Super Summer Institute Louisiana

Jim Henderson

Jim Henderson serves as the Senior Vice President of Career and Technical Education for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. He coordinates system-wide workforce development programs including LTC operations, corporate training and continuing education initiatives, and Perkins and federal programs. Prior to coming to LCTCS, he served as Director of Workforce Development and the Director of Administration at the Louisiana Department of Labor. He also has 12 years of private sector executive-level management experience. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and English from Northwestern State University and is a Certified Human Performance Technologist, Certified Hotel Administrator, and Certified Food and Beverage Executive.

Jimmy Sawtelle

Jimmy Sawtelle serves as Vice President for Career and Technical Education within the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.  Before joining LCTCS in 2006 he served as an instructor and campus administrator at Young Memorial Campus of Louisiana Technical College Region 3.  In addition to serving at the campus level Jimmy has served as an LTC Regional Workforce Development Officer and Electronic Learning Coordinator.  Prior to work with LCTCS he served as a Disaster Recovery Director following Hurricane Andrew.

Melba Kennedy

Melba Kennedy is the State Coordinator for Secondary to Postsecondary Transitions for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. She has served as president of the Louisiana Association for Career and Technical Education and currently serves as president of the National Consortium for Entrepreneurship. She has over 23 years of experience in Career and Technical Education at the local, state, and national levels and she worked for 10 years at the Louisiana Department of Education administering several educational initiatives.

Laurie Fontenot

Laurie had the good fortune of being raised in numerous states and countries, as she and her family moved from one Air Force base to another, following her Dad, an Air Force pilot. She has fond memories of places like Tucson, Arizona, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Laurie attended college in Tampa, Florida and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, completing courses for her RN diploma at Charity Hospital School of Nursing.

Laurie has vast and varied experiences in the nursing field, having worked in intensive care units, operating rooms, psychiatric units and nursing administration. She served as a reviewer for several published nursing textbooks, and an item-writer for the NCLEX-PN licensing exam. Since 1994 she has been involved in teaching practical nursing (PN) and allied health (AH) courses to the citizens of Louisiana. Laurie currently serves as the statewide coordinator for PN and AH programs of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS).

Laurie admits to being a work-a-holic, but does enjoy reading, gardening and horse-back riding when time permits. She recently completed her BSN degree and intends to pursue her MSN at Northwestern State University.

John E. Easley

John Easley is the State Coordinator for Career & Technical Education programs in the Louisiana Community & Technical College System (LCTCS). His career with the LTC began in July 1978 when he became an Automotive Technology instructor at the LTC Florida Parishes. He has also served as an Automotive Technology instructor at LTC Avoyelles, LTC River Parishes, and LTC Folkes. In October 2000, he joined the staff of the LTC Office of the Chancellor, overseeing National Automotive Technician Education Foundation (NATEF) accreditation of Automotive Technology programs across the state. In July 2006, he became a member of the LCTCS’s Workforce Development & Training staff.

He now works with a number of technical and craft programs coordinating accreditation, instructor certification, and overall program operation. He is currently in his second three-year term as a member of the NATEF Board of Trustees. He is also a NATEF Evaluation Team Leader (ETL) and an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Master Automobile Technician. John is an Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC) Test proctor and administers certification tests to our Outdoor Power Equipment industry partners. He is the Sponsor Representative for the National Center for Construction, Education, & Research (NCCER) and oversees training information submission and other aspects of interaction between the LCTCS and NCCER.

John is a member of the Office of the Governor’s Workforce Commission Industry-Based-Certification Council and a member of the Carville Job Corps Academy, Livingston Literacy & Technology Center, and numerous other advisory committees.

Gwen Nixon

Gwen Nixon has been in the Education profession over 15 years. A lifelong vision she has is to be instrumental in encouraging others to excel in education and the in the workforce. Gwen enjoys working within the technical education arena. She serves in the capacity of Director of Student Financial Assistance which has proved to be very rewarding. Gwen is extremely compassionate when it comes to assisting high school students entering college. She also displays a special calling for our non-traditional student population. Gwen supports the statewide implementation of total financial aid services that will enhance the LTCs ability to meet the needs of every student while motivating each student to have a better future in Louisiana. To those that know her, Gwen’s desire to see others pursue their most distant dreams is one of her most rewarding experiences. Encouraging, mentoring and educating best describes me.

Larry J. Rabalais

Larry Rabalais joined the Louisiana Community and Technical College System July 1, 1999. Before this, he was employed with the Louisiana State Department of Education for nine (9) years, and formerly, he was a Secondary Automotive Instructor for nineteen (19) years with the Pointe Coupee Parish School Board.

Larry has his B.S. from U.S.L. in Agriculture Business and Masters Degree in Vocational Education from Southern University. He is one of the First N.A.T.S. Hall of fame members of Nashville Auto Diesel College in Nashville, Tennessee and has been awarded the Motor Vehicle Industry Council/American Vocational Association award for the best Secondary Automotive Program in 1986. Also he was the past National SkillsUSA Postsecondary Director of the Year, and National SkillsUSA Director of the Year. SkillsUSA Outstanding Educator of the Year. Recently, Larry was recognized as an Honorary Life Member of SkillsUSA. Larry has also received the National Leadership Award and has been appointed as Honorary state Co-Chairman of the Business Advisory Council of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Presently, Larry is the Coordinator for Occupational Skills Standards & Programming, Louisiana Community & Technical College System, Career and Technical Education Division . He is the Louisiana SkillsUSA liaison, and is responsible for development of strong programmatic and working relationships among the business/industry community, the LTC postsecondary education community and the Workforce Development Commission.

Larry is a master Automotive Technician as recognized by A.S.E., Certified State Director C.S.D., is the on the Board of Directors-SkillsUSA, past President and Vice President of the Board or Directors –SkillsUSA, past National SkillsUSA Chair of the State SkillsUSA Directors Association, President of TERRA-JET U.S.A., Inc.; former President of Trudo U.S.A.; former two term President of Catholic School Transportation Systems, Inc., and was a Director and Secretary with Operation Game Thief, Inc. in Association with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries; and is a member of the Morganza Knights of Columbus, and served on the St. Ann’s Catholic Church Planning Board. Larry is a lector and eucharistic minister at St. Vincent’s in Innis. He currently resides in Innis, Louisiana and he has two daughters, Michelle and Dore'e.