Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome Introduces LYS Political Parties

“In order to lead you must listen, learn from those around you, and always be willing to serve others, especially in the realm of politics. Above everything, regardless of political affiliation, an accomplished leader is one who is seen as a trustworthy face in a room where nothing is absolute.”

MEET MAYOR PRESIDENT SHARON WESTON BROOME

Sharon Weston Broome was sworn in as the Mayor-President of the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish on January 2 of 2017. She is the first woman to be elected as the leader of our capital city of Louisiana. Since the campaign trail, her focus has been to unite the citizenry around the common goals of equality in education, economic development, justice, housing, and other quality ways of life.

Prior to her current post, Broome served as a Baton Rouge Metro Council Member; Louisiana State Representative; and Louisiana State Senator. While in the legislature, she became the first woman to be elected by her peers as Speaker Pro Tempore and President Pro Tempore of the House and Senate.

Mayor-President Broome is a member of Star Hill Church, and is happily married to Marvin Broome. They are the proud parents of three children and three grandchildren.

Congratulations Dr. Jan Lancaster 2018 No Man Is An Island Award Winner!

In 2012, the Louisiana Youth Seminar Board of Directors established the “No Man is an Island Award”. The award was established to honor an Outstanding Delegate Alumni who exemplified the ideals of LYS and who has made exceptional contributions to something greater than him or herself since his/her year as a delegate at LYS.

Dr. Jan Daniel Lancaster graduated from Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, then received her Bachelor's Degree from Louisiana State University in Education. After teaching for several years, she then received her Master's Degree from UNO and eventually her Doctorate from the University of Memphis. Serving in many different

Lancaster is pictured as an LYS delegate third from left.

capacities, Dr. Lancaster has been an educational leader in New Orleans for many years. She's served as a teacher and vice principal, a principal in both public and private schools, and served as a professor and the chair of the education department at the University of Holy Cross. Most recently, she served as the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

After her 6-year tenure as Superintendent, Dr. Lancaster stepped down in the summer of 2017 and opened her own company, JDL Innovative Solutions. Today, she travels across the country sharing her knowledge of running schools and school districts, presenting on an array of topics, and assisting in creating/implementing strategic plans. She continues to be an advocate of education and works to create educational systems that produce the leaders of tomorrow.

Dr. Lancaster attended LYS in the summer of 1975  from Ursuline Academy in New Orleans.

Dr. Beverly Brooks Thompson Welcomes the Delegation

Meet Dr. Beverly Brooks Thompson 

Beverly Brooks Thompson, President and Executive Counsel, Brooks Thompson Consulting        

Beverly Brooks Thompson is a published academic and practitioner in the field of philanthropic leadership.  She holds a Doctorate in Human Resource Development specializing in Organizational Leadership with more than 20 years of fundraising campaign experience.  Beverly is the founder of Brooks Thompson Consulting, an international fundraising advising and philanthropic management consulting firm.

She was recognized by the Baton Rouge Business Report in the 2008 class of Top Forty under 40 and 2018 class of Most Influential Women in Business, has been recognized as the Marketer of the Year by Sales and Marketing Association, and was named the 2017 Alumna of the Yearby Louisiana State University College of Human Science and Education.

Onward you go....

After one last time singing our theme songs - “Brother” by Need to Breathe and “No Man is an Island”  (and the LYS fight song), everyone shared some bittersweet goodbyes. As LYS 2017 comes to a close and we leave the Union, remember that just because seminar is over does not mean that it’s out of your life! LYS does not end on Friday afternoon; it’s something that stays with you forever. It is in the lessons you learn that you take back to your schools and your communities. It is in the true friendships that you made that will continue for years to come. It is the comfort in knowing that you can be accepted for being yourself and so much more!

We encourage you to live everyday as if you were at LYS (well, maybe not the cheering part). We hope that you never forget your experience here and what you learned about yourself and others. Those are the lessons, moments, friendships, and memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.

The 2017 Staff would like to thank each and every delegate for making this week such a success! Now, go back to your communities, apply what you learned, make a difference, and never forget ”NO MAN IS AN ISLAND!”

Lifetime Achievement Patrick Dobard

During the banquet, we give out awards to honor those that are truly living out the meaning of LYS in their own lives and are making a difference in their community and world around them. Each year we award one of our most prestigious awards to a recipient whom we find is doing just that through the Roddy Richard Award.

Roddy Richard came to LYS from Teurlings Catholic High and joined Staff in 1983. Roddy was an exceptional young man whose life was taken in a tragic accident. To celebrate his life and honor his spirit, LYS created the Roddy Richard Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an outstanding individual whose character and purpose in life has lessened the burden of others and made their community  a better place for their fellow man.

In honor of his memory, we select a Louisiana native who shows the same compassion and fervor as Roddy himself.  We are very pleased to announce that this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Patrick Dobard.

Patrick Dobard is the CEO of New Schools for New Orleans (NSNO), a nonprofit organization committed to delivery on the promise of excellent public schools for every child in New Orleans. NSNO serves the city as a strategic leader, accelerates the development of high-quality schools, and provides financial and advisory support to grow, connect, and sustain school support organizations.

Dobard served as the Superintendent of the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) from 2012 to 2017. In 2014, the New Orleans RSD became the nation’s first school district comprised entirely of charter schools. Under his leadership, the RSD made significant progress in transforming the most chronically low performing schools in Louisiana—nearly eliminating failing schools in New Orleans. Patrick helped design EnrollNOLA, the centralized enrollment system for New Orleans that provides families with equitable, transparent access to schools. Under his leadership, the RSD reduced expulsions through a common hearing office, passed an equitable school funding policy that takes the unique needs of each student into account, and progressed through the largest school construction project in the nation’s history. Dobard also led efforts to develop New Orleans Youth Opportunity Center to serve high-needs students at risk of dropping out and the Therapeutic Day Program, which serves students with severe behavioral health disabilities. Prior to leaving the RSD, Dobard, in collaboration with the Orleans Parish School Board, managed the process to unify New Orleans two school districts (RSD and OPSB).

Patrick is a native New Orleanian and career educator. He began his teaching career in his hometown after graduating from Southern University of New Orleans.