By Murray Wennerlund published 7-11-2018 updated 7-12-2018
When your state starts making it nearly impossible to communicate with the people that can make change you have to think that the state just doesn't want to see change happen.
Or at least they don't want to see change that the state might find difficult or not in their standard operating procedures.
Or is it the state just doesn't want to know people are trying to hold them accountable and the only group that can start this asking for accountability is currently in the states "Unreachable List".
The Louisiana Homeowners Assistance Task Force Members are the new "Unreachables" not even a good researcher can research.
What do you do when you need to find public contact information for the following people on a task force that is for the people? You publish their names and ask for people to send you their contact information.
The Louisiana Task Force meets once every 3 months.
Is this the only time we have to ask them questions, state our cases, ask for clarifications, waivers and ask for votes?
No, it's not, it's time to make the Louisiana Unreachable Task Force members a thing of the past.
If they don't want their person emails published please have them email me via the contact form and I will setup a private email that will forward to their personal email and not a sole other than me will have access to the data.
I look forward communicating issues the have plagued us ever since August 13, 2016.
UPDATE: The DOA Document Search provided us an update today 7-12-2018. Our contact list is complete. Download a copy for your records. Includes Contact data for Louisiana Task Force members, Key IEM Inc. management and OCD-DRU Management.
Johnny Bradberry is the Governor’s chief coastal protection advisor. Prior to joining the Edwards administration, he served as Vice President of Business Development for Volkert, a 90-year-old multi-discipline engineering and environmental firm. He served as the Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development during the administration of Governor Kathleen Blanco from 2004 to 2008.
( no direct contact: http://coastal.la.gov/contact/ )
When the Association’s Executive Board appointed Roland as the new Director in June 2000, he was the youngest State Executive Director in the nation. He holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Agriculture Business and Education from Louisiana Tech University and a Juris Doctorate from the Southern University Law Center. As Executive Director, he heads up all lobbying efforts at the State Capitol and in Washington, DC. He is the administrator of the Parish Government Risk Management Agency which is the Association’s group health and workers compensation programs.
A lifelong resident of Denham Springs, Mayor Durbin was elected to the Denham Springs City Council in 1980 and then was elected mayor and began his first term in 2003. After serving three terms, Mayor Durbin decided to retire.
On January 9, 2007, Governor Kathleen Blanco appointed the interim members of the new Central Community School Board. The board appointed Mike Faulk as the first superintendent. The new school system began operation on July 1, 2007.
John Gallagher serves as Executive Director of the Louisiana Municipal Association, and has been the Director of Governmental Affairs and Staff Attorney since 1999 overseeing the state and federal legislative efforts on behalf of the LMA and its member municipalities. John is a 1986 graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a 1995 cum laude graduate of the Southern Law Center: he is licensed to practice law in Louisiana and Texas. He came to the LMA from the LA Department of Justice where he worked as an Assistant Attorney General on workers’ compensation issues and road hazard defense. John also previously worked from 1988-1992 on the staff of U.S. Senator John Breaux in Washington, D.C.
Darryl Gissel is a 34-year real estate veteran and owner of Oak Real Estate LLC, a Baton Rouge brokerage that has specialized in residential and commercial historic and inner city properties. Gissel holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in political science. He serves on the board of directors of the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation. He is past chairman of the Foundation for Historical Louisiana, the River Road African American Museum and the Historic Spanish Town Civic Association. Earlier in his career, Gissel served as special assistant to former Gov. Dave Treen. He has also served as a partner in PRMI, an advertising and public relations firm, as project manager for Westminster Corp. on large commercial real estate projects in New Orleans and Chicago, and was executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party from 1988-1993.
Edward "Ted" James passion for community began early in life. He is a lawyer by trade, and a life time public servant at heart. His life work is a testament to the values instilled by his parents. Ted has been serving as Louisiana State Representative for House District 101 since 2011. He is a practicing attorney at The James Law Office, LLC with specializations in Personal Injury and Criminal Law. He formerly served as an Adjunct Professor at Southern University A&M College and the Southern University Law Center.
Adam Knapp was named president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber in April 2008. A native of Lake Charles, LA, he previously served as the deputy director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA). Knapp was a key figure in the creation of the entity, which is designed to facilitate the state’s recovery efforts in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Prior to his LRA tenure, he served as economic development advisor to two governors and the policy director for Louisiana Economic Development (LED). At LED, he directed the development and advancement of state legislative priorities, including the creation and refinement of important economic incentives, such as the Angel Investor Incentive, the Research and Development Tax Credit, the Film Investor Tax Credits, and the Quality Jobs Program. Under Governors Foster and Blanco, Knapp worked on economic policy and was also a vital part of the team that successfully recruited or retained such companies as Union Tank Car, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems, and Albemarle Corporation, among others. Prior to state government, he worked for Accenture, one of the world’s premier technology and management consultancy firms, as an emerging technology consultant. Knapp graduated from Davidson College in 1996 and also studied at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany.
District 25 State Senator Dan W. "Blade" Morrish is serving his third term in the State Senate. The Jennings Republican was elected to the House of Representative in 1996 and re-elected without opposition in 2000, 2004 and 2011. Senator Morrish is a graduate of Jennings High School and McNeese State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture. His work experience has included marine underwriting with The Insurance Company of North America, sales and operations management with Browning-Ferris Industries, sales manager for 3 Star Sand, Blast & Paint, and owner-operator of Capitol City Hardware & Implement Company of Jennings for 25 years. He is currently employed by the Lake Charles Pilots as Business Manager.
Dave Norris was first elected Mayor of West Monroe in 1978. During his years in office the city has experienced steady growth, expansion of low cost, high quality public works services, and sound financial management. West Monroe has an outstanding fire department and the first nationally accredited police department in Louisiana. During Mayor Norris’ years in office the city constructed the West Ouachita Senior Center, one of the largest in the state, the Community Center, and the Ike Hamilton Exposition Center, one of the south’s finest facilities for equestrian and livestock events. In addition, the city has expanded its recreational facilities to include Lazarre Park on the beautiful Ouachita River, Kiroli Park, which offers a unique woodland experience in an urban setting, and Restoration Park, a wetlands park developed from an old mined-out gravel pit. Mayor Norris, a former university economics professor, is involved in civic and professional activities in addition to his work as the chief administrative officer of the city. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Living Well Foundation.
Olivier currently serves as CEO of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development Inc., a group of Louisiana business and education leaders that promotes state job growth. He also served as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development under Gov. Kathleen Blanco and was also named the Chairman of the Louisiana Technology Council. Olivier is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
In January 2016, Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Don Pierson to serve as Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development (LED). Pierson served as assistant secretary and senior director of business development for LED since January 2005. With executive-level leadership, his duties include the implementation of domestic and international economic development programs and job retention and creation efforts for the State of Louisiana. He is Gov. John Bel Edwards primary representative to governmental officials, local communities and site selector consultants on all economic issues. Pierson has over 27 years of economic development experience, and is a certified economic development professional.
J. Rogers Pope was sworn in as State Representative for House District 71 representing Livingston Parish in the State Legislature in January 2008. He has worked hard to fairly represent all of the citizens of Livingston Parish. Pope spent 14 years as the Livingston Parish school superintendent, having retired in 2001. Previously, he served as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the school district. Pope was the 2000 "State Superintendent of the Year” and the 1998 “Educator of the Year". He is currently the executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Executives.
At the helm of one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in America, Sean Reilly is Chief Executive Officer of Lamar Advertising Company headquartered in Baton Rouge. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America Board of Directors and was named a 2015 National Finalist Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young. Mr. Reilly was appointed by Governor Blanco to the Board of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state agency charged with crafting Louisiana’s long term recovery response to hurricane disasters. He currently serves on the LSU Foundation Board, the Board of The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, and the Board of Visitors of the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the statewide governmental reform effort Blueprint Louisiana and serves as Co-Chairman of Louisiana’s Flagship Coalition, a statewide group of business and civic leaders advancing the flagship mission and agenda of Louisiana State University. Mr. Reilly served as a Louisiana State Representative from 1988 to 1996. He served on Governor Edwards Transition team for Higher Education and Economic Development and also serves on the Statewide Task Force on Structural Changes in Budget and Tax Policy. Mr. Reilly has been married to the former Jennifer Eplett since 1989. They have three children, Anna, Aidan, and Rowan.
James A. Richardson is the Harris J. and Marie P. Chustz College of Business Administration Endowed Professor and former director of the Public Administration Institute in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dr. Richardson has also served as Chairman of the Department of Economics, Acting Dean of the College of Business Administration, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Louisiana State University. Dr. Richardson has served from 1987 through the present as the private economist on the LA Revenue Estimating Conference, the panel with the constitutional authority and responsibility to provide official revenue estimates for the state. Dr. Richardson specializes in regional forecasting, state and local tax policy, economic valuation, and energy economics.
Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux was elected in October 2015, and officially took office on January 4, 2016. In keeping to his commitment to move Lafayette forward, Mayor-President Robideaux has partnered with Target Zero, a national nonprofit organization which works with community animal shelters. Along with Target Zero, Mr. Robideaux has outlined a plan to implement best practices to decrease animal euthanasia and increase the rescue and adoption rates at the Lafayette Parish Animal Control Center. Mayor-President Robideaux grew up in Lafayette where he and his wife Bobette raised their three boys — Dylan, Brennan, and Luke. He is a graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and LSU, earning his master’s degree in Finance before becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). He has owned and operated a successful accounting firm in Lafayette, serving individuals, families and businesses since 1996.
Robert E. "Rob" Shadoin is a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 12. He was first elected to the chamber in 2011. Shadoin earned his B.S. from Louisiana Tech in 1975 and his J.D. from Louisiana State University in 1978. His professional experience includes working as an attorney and City Attorney for Ruston.
Dr. Mike Strain, elected to serve as Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry in 2007, was sworn into office in January 2008. He was reelected in 2011 and 2015. Born and raised on a cattle farm in Covington, Strain is no stranger to rural life in Louisiana. He was very active in FFA and 4-H and remains involved in his family’s cattle business. After graduating Covington High School, Strain’s interest in livestock led him to pursue studies in pre-veterinary medicine at Louisiana State University. In 1983, Strain earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from LSU and quickly found clients for his new large animal practice through the family cattle operation. A year later Strain married his Veterinary School sweetheart, Susan Searcy, a native of Hot Springs, Ark. Together they opened Claiborne Hill Veterinary Hospital in Covington, where she focuses on a small animal practice and Strain remains involved in hospital management and herd health consulting. The Strains have two children, Michael and Melissa, and worship at St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church in Abita Springs.
Ollie Mae Spearman Tyler is the Mayor of Shreveport, LA. On December 27, 2014, she succeeded the term-limited Cedric Glover, her fellow Democrat, in the highest position in Shreveport municipal government. She holds a Master’s Degree in School Administration from Louisiana State University. She taught at Youree Drive Middle School for twenty-three years until she was appointed as the school’s first African-American and woman principal. Tyler then worked in the Caddo Parish School System for another 17 years before serving as the State Deputy Superintendent of Education for the State of Louisiana from 2007 to 2011 and as the State Interim Superintendent of Education from 2011 to 2012.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Shawn Wilson has served as Chief of Staff for the Department of Transportation and Development, a role he filled for three previous Secretaries and under the executive administration of two Governors. Prior to joining DOTD, Wilson also served as former Executive Director of the Louisiana Serve Commission and Deputy Legislative Director in the Blanco Administration. A proud product of the New Orleans public schools, Wilson earned a B.A. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Louisiana, where he served as Student Government President and Member of the University of Louisiana System Board. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree and recently earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy/and Urban Affairs at Southern University. Shawn’s community service covers a variety of personal and professional interests, including Scoutmaster for Troop 271 Boy Scouts of America in Lafayette, Evangeline Area Council of Boy Scouts Board, and American Associations of State Highway and Transportation Officials. His former Board memberships include Past President of the University of Louisiana Alumni Association, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, United Way of Acadiana, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Jacqui Vines Wyatt is a 30-year veteran of the telecommunications industry. She began her career with Time Warner Cable in 1984 and joined Cox Communications in 1992, working in the New Orleans office as director of human resources. Wyatt began her work for Cox in Baton Rouge in 2001, when she was named vice president and general manager for the Baton Rouge market. She rose through the ranks, promoted in 2006 to vice president and region manager for Cox Greater Louisiana before reaching the position of senior vice president and general manager for Cox’s Southeast Region in 2009. Jacqui retired from Cox in late 2015. Wyatt has served on numerous boards, including the boards of directors of Blueprint Louisiana, BRAC, BRAF and LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation. She has received numerous honors, including 2008 Most Influential Minorities in Cable from Cable360, 2006 Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award from 100 Black Men of Baton Rouge and 2004 YWCA of Greater Baton Rouge Women of Achievement Award. Vines enjoys golf and traveling, including trips to the beach with her three daughters.
Randy Clouatre is a lifelong resident of St. Amant, Louisiana. He is currently employed by Renewal Energy Group Corporation and serve as Maintenance Manager for the Geismar facility. He is now serving his 3rd term as Ascension Parish Councilman representing District 6, St. Amant area, and his 2nd term as Ascension Council Chairman. Randy currently serves on the Ascension Parish Council on Aging Board. Within his service on the council he has served for 4 years as Parish Council Vice-Chairman, 7 years as Chairman of the East Ascension Gravity Drainage Board, 7 years on Ascension Economic Development Corporation Board, 6 years on River Region Caucus, almost 9 years on Parish Finance Committee, and within his tenure also served several years on Parish Transportation, Parish Strategic Planning and Parish Recreation Committees as need. Randy is married to Regina Aizen Clouatre, has 5 wonderful children, 3 wonderful daughter-in-law’s and 5 beautiful grandchildren.
Editorial Comment:
It is important, to know who is making policy that directly effects your household and it's recovery after a disaster.
We have access to filtered Bio information but that is where access stops.
The state should have at least a box that can be setup to send the task force questions before the public comments so all comments even written comments can be read and for the record.
In an age of technology we have and in a state that claims to embrace technology we sure see more movement away from using technology.
Below is a copy of my freedom of information act request to the state department of administration asking for basic contact information.
Granted, the first request we were making was for a law firm to send our letter of intent. But that first issue was resolved without bringing in the task force members. Currently we have other issues that have not been able to resolve with state workers and department heads.
Thu 6/28/2018, 11:36 AM
To: doapublicrecords@la.gov
Good Afternoon,
I respectfully request a list of names, contract information, phone, email, mailing address of the following departments.
1. All current and active members assigned to the Restore Louisiana Task Force.
2. List of directors and their departments with contact information within the OCD-DRU.
3. List of Management within the OCD-DRU and Restore LA Contractors.
Thank you very much for your time.
Murray Wennerlund
Denham Springs, LA