Initiative to give school administrators hands-on experience in STEM careers
BATON ROUGE, La. (June 6, 2019) — The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) yesterday announced the fifth cohort for its Pathways to Prosperity Fellowship.
The Pathways to Prosperity Fellowship is intended to engage Capital Region principals, assistant principals, counselors, and career coaches in exploring career opportunities available to their students in STEM fields, specifically: construction crafts, manufacturing, healthcare, and the tech sector. Participants will spend several days onsite at BRAC’s partner companies to shadow workers in the field, conduct skills assessments, and engage in day-to-day operations.
Participants will leave the program with a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge necessary for successful careers in the target industries. They will be trained to serve as ambassadors of those industries to their students and as connectors between the classroom and workplace concepts and skills.
Over 70 administrators submitted applications, creating the largest group of qualified candidates in the program’s history. Thirty-one teachers were selected from a total of seven districts. Selected fellows for the fifth cohort include:
· Rochelle Page, Ascension
· Kim Uzee, Ascension
· Toyia Comminey, Ascension
· Christina Carter, Ascension
· Kristie Overstreet, Ascension
· LaTonya Calvey, Ascension
· Shannon Hattier, Ascension
· Kim Aucoin, Ascension
· Suella Washington, Ascension
· Alex Ambeau, Ascension
· Micki LeBlanc, Ascension
· Angela Boudreaux, Ascension
· Belinda Dixon, Central
· Lindsey LeBlanc, Central
· Chadwick Kyle Aucoin, East Baton Rouge
· Verdie M Batiste, East Baton Rouge
· Paul M. Jackson, East Baton Rouge
· John Hayman, East Baton Rouge
· Verricha Stewart, East Baton Rouge
· John-Pierre’ LaFleur, East Baton Rouge
· Addie Loupe, Iberville
· Alexis Ray, Iberville
· Catherine Vicknair, Livingston
· Jennifer Bourgeois, Livingston
· Sammie Lacara, Livingston
· Kim Dudley, Livingston
· Charlene B. Lilly, Livingston
· Michelle Vaughn, West Baton Rouge
· Del-Timoko Clark, West Baton Rouge
· Jennifer Bel, West Feliciana
· Jessica Walker, West Feliciana
Sponsoring partners include: Ascension Parish School District, BASF, Central Community School District, Dow, East Baton Rouge Public School System, ExxonMobil, FRAN U, Iberville Parish School District, IBM, IT Inspired, LED FastStart, Livingston Parish School District, Sparkhound, West Baton Rouge Parish School District, West Feliciana Parish School District, and Woman’s Hospital.
This program supports BRAC’s Strategic Plan initiative to cultivate the region’s talent through expansion of STEM learning and partnerships in PK-12 public education, and aligning regional workforce development systems to meet business needs. Read more about BRAC’s Strategic Plan at www.brac.org.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,500 small businesses, midsize firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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Morgan is the Marketing Manager for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. In her role, she manages writing organizational publications and materials, oversees BRAC’s social media and blog, and coordinates timelines for all internal marketing projects.