Arlene. In future columns, you will get to know Arlene much better. We were both born and raised in Ville Platte, and we have always felt a special connection to the people of Avoyelles Parish because the culture, values, and personality of its communities are so similar to those of our hometown.
Through this column series, I hope to share some of the experiences and lessons learned during my early years in Ville Platte and throughout my professional journey with both the LSU AgCenter and LSUA. I have been fortunate to work with extraordinary people in all 64 Louisiana parishes. The Cooperative Extension Service maintains offices in every parish, supported by parish governments and school boards, providing me with opportunities to build relationships across our state. I personally spent 14 years as an LSU Sea Grant Extension Agent in Cameron Parish, many of those years with my office located in the Cameron Parish Courthouse. There is no better way to learn the heart and soul of a parish than by working in its courthouse and interacting daily with the people who call it home.
For this first column, I thought I would share one of the “secret ingredients” behind LSUA’s remarkable growth and success. That secret is the many talented residents of Avoyelles Parish who work in leadership, faculty, staff, and support positions across the LSUA campus.
Being only a stone’s throw from Avoyelles Parish, LSUA has been fortunate to attract a large number of dedicated professionals from the parish. Throughout my time as Chancellor, I consistently observed a strong work ethic, unwavering dedication, positive attitude, and innovative spirit among our team members from Avoyelles Parish. These qualities have been evident not only at LSUA but throughout my entire career with the LSU AgCenter and LSU System.
The talent, commitment, and professionalism these individuals bring to their work continue to inspire me and many others. Their contributions have played a significant role in helping LSUA achieve unprecedented success and serve thousands of students from across Louisiana and beyond.
During my final days as Chancellor, I compiled a list of full-time LSUA employees who currently reside in Avoyelles Parish. I apologize if I inadvertently missed anyone and will gladly recognize them in a future column.
Jamie Armand – Maintenance Foreman
Dr. Abbey Bain – Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Student Engagement
Angela Bordelon – Associate Professor of Nursing
Alex Burnett – Bookstore Manager
Dr. Jay Callegari – Assistant Professor and Department Chair, Criminal Justice and Civic Science
Alexis Daigrepont – Staff Accountant
Becca Dauzat – Assistant Professor of Nursing
Carson Dauzat – Allied Health Instructor
Eric Dauzat – Director of Facility Services
Melinda Descant – Head Women’s Tennis Coach
Jenny Donaghey – Criminal Justice Instructor
Josh Ducote – Network Administrator
Melissa Ducote – Health Center Medical Assistant/Phlebotomist
Michael Ducote – Maintenance
Tori East – Degree Audit Specialist
Haley Fontenot – Human Resource Analyst
Sharon Finch – Test Center Administrator
Abbie Gagnard – Academic Assistant
David A. Gagnard – Maintenance
David K. Gagnard – Maintenance
Jody Gaspard – Operating Engineer
Chad Gauthier – Executive Director of Facility Services and Risk Management
Heather Gauthier – IT Technical Analyst
Chelsea Gremillion – Disability Services and Student Support Coordinator
Sandra Gremillion – Administrative Assistant
June Guillory – Human Resource Analyst
Preston Huesmann – Network Analyst
Donnie Jeansonne – Utility Plant Director
Peggy Kidder – Assistant Teacher, Children’s Center
Lacey Lachney – Financial Aid Counselor
Charles LeGros – Custodian
Jessica LeGros – Custodian
Madison Lemoine – Admissions Recruiter
Sid Lemoine – Custodial Supervisor
Desalynn Lewis – Scholarship Coordinator
Will Mayeux – IT Systems Administrator
Zachary McLendon – Director of Accounting and Bursar Operations
Tracey Moses – School of Education Program Coordinator
Jason Normand – Chief Information Officer
Tim Rabalais – Maintenance
Ashley Robinson – Director of Distance Learning
Richard Robinson – Director of IT Operations and Operations Specialist
Michelle Rozas – Nurse Practitioner and Manager of the LSUA Health Center
David Saucier – Technovation Coordinator
Carli Smith – English Instructor
Amie Starks – Assistant Professor of Nursing
Dr. Mary Treuting (deceased) – Professor and Dean Emeritus, College of Social Sciences
Angela White – Manager of Distance Learning Operations
Megan Williams – Assistant Professor of Nursing
People from across Louisiana and throughout the nation frequently ask me the same question: “What is the secret behind LSUA’s historic growth and success?” When I first became Interim Chancellor in 2013, LSUA enrolled approximately 2,300 students. This fall, enrollment is expected to exceed 8,000 students, making LSUA one of the fastest-growing universities in Louisiana and among the fastest-growing public universities in the South. Interestingly, I never fully answered that question to everyone’s satisfaction. In a future column, I will share a more detailed explanation of the many factors that contributed to LSUA’s transformation. However, this first article provides an important part of the answer.
The talent, dedication, and servant leadership of our LSUA team have been central to the university’s success. As this list demonstrates, many of those individuals come from Avoyelles Parish. Their contributions are an important part of the “secret sauce” that has made LSUA such a special place for students from Central Louisiana, across the state, throughout the nation, and around the world.
It has been both an honor and a privilege to work alongside these outstanding professionals.
LSUA is unquestionably a stronger university because of their commitment to our students, our institution, and the Central Louisiana community.
For that, I thank them all from the bottom of my heart…
Until next time,
Paul Coreil
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