Taking the Oath: New board appointments ready to serve

The spring 2017 semester highlights the beginning of a fresh start as the Board of Supervisors prepares to serve the Southern University system with the election of a new chairwoman, vice chairman and two newly appointed members.
Governor John Bel Edwards appointed 15 people to Louisiana’s higher education governing boards on December 30, 2016.
Of those 15, five were named apart of the 16 member Southern University System Board of Supervisors.
“The appointees I have named to the board bring an array of professional and educational expertise from higher education institutions across Louisiana. I am looking forward to working with them to build a brighter future for Louisiana’s students,” said Edwards in a written statement, according to NOLA.com
January 6, 2017 marked the date of the regular monthly board meeting where the new officers were installed for 2017 and a swearing in ceremony was held.
Two newly appointed members took the oath of office and three members were reappointed.
The January board meeting began with the installation of the new vice chairman of the board, Reverend Donald R. Henry.
According to the Southern University official website, Henry represents the 2nd Congressional District. He is a planning and scheduling professional at Noranda Alumina, LLC; and co-owner of DRH Consulting Group, LLC in Gramercy.
Mrs. Ann A. Smith was sworn in next as her family stood by her side to indulge in the moment.
With her right hand raised, Smith declared that, “I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as the chairlady of the Board of Supervisors of Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College according to the best of my ability and understanding. So help me God.”
Smith received both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Southern University. The chairwoman served as a representative of the 5th congressional district and is the retired principal of Kentwood High School.
One of the members sworn in on the board of supervisors was former mayor of Baker, Louisiana and councilman, Dr. Leroy Davis. Dr. Davis is a retired professor and former dean of the College of Agriculture of Southern University, having worked with the University for over 22 years.
Davis spoke of how the University’s international programs offering research opportunities to travel is what attracted him to the bluff.
During his time at the University, Davis worked in the Agricultural Economics department under the Department of Agriculture and over time, advanced from assistant professor to associate professor to full professor with tenure.
Davis has also taught in the college of business since 2004 in the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting and believes that his experience as a faculty member well help him to better serve on the board.
“Working with the faculty and administrators over the years, I understand what’s going on and I think I know how to treat faculty and students, administration and staff.”
Davis expressed how student recruitment must increase, along with increasing the retention rate and the graduation rate in order to improve the University as a whole.
Being the first black mayor and councilman of Baker, Davis spoke of how it made him appreciate the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Davis stated that as a college student, he remembers participating in a plethora of civil rights activities.
“The same voting right act that I marched for as a student, and to use that voting right act to create districts in my city and become the first black councilman which led to become the first black mayor was an amazing experience. I think it was one of the highlights of my career.”
Also appointed to the board is Richard T. Hilliard, of Shreveport. Hilliard will serve as a representative of the 4th Congressional District and is a senior engineer and business consultant at the Maintowoc Company, Incorporated.
Domoine D. Rutledge, of Baton Rouge, is an attorney and a former national president of the Southern University Alumni Federation and the current president and chairman of the Southern University System Foundation Board of Directors. Rutledge received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a juris doctorate from the Southern University Law Center and will serve as an at-large member on the board.
Reverend Samuel C. Tolbert Jr., of Lake Charles, is the pastor of the Greater Saint Mary Missionary Baptist Church. Tolbert will serve as an at-large member on the board.
The Board of Supervisors of Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College is trusted with the responsibility of the management and supervision of the institutions of higher education, statewide agricultural programs, and other programs which comprise the Southern University System. Members serve six-year terms appointed by the governor.