Excellence in Leadership Academy |
Martin Lemelle, Chairman & CEO:
Martin Lemelle Jr. is a Magna Cum Laude Graduate of Grambling State University (GSU) with a degree in Accounting. Throughout his collegiate career at GSU, he left an indelible stamp on student leadership, serving as Freshman Class President, SGA Vice President, and SGA President. He sponsored such initiatives as Vote It Is Your Right, College Begins in Preschool, and the Are You Ready Campaign. As the host of KGRM 91.5 FM Morning Radio Show, he communicated with a tristate listening audience on issues from politics to pop culture. A firm believer that service is the price one must pay for the space that he or she occupies, Martin interned with U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu (LA) in Washington D.C. During his internship, he facilitated constituent concerns regarding civil rights, small business and judiciary issues. From the audit halls of PricewaterhouseCoopers to the consulting field at IBM, Lemelle has solidified himself as a component practitioner of fiscal management and a sound business leader. Lemelle is a graduate of General Electrics Financial Management Program and certified Six Sigma Green Belt. Martin is a notable and respected member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is the past Polemarch of the Gamma Psi Chapter and active charter member of the Dulles Leesburg Alumni Chapter. In Feb 2006, he was featured on the cover of the International Kappa Journal honoring his achievement as the 2006 Byron K. Armstrong Scholar and Leader. In October of 2007, Lemelle was selected to attend The Barack Obama Institute for Campaign Organizing and Leadership in Atlanta, GA. Throughout the 2008 presidential primaries and general election, he organized for the campaign in the states of South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky. Lemelle is currently a senior financial analyst with the Dean Foods Company and divides his time between Shreveport, LA and Washington D.C. As the founder and CEO of the Excellence in Leadership Academy, he is devoted to educating and empowering Americas youth.
John Lewis Director of Operations:
A diversely active leader, John J. Lewis Jr. is known as a conference host, educator, entrepreneur, lecturer, and organizational specialist. He serves as the Director of Operations for the Excellence in Leadership and is responsible for the logistics and planning for all sponsored programs. Currently, Lewis serves as the Director of Student Services at American School of Business in Shreveport, Louisiana. Additionally, he is CEO of J. Lewis and Associates, L.L.C., and Icon Industries, L.L.C. During Lewis diverse career he has served as a Quality Engineer, Career Specialist, Instructor, and Marketing Director. Lewis passion for community service and dedication to changing the lives of youth has afforded him the opportunity to serve in numerous volunteer capacities. He currently serves as President of the Northwest Louisiana Community Development Corporation, Treasurer and President Emeritus of the University Christian Preparatory Schools School Board, Community Educator for Socialization Services, Inc., and Youth Outreach Coordinator for LA State House District 3. Lewis has an undergraduate degree in biology from Grambling State University, a masters in Human Services Administration from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, and is currently pursuing his doctorial degree in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.
Birdette Hughey Strategic Partner:
Birdette Hughey, started developing the Dream Katcher Program in 2006 while working with youth at Bethel Baptist Institutional Church (Jacksonville, FL). In 2007, Ms. Hughey along with her sister Ebonie Hughey worked to incorporate the program in order to expand the breadth of its reach.Before founding the Dream Katcher Program, Birdette Hughey laid her educational foundation at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. Through her matriculation at the University, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree and went on to obtain her Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing. During her collegiate years, Ms. Hughey realized her passion to work with youth. In 2001, Ms. Hughey worked with the NCAA National Youth Sports Program, a program that provides athletic instruction to disadvantaged youth. She also had the opportunity to serve youth in Guangzhou, China and Hong Kong through Camp Adventure Youth Services. Her work with young people did not end there. In 2002, Birdette interned with Youth by Design to assist youth in public housing who were being affected by the devolution process. In 2003, She went on to serve as the Directors Assistant and Mentor Program Coordinator for the Bethel A.M.E After School Program, a program partially funded by the Department of Juvenile Justice. In 20042005, she continued to work with youth through Organizations such as the Florida About Face! Program (Tallahassee, FL & Quincy, FL) where she served as an instructor and a site director. Ms. Hughey also had the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorpsPoints of Light Foundation VISTA, where she focused on issues within the faithbased community. In 2006, Ms. Hughey was hired as a Membership Specialist for the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council. Through this role she coordinated the Get Real! Mentoring Program, Special Needs Scouting, and After School Programs. Birdette has also had the opportunity to serve within the private sector. She has worked with Fortune 500 Companies such as International Business Machines (IBM), Kimberly ClarkCorporation, and Johnson & Johnson (Vistakon). She served in the roles of customer service, marketing, and sales. Ms. Hughey utilizes her corporate experience to lay the foundation and continue building the Dream Katchers Organization. While serving youth and working in the private sector, Ms. Hughey also had the opportunity to develop a vision for preparing the future generations for their purpose. She believes that this preparation can be strongly established through career and college preparation. As a result Ms. Hughey has worked with youth transitioning to college campuses, served as an instructor for ACT and SAT preparation, and developed workshops and modules to help students transition to their next step. In 2007, she ran with her vision and established Dream Katchers Inc. Career and College Readiness Program. Ms. Hughey is strongly supported by her family (Willam and Willie Hughey, and sisters Ebonie and Alisha Hughey). She values community service and volunteers her time through Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and is the immediate past cochair of Florida Cares! an initiative of Susan Taylors National Cares Movement. Ms. Hughey believes that if you seek God first in all that you do, everything else will fall into place.
Katie Ortego Consultant:
Katie Ortego joins the Excellence in Leadership Academy with great enthusiasm to return to her home state and offer guidance to young leaders. Ms. Ortego is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. She currently lives in Washington D.C. where she works for Perot Systems Government Services as a Marketing Researcher and Strategic Growth Analyst. Prior to joining Perot Systems, Ms. Ortego worked for the U.S. Department of Education and served as a requirements analyst during the implementation of three new higher education student loans recently initiated by Congress. Ms. Ortego is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she served as the Student Government Association President from 20042005, representing 16,000 students on her campus. She was a member of several honor societies and other social and philanthropic organizations during her collegiate years. In the same term, Ms. Ortego was also elected by a peer set of other Student Government Presidents to serve as the Student Board Member to the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors representing over 84,000 students on academic, financial, and student affair issues statewide. After completing her undergraduate degree at UL Lafayette in Public Relations and Marketing, Ms. Ortego went on to graduate school at Louisiana State University to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree. In 20062007 she served as the President of the Public Administration Institute Student Association. In the second year of her graduate program at LSU, Ms. Ortego was hired by the U.S. Department of Education and began telecommuting between Baton Rouge and Washington D.C. as a way to coordinate her studies with work experience to have a deeper understanding of serving the public sector. Ms. Ortego is a member of the American Society of Public Administrators (ASPA) and the Young Government Leaders of Washington D.C. She has served on several panels and boards to speak about leadership. In March 2007, Ms. Ortego was invited to participate in highlevel policy discussions at a Higher Education Summit entitled A Test of Leadership hosted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Margaret Spellings. In 2005, she served as a conference chair and a speaker at former Governor Kathleen Blancos Louisiana Women Leaders Conference in Lafayette, Louisiana. Ms. Ortego enjoys volunteering and has dedicated her time to student mentoring and tutoring programs both in the Baton Rouge and Washington D.C. areas.
Shannon Warren Consultant:
Shannon Warren is a native of Grambling, LA, but currently calls Shreveport home. She is a 2000 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelors Degree in Mass CommunicationAdvertising. As a student she was involved in many student organizations and held several leadership roles. Some of her memberships included: The American Advertising Federation, Residence Hall Association, African American Culture Committee (Chairperson 19981999), National Association of Black Journalists (President 19971998), IssuesWorld Culture Committee, Sigma Gamma Mu Communications Honor Society, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Ms. Warren earned a significant milestone by becoming the first African American to serve a full term as president of the largest student organization at the university, the Union Program Council. In 2005, Ms. Warren earned a Master of Arts degree from Grambling State University in Mass CommunicationCross Cultural Communication. Professionally, she has worked in the field of student affairs, student leadership and training, and as a teacher at several institutions of higher education. Currently, Ms. Warren is the Director of Education at Career Technical CollegeShreveport. She is responsible for managing a team of over 30 instructors and all facets of the academic programs offered by the college. She is a member of the New Prosperity Baptist Church and is also the owner of an adorable Yorkshire Terrier named Samson.
Melva Turner Consultant:
Melva Kristi Turner is a true advocate for students and student life. She is a graduate of Grambling State University where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication and also earned her Masters in Public Administration. In August of 2008 she will be graduating with her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS. In 2000 Ms. Turner was hired by the Mervyns California Corporation in Monroe, LA as Human Resources Director and from there she worked at Grambling State as Program Director in the Department of Student Activities. In 2004 she traded her tiger stripes for the spots of the Southern University jaguar and the colors of Columbia blue and Gold! She has been working on the Southern Shreveport campus for the past 4 years as Director of Student Activities. In April she had the opportunity to present at the American College Personnel Associations National Conference on the Persistence of Chicana Females in Higher Education and has recently completed a book chapter in the Smart Source Guide for Mississippi on Technology in the Mississippi Delta. Currently she is completing additional research entitled: The Road Less Traveled: The College Choice Process for Rural African American Students. Melva would say that her greatest accomplishment is being able to culture and guide the lives of students throughout the South year after year. She currently resides in Ruston, Louisiana with her two beautiful dogs Tyra and Diva. |
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