Central Executive Officers

 

President: Professor Najoua K. Hotard, Ph.D.

    President and founder of the Institute of Critical Languages and cultural Exchange and adjunct professor of Arabic at Tulane and Loyola Universities in New Orleans. Najoua is a native of Tunisia. She completed her graduate studies at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Tunis, University of New Orleans, and Louisiana State University. She conducted her doctoral research in the area of International Relations/Middle Eastern Studies and French Literature and Business. She started the French Advanced Language and Literature of the College Board AP program in High Need Schools (inner city of Baton Rouge) in 1993. She Taught the College Board Advanced Placement French language and literature as well as Arabic Honors classes at East Baton Rouge Schools. As highly qualified professional, Najoua Hotard served her community in many capacities. She served on the committees which developed 9-12 foreign language curriculum as well as the LA State Foreign Language standards and Benchmarks. Professor Hotard developed the Arabic language curriculum for the public school systems in Louisiana. She served as a Diversity trainer for the EBRS system and the Office of Strategic Initiatives at LSU. She works closely with Teach Baton Rouge Summer Institute as Teacher Advisor, Content Seminar Leader, and co-Director. The institute trains professionals from the community to teach in high need/inner city schools. Najoua Hotard’s work as interpreter and translator with the Military Intelligence and U.S. Department Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program allows her to bring community resources to students. She serves as a French AP Reader for ETS who grades Advanced Placement French Literature essays. She presents workshops in different school districts dealing with diversity issues in the classroom and workplace. Her presentations in professional foreign Language organizations deal with innovative and effective methods to teach foreign languages in general and critical languages in particular addressing various learning styles. She has been a major advocate for equity education program implemented by the College Board. She has been one of their speakers at the yearly Equity Conferences. Professor Najoua Hotard was a National Endowment for the Humanities Scholar (Writing Africa: Comparative African and European Palavers and Perspectives, summer 2004), and one of the recipients of National Geographic Grant for a project entitled "Strengths in Diversity." Her organization, the Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange, is the recipient of the 2008 and 2009 $99,962.00 STARTLK grant to implement successful residential high school Arabic programs in Louisiana. ICLCE has the honor to be an Associate Member in the National Council for International Visitors and Corporate Member Of the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council. Professor Hotard’s major goals are to connect high achieving students to various programs related to National Language Initiative and global citizenship. She will also train teachers in the area of thematic unit development, assessment, and effective strategies leading high language and culture proficiencies in the area of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) Dr. Hotard has been recently selected as Person of the Month by Exchanges Connect.

 

 

Directors

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the World: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margared Mead

    It is important to indicate at the outset that the Directors of the Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange, Inc are dedicated volunteers who are not compensated for their efforts. They donate their time, energy, and efforts to provide our children with quality educational programs focused on developing global citizens equipped with critical language skills and cultural competency. All the directors are firm believers in creating pioneering community activities to foster mutual understanding and appreciation among diverse cultures around the world. Professor Najoua Hotard is fortunate to have these outstanding community members on her team. The support of these directors to the ICLCE's mission and vision will provide great educational programs in the area of critical language aquisition and cultural competancy. Such programs will enable children to become global citizens.

 

Director I: Troy Hotard

    A professional artist for over 25 years, Troy Hotard describes himself as a Post-Modern Renaissance artist and professional educator. He mastered a wide variety of media and techniques. These include everything from, oil paint, watercolors, and mixed media to graphite, stained glass, and bronze casting. Troy Hotard can also work in various styles ranging from photorealistic to impressionist to total abstraction. Recently, Troy has concentrated on his main passion: Scuba Diving. Through this new genre artwork, he hopes to raise awareness and educate the public about the beauty and fragile nature of the ocean's coral reef systems, and the sheer wonder of discovery through scuba diving. To him, the ocean represents the last frontier to be explored and protected. Troy Hotard is bringing a representation of this modern vanishing wilderness to the general public. He is a passionate supporter of several organizations that seek to protect the world's reefs and marine ecosystems, such as the Reef Check Foundation, Dive for the Cure, and Save the Manta. It is Troy's hope that his donations of original paintings to these organizations will help raise awareness regarding the vulnerability of the world's reefs as well as stressing the urgency of safeguarding the underwater world, which is crucial to our own survival. As an educator, Troy Hotard is an Artist in Residence for the East Baton Rouge Parish Gifted and Talented Program. For the last 7 years, Troy's innovative approach to art education has earned him the College Board Sponsored Katrina Scholarship and certification in Teaching Advanced Placement Art History at the Art College in Chicago. His method incorporates higher order thinking skills implemented by his design of unique interdisciplinary units. His travel throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, North Africa, the Middle East and the Far East has afforded him the possibility to assemble a unique slide collection that enhances his lectures and presentations. Troy Hotard is the president of Troy Hotard Art Studio (www.troyhotard.com) and of the Troy Hotard Foundation, Inc. The West Baton Rouge Parish Library and the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum both house permanent collection. Troy Hotard Art Studio is one of the 2009 recipients of the National Endowment for the Humanities grant “Picturing America.” Troy Hotard designs the curriculum, lesson plans, and assessment rubrics for STARTALK Islamic and Arabesque art units. Troy Hotard Foundation, Inc and ICLCE will implement youth programs combining critical language acquisition and reef protection projects in several countries around the world. Director I: Troy Hotard A professional artist for over 25 years, Troy Hotard describes himself as a Post-Modern Renaissance artist because he has mastered a wide variety of media and techniques. These include everything from, oil paint, watercolors, and mixed media to graphite, stained glass, and bronze casting. Troy Hotard can also work in various styles ranging from photorealistic to impressionist to total abstraction. Recently, Troy has concentrated on his main passion: Scuba Diving. Through this new genre artwork, he hopes to raise awareness and educate the public about the beauty and fragile nature of the ocean's coral reef systems, and the sheer wonder of discovery through scuba diving. To him, the ocean represents the last frontier to be explored and protected. Troy Hotard is bringing a representation of this modern vanishing wilderness to the general public. He is a passionate supporter of several organizations that seek to protect the world's reefs and marine ecosystems, such as the Reef Check Foundation, Dive for the Cure, and Save the Manta. It is Troy's hope that his donations of original paintings to these organizations will help raise awareness regarding the vulnerability of the world's reefs as well as stressing the urgency of safeguarding the underwater world, which is crucial to our own survival. As an educator, Troy Hotard is an Artist in Residence for the East Baton Rouge Parish Gifted and Talented Program. For the last 7 years, Troy's innovative approach to art education has earned him the College Board Sponsored Katrina Scholarship and certification in Teaching Advanced Placement Art History at the Art College in Chicago. His method incorporates higher order thinking skills implemented by his design of unique interdisciplinary units. His travels throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East have afforded him the possibility to assemble a unique slide collection that enhances his lectures and presentations. Many examples of his work can be seen in his hometown of Port Allen, Louisiana where he designed the logo for the West Baton Rouge Parish Recreation Department as well as logos for several other local businesses, including numerous public murals. The West Baton Rouge Parish Library and the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum both house permanent collection.

   

Director II: Dr. Su-Seng Pang

    Dr. Su-Seng Pang received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley in 1987. Currently, he is the Jack Holmes Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and at Louisiana State University (LSU). Dr. Pang is a Fellow of three professional societies: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He is a recognized expert in the composite materials research field. He has published over 200 journal papers/conference proceedings in the areas of composite materials and structures, pressure vessel and piping, and various joining technologies. He has been the Principal Investigator (PI)/Co-PI/Key Investigator of over 100 projects funded by NSF, NASA, Navy, Army, Air Force, Department of Energy, and various industries. His research/education projects are now supporting over 300 college students per year as well as numerous high school teachers and students. Since 1996, Dr. Pang has received 32 U.S. national/regional awards in research and education, including: 2007 LSU Engineering Excellence Mentor Award; 2005 LSU Award for Faculty Excellence; 2003 LSU Making the Difference Award; 2003 LSU Outstanding Faculty Service Award; 2002 ASME International Board on Minorities and Women Award; 2002 ACAP Distinguished Achievement Award; 1999 Carnegie/CASE Louisiana Professor of the Year; 1998 AAAS National Mentor Award; 1998 Presidential Award for Mentoring (at the White House); 1997 Tibbetts Award for SBIR Model of Excellence (at the White House); 1996 ASEE National Minorities in Engineering Award. He was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Science honoris causa) from the University of Macau, China, in 2006. Dr. Pang's volunteering to serve as one of the directors of the Institute of Critical languages and Cultural Exchange is exemplary of his commitment to public education. His guidance and advising in the institute's grant proposals has been tremendous. He will be helping with implementing future Chinese Language summer programs as well as cultural exchanges and art exhibits coordinated through collaborative grants submitted byTroy Hotard Art Studio and the ICLCE.

Director: Dr. Sarita Mehta

     Professor Sarita Mehta is an eminent artist, published poet, and writer of Hindi and Punjabi Literature. She is the Director of Vidya Dham dedicated to World Peace and harmony and sharing the unique Indian social and cultural value. Sarita produdes mixed -media art. Her art conveys the message of global peace, brotherhood, and spirituality. Dr. Mehta has MA degree in education, MA degree in Religious Education (divinity), and Masters Fine Art from Panjabi University, Patiala,. She received her Doctoral degree from Panjab University in Chandigarh. Professor sarita Mehta also has Diploma in Journalism and Advance Diploma in Russian Language. Her twenty-five years college level teaching experience in Fine Arts and Hindi at various prestigious institutions of higher learning in India and New York earned her the position of Hindi Language curriculum design and assessment specialist at ICLCE. Dr. Mehta is a dedicated teacher and academician of long standing. She taught at over two decades in Dev Samaj College of Education in Chandigarh and was Senior Lecturer before migrating to USA. She has a rich experience of organizing and conducting educational workshops, seminars and conferences at national and international levels, and has contributed a number of research papers and monographs in reputed journals in the field of fine arts and education. Also she has organized many kavi Samelanes and cultural programs in USA and India. Her publications include “Aao Hindi Sikhen”(Let us Learn Hindi) At ICLCE, Professor Mehta is responsible for designing thematic units for ICLCE STARTALK Hindi language summer programs for high school students and teacher training seminars. She is the Director of ICLCE / NSLI-Y youth Hindi, Bengali, and Pashtu language immersion programs in India.

Director III: Dr. Kevin Mulcahy

    Dr. Kevin Mulcahy is the Sheldon Beychok Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Louisiana State University. His research focuses on public policy with specific emphases on governments and the arts and comparative cultural policymaking. His areas of expertise also include American foreign policymaking and cultural diplomacy. Professor Mulcahy was named Fulbright Distinguished Fellow as the Laszlo Orszagh Chair in American Studies in Budapest for 2002-2003. Dr. Mulcahy is also the Executive Editor of the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. His publications include Entrepreneurship or Cultural Darwinism: Perspectives on the American System of Cultural Patronage." 2003. Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society; "The State Arts Agency: An Overview of Cultural Federalism in the United States," Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. 2002. 32: 67-80, "Cultural Imperialism and Cultural Sovereignty: U.S.-Canadian Cultural Relations," Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. 2002.31: 265-278, with Margaret J. Wyszomirski. 1995. "America's Commitment to Culture: Government and the Arts". CO: Westview Press, 1995, with Cecil V. Crabb, Jr. 1990. "American National Security: A Presidential Perspective". Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. His commitment to education in global perspective is exemplary. He served on the Arts & Science College Senate, (Member, Committee on Academic Oversight). He is member of Committee on Development and Chair of the Huber Humphrey Lecture Series. Professor Mulcahy is also a member of the Committee on the Humanities Research and Development Group (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research), the Professional Research Council, Arts and Architecture Department at the University of Oregon, the Conference on Social Theory, Politics and the Arts, and the . International Conference on Cultural Policy Research 2. As a dedicated and committed educator and supporter of the arts and global cultural policy initiatives, Professor Mulcahy will facilitate cooperative cultural exchange programs pursued by the ICLCE, Inc. His expertise in the area of cultural policies will facilitate the implementation of grants funding to organize exhibits, namely from the Middle East, North Africa, and China. Troy Hotard Art Studio will engage the community in exploring art and architectural heritage from these areas in collaborative grant proposals with ICLCE. For a closer look at Professor Mulcahy scholarly publications and cultural exchange expertise refer to this link:
http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/polisci.nsf/$Content/Kevin+Mulcahy/$file/mulcahyvitae07.pdf

Director IV: Dr. Laura Cassidy

    Dr. Laura Cassidy is one of the most respected surgeons in the area. Her work at Woman's Hospital has saved many patients and earned her admiration and respect. She was among the first women surgeons committed to improve health care in her community. Dr. Cassidy served as Chief of Surgery at Earl K. Long Medical Center. Her work at Woman's Hospital has saved many lives of Breast Cancer patients. She was among the caring physicians who founded the organization of Women In Need Gain Support (WINGS), which sponsored health fairs to promote women's health and raise awareness in the community regarding the need of mammograms to fight breast cancer. Dr. Cassidy has been a major supporter of YWCA's program Encore Plus, which works to increase awareness about Breast Cancer and other health issues. Troy Hotard Art Studio is donating an oil painting entitled "Dive for the Cure" in her honor to Breast Cancer survivors. The proceeds from the posters and the painting will benefit this diving association's pioneering efforts to help members of the community stricken with life altering illnesses like Breast Cancer. This donation honors Dr. Laura's Cassidy mission to make a difference in so many lives as a surgeon and dedicated volunteer. Most importantly, Dr. Laura Cassidy and Senator Bill Cassidy are dedicated to public education. The fact that their children attend public schools is indicative of their commitment to improving our school system and to provide equity education to all children in our communities. Dr. Laura Cassidy is a firm believer in the need to empower students with high order thinking skills and cultural competency through learning critical languages in cultural context. She supports all endeavors with the mission to educate our youth to become competitive leaders in our global community. She has always welcomed exchange students from different countries to her home to share our culture with the visiting youth of the world. Her travel around the world and support of foreign language instruction demonstrate her vision for our children to become global citizens. She serves as a volunteer Director of the Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange, Inc. She will be assisting in implementing grants bringing Art Exhibits from around the world to the Baton Rouge Community. After retiring in 2006, Dr. Cassidy devoted her time to community service activities. It is an honor to have her as volunteer Director. She will be assisting in implementing grants bringing Art Exhibits from around the world as well as critical languages summer institutes for students from inner city schools and from historically underrepresented groups. At this time, she will be assisting the committee selecting high school applicants from around the United States to be part of the STARTALK Standard Arabic six-week Institute funded by a $99,962.00 grant from the National Foreign Language Center and sponsored by the Institute of Critical languages and Cultural Exchange, Inc (summer 2008). Senator Bill Cassidy and Dr. Laura Cassidy will be welcoming the visiting participants and international and local scholars at the opening and closing ceremony at Louisiana State University.
More Information on Bill & Laura Cassidy

Director V: Pavel Samsonov

    Dr. Pavel Samsonov is another supporter committed to the Institute of Critical Languages and cultural Exchange’s mission. He serves currently as Assistant Professor of Educational Technology and Educational Leadership, at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. He is working with Dr. Najoua Hotard and the ICLCE to develop innovative technological instructional and assessment strategies to teach world languages and the cultures associated with them based on ACTFL’s standards and guidelines. His expertise will implement the building of a data base related to a variety of standard-base assessment materials meeting different learning styles. His contributions to the adaptation of technological tools to Foreign language instruction and achievement measurements are numerous and valuable. His will develop the online design for the Arabic instructional curriculum used in the programs offered by the ICLCE. He will assist in creating blogs and multimedia instructional documents to be used in the programs offered by the institute (i.e. tests, quizzes, games, listening, reading, speaking and writing activities). Dr. Samsonov is a committed educator who specializes in Russian as well as technology instructional tools. His contributions to enhancing foreign Language instructions are numerous. The following list only includes the recent ones: Finlekstein E., & Samsonov P. (2008). PowerPoint for Teachers: Dynamic Presentations and Interactive Classroom Projects Grades K-12. Jossey-Bass, A Wiley, San Francisco. Samsonov, P. (2008). This Ain’t Your Momma’s PowerPoint or What: Creating Interactive Images in PowerPoint. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (pp. 3918-3924). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P., Daspit, T., Edith, M. & Briggs, C. (2008). Making a Difference for Middle School Teachers: When University Faculty Go to Schools to Help. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (pp. 3913-3917). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P., Pedersen, S., and Hill, C. (2006). Using Problem-Based Learning Software with At- Risk Students: A Case Study. Computers in the Schools, 23(1/2), 2006, pp. 111-124; Samsonov, P. & Finkelstein, E. (2007). Creating Interactive Images Using PowerPoint. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2007 (pp. 1819-1825). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P. (2007). Simple Techniques to Create Interactive Reviews in PowerPoint. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2007 (pp. 1826-1834). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P. & Briggs, C. (2006). Mavericks, Late Majority and Laggards: Our Experience Implementing Blackboard in a High School. In P. Kommers & G. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2006 (pp. 3062-3069). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P. (2006). Creating quizzes and clickable maps with PowerPoint. In P. Kommers & G. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2006 (pp. 1437-1438). Chesapeake, VA: AACE; Samsonov, P. & Beard, M. (2005). Our Experience Implementing Blackboard Delivery System in a High School. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2005 (pp. 1079-1086).

Director VI: Marvin Birks

    Marvin Birks is the Career Counselor at Baton Rouge Community College. Mr. Birks also serves as Academic Advisor and Instructor at BRCC. He received a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of New Orleans and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Southern University at New Orleans. Marvin has worked in Higher Education for several years including three years as Interim Director of Career Counseling and Placement at Southern University at New Orleans; and TANF Literacy Coordinator at Nunez Community College. Birks’ corporate and professional experience includes middle school and high school instruction in Economics and Introduction to Business, respectively; R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, New York; and State Farm Insurance Company, Fire Claims Central, Atlanta, GA. He is President of M.Birks Consulting, LLC providing expertise in Career Development and Project Management. A native New Orleanian, Marvin now resides in Baton Rouge, LA. and is currently studying the Arabic language under the tutelage of Dr. Najoua Hotard. Mr. Birks was ver instrumental in recruiting students from BRCC to the 2008 Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange/ STARTALK Arabic program. His firm belief in equity education made the program very successful because it included challenged students with physical and learning disabilities. Mr. Birkes is the model of high order thinker and independent learner. He has been studying Arabic on his own and researching the unique and diverse aspects about Arabo-Islamic culture.

Director VII: Dixie Taylor

    A licensed, practicing lawyer, for the last 20 years Dixie has limited her legal practice to criminal and family law issues. Born into a Louisiana family which for three generations owned and operated a manufacturing plant, Dixie has enjoyed a varied career, working as a professional musician and songwriter, actress, painter, poet, writer, playwright, teacher and tattoo artist. She received her BA in theatre, with a minor in English from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1978, and she received her Jurisdoctorate from Louisiana State University in 1986. After passing the bar examination, Dixie was sworn into the practice of law in Louisiana in 1987. Dixie’s valuable experience stems from her active engagement in helping needy individuals in her community.

    She has led several youth volunteers from East Baton Rouge Schools when they participated at the International Heritage Festival sponsored by the Baton Rouge Center for World Affairs yearly. She has a tremendous knowledge about the Middle Eastern culture and heritage. She volunteered at Tulane and Loyola universities in New Orleans as a speaker in Professor Najoua Hotard’s Arabic languages classes, where she shared information about the art of henna application and its meaning in different regions of the world. Dixie developed specific units for the orientation and the U.S. based portion of the Youth Leadership project based on the units designed by The National Organization/Clearinghouse for the Support of Service-Learning. Dixie incorporated The Citizenship Toolkit Resource Center lesson plans and unit themes recommended by USA Freedom Corps. The tools and strategies developed by the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn and Serve America are central in the designing effective and meaningful citizenship and civic engagement training educational.

 

 

Board Members

Hialeah Miranda

    Mrs. Miranda was raised in the Greater New Orleans area. At the age of 12 she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. She lost her eyesight at the age of 21 due to severe complications from diabetes. She is married to retired Navy officer Dan Miranda. They have five children. Mrs. Miranda has a passion about teaching children and providing them with equitable and educational opportunities. She is an active member of the organization Mothers of ADHD Children. She is in charge of a blog where parents and educators share and exchange ideas to help accommodate ADHD children. She is an active advocate for programs that mainstream challenged children and provide them with equitable access to educational opportunities. Part of Hialeah's heritage is Native American. She appreciates and values the important component of cultural competency in the lives of all our children. She has published two childrens books exploring Louisiana's rich and diverse cultural heritage. Like Professor Najoua Hotard, Hialeah Miranda believes that the future of our country relies on educating our children equitably. Truly equitable educational programs and institutions strive to empower all challenged individuals with programs that will open the doors of opportunities. Hialeah’s role at the Institute of Critical Languages and Cultural Exchange is to recruit students for the ICLCE/STARTALK summer critical language programs. Her knowledge with effective Braille teaching strategies, technology skills, and accommodations for the visually impaired will ensure successful educational experiences in the area of critical languages and cultural exchange.

Susanna G. Gilbert

    Susanna G Gilbert recieved her Bachelors of Science in Foreign Area Studies with a minor in Spanish from the United States Air Force Academy. Her specialty is Latin American studies focusing on Central and South America. While at the Air Force Academy, Susanna became a scuba instructor and educated over 200 students in their open water, advanced, and master's certifications. Many of her travels as a scuba instructor included Honduras, Fiji, Micronesia, and Thailand. Her most interested dives include ice diving in the mountains of Colorado. She was commissioned in the United STates Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant in 2004 and served her country at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK. While there, Susanna served as a Logistics Officer and led a 56-person team consisting of military and contracted staff in processing, loading, and offloading of high-priority cargo. She established performance standards, trained new staff members and provided leadership for timely and accurate completion of mission-critical assignments in the 732nd Air Mobility Squadron. She served as Director of Operations within the 3rd largest aerial port in the entire Air Force responsible for processing cargo for deployment to other Air Force bases as well as numerous middle Eastern locations. Elmendorf aerial port is a critical node in the distribution and accomplishment of the United States military in not only the current wars we face but in the protection and furtherment of our nation. Susanna also managed and motivated full time and contracted staffs of up to 160 people in the operation of $10 million in material handling equipment and coordinated activities with 4 other internal departments ensuring minimal delays to provide food and equipment to remote satellite stations in northern Alaska. Numerous military aircraft were coordinated, loaded and offloaded with critical supplies necessary for the survival of those remote outposts including C-17s, L-100s, C-130s, and C-5s. She also worked with and coordinated with other services including the Army and Coast Guard getting supplies to remote locations in the Aleutian Islands. One of the most memorable and rewarding missions while in the Air Force was to coordinate and execute the move of Maggie the elephant from Anchorage, AK to a new home in California by a C-17. Although a Logistics Officer, Susanna's heart and passion has always remained with foreign area studies and the diversity of world-wide cultures. Currently, Susanna is a supportive wife of her F-16 fighter pilot husband, Corey Gilbert, who remains an active pilot in the United States Air Force.

Danilo Miranda

    Danilo Miranda is a retired US Navy Veteran. He is third generation career military. Danilo was born on a US Military base in Japan, and is of Filipino decent.

    The last eleven years of Danilo Miranda’s military career was spent working with junior and senior high school students. He was recruiting, training recruiters, and head of the marketing department for US Navy Recruiting District New Orleans.

    For three years prior Danilo worked with over 1,600 children as the head of the DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education program).

    As the father of five children, Danilo Miranda has worked to bring equal educational opportunities to children in Livingston parish. He has devoted his time to developing and improving IEPs for children within the school system. Danilo will serve as co-director of one of STARTALK programs and will facilitate the transportation needs for the 2009 summer critical language programs.

 

Karen Hawkins Jackson

    Karen H. Jackson received her Masters of Arts in Organizational Management and her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. Karen is a member of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), Women’s Council of Greater Baton Rouge and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Karen’s expertise in Leadership, Business, Human Resources and Management has afforded her various opportunities in the business sector. Karen is the Director of Career Services for Jackson Alternative Training institute, LLC. a Training and Employment Agency for people with physical, mental, as well as audio and visual impairments. She is an entrepreneur, who possesses great passion and determination to assist the disabled population overcome societal obstacles. Karen is an advocate for equitable employment opportunities for the disabled population. She has created and implemented several training programs to assist her clients. She trains her staff, monitors employee performance and provides leadership and direction to her employees. She and her staff have assisted many of their clients in obtaining meaningful careers. She is a Trainer, Counselor and Advisor to her clientele of disabled individuals. Karen often participates in conferences, seminars and training workshops in an effort to obtain additional knowledge that will help streamline business processes and contribute to the overall growth of the organization.

    Karen is also the Director of Human Resources for Extended Family Healthcare Services. She is accountable for the development and implementation of training programs and career management programs that align with the organization’s strategic goals, objectives, policies, and procedures to assist the elderly and disabled population. She also conducts need analyses for employees and provided job coaching and development interventions utilizing organization theory, organization design and technology. Karen is a member of the Board of Directors and she participates in conflict resolutions that involve HR related issues, ensuring all practices and decisions align with state and governmental employee regulations. She is responsible for managing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, staying within pre-determined budgets, facilitating meetings and training workshops and communicating effectively with diverse groups. Karen also served as the ADA Compliance Officer for the University of Phoenix Baton Rouge and Lafayette Campuses for 5 years. In this capacity, she assured equal rights for students with disabilities in the classroom. She was also responsible for providing consultation and Academic advisement to students as well as making reasonable accommodations as necessary. Karen is also a Professor in the Graduate and Undergraduate Business College at the University of Phoenix. She is a very passionate instructor who embraces opportunities to share her knowledge and wisdom with adult learners.

 

Jason Stump

    Having been an educator of French and Spanish for over 10 years at high school, middle school and university levels, Jason Stump is committed to strengthening the academic experience of language learning both in and out of the classroom. Jason then continued with his Master's degree at Arizona State University in French Literature and Linguistics. Raised in Pennsylvania, Jason gained an interest in French and Spanish and pursued these languages by living and studying in both countries. Jason received his BA in French and Spanish from Albright College with a co-tutelle program with the Universitat de Barcelona. He has taught both in the United State and abroad and has traveled the world extensively. He has translated for the North American Leaders Summit in New Orleans, LA.

    In order to deepen his literary and cultural research in French Literature and Francophone Studies, Jason has begun to study the Arabic language as he continues to investigate the treatment of language through post-colonial literary study of the Berbers. Jason teaches French at Tulane University where he is working on his doctorate. Apart from French, Jason also speaks Spanish and Catalan. Having studied abroad at all levels of his educational background, Jason is continually encouraging students to experience a foreign language in its most authentic form and environment.

Renee’ James-Simon

    Renee’ James-Simon is the Executive Director and one of the founding members of Patterson-Horton Retreat Center and Youth Home (PHRCYH) in Franklinton, Louisiana. Ms. Simon has served in this capacity since the formation of this non-profit in 2003. Renee’ has faced many obstacles in life due to a learning disability and a physical handicap. She was able to rise above these challenges and received a Master’s of Divinity degree in Counseling Psychology from the New Orleans Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans. Renee’ is also a registered Chaplain with the National Board of Chaplains and an Associate minister at Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans. It is because of her determination to strive in spite of what life has dealt her that Renee’ has chosen to show youth and young adults that they too can beat the odds. Renee’ has worked in the fields of education and social services for over 20 years including: missionary work in Alabama; working in the public school education systems of Franklinton, Covington, and New Orleans; working with at-risk children and adolescents from rural and urban settings; working within the foster care system; counseling at-risk juveniles and their families; providing mentoring and other resources to children who are underprivileged and who are differently abled; networking wit h other organizations such as OCS and OYD of Louisiana and Inspiration on the Move (a non-profit organization in Texas) to develop programs that will empower at-risk children and young adults. Recently, PHRCYH hosted a summer camp for children ages 8-16 throughout the Covington/Franklinton, Louisiana area, under the direction of Ms. Simon. The summer camp provided opportunities for its participants to receive instruction in math and science along with arts and recreation. Currently, Renee’ is diligently working on the development of a mentorship program that will assist at-risk youth and young adults. Ms. Simon’s future goals include: obtaining an LPC; continuing her education in order to obtain a doctorate in the social psychology arena; developing a multi-cultural education and recreation program to teach rural children how to speak Arabic and Spanish languages; participate in the development of a newsletter that will positively benefit youth and young adults around the world.