Leadership St. Tammany Class of 2015 Introduced

Thirty-two north shore residents representing a variety of backgrounds were introduced as members of the Leadership St. Tammany Class of 2015 during a banquet at Trinity Court, north of Covington, on July 10.

Leadership St. Tammany, now in its 21st year, was created to “identify and develop potential leaders to meet the future needs” of the community. The program “trains emerging leaders in leadership skills and broadens their understanding of the various governmental, societal, educational, technological and economic systems which impact St. Tammany.”

Mark Johnson, co-program director for the nonprofit organization, said more than 500 west St. Tammany residents have graduated from the program since 1994. They come from all walks of life, and the goal is to help them to an understanding that all of the systems are “interconnected,” he said.

“We have people from diversified backgrounds,” Johnson said. “There are numerous factors taken into account — gender, people from profits and nonprofits, elected officials, their geographic locations.”

The class of 2015 meets that description, Leadership St. Tammany officials said. The class will attend a retreat later in July, then will begin programming in September. They will continue until May, meeting with leaders in a variety of fields to gain a greater knowledge of the communities around them, as well as the unique opportunities and issues facing each. They are expected to graduate in June.

Members of the class of 2015 attending the banquet were

Vincent Cangiamilla III, vice president/design director with Fauntleroy, Latham, Weldon, Barre Architects

Frank Carmelli, insurance agent with State Farm

Christopher Christopher, senior pastor of Hosanna Lutheran Church

Amy Cuevas, sales and marketing manager for Roger Farris Allstate Insurance Agency

Joy Derise, administration assistant with St. Tammany Parish Hospital

Ken Dhir, retired from Entergy Services

Dee Halphen, broker with Re/MAX Elite

n Teresa Krutzfeldt, director of critical care for St. Tammany Parish Hospital

Paul Leblanc, managing partner with Arbor Lending Group

Chad Marshall, senior vice president/market credit executive with Capital One Bank

Patrick McMath, assistant district attorney with District Attorney Walter Reed’s office

Mike Mire, financial services representative with New York Life

Jenny Mutter, owner of Hestia Linens LLC

Melissa O’Malley, director of operations for Ochsner Health System

Gretchen Ockman, manager with Wegmann, Dazet & Company APC

Patti Oppenheim, staff attorney and hearing officer for 22nd Judicial District Court Judge Mary Devereux

Laurie Pennison, attorney and owner of the Law Office of Laurie M. Pennison

Carolyn Ridge, chief financial officer with Lakeview Regional Medical Center

Brian Sorrells, owner of Creative Network Solutions

Susan Strain, veterinarian and owner of Claiborne Hill Veterinary Hospital

Eddie Swan, lead pastor at New Beginnings Church

Vince Talazac, president of Synergy Consulting Solutions LLC

Bob Thompson, special revenue manager for St. Tammany Parish Government

Terri Turner-Marse, executive director of the Covington Food Bank

Elizabeth Van Sant, owner of Campbell’s Coffee & Tea

Jennifer White, member of the St. Tammany Parish Chamber of Commerce Northshore Rising Professionals and the Greater New Orleans Project Management Institute.

Class of 2015 members not attending the banquet were:

Megan Ferran, commercial relationship manager/vice president with Home Bank

Barry French, vice president/treasurer for Acadian Millwork and Supply

Blake Mendheim, owner of 110 Builders LLC

Dawn Powell, captain with St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office

C. deShea Richardson, partner with Harrison & Richardson, Attorneys at Law

Donald Villere, mayor, city of Mandeville.

Ridge, the CFO at Lakeview Regional, said she heard about Leadership St. Tammany from co-workers who graduated from previous classes. She moved to Mandeville nine years ago but spent most of that time working on the south shore. Now that her work base is on the north shore, she’s looking forward to what she can learn from the leadership program.

“I think I’m most excited about learning more about St. Tammany Parish and what we have to offer as a community,” she said. “(It’s about) just becoming a more active member of the community.”

Leadership St. Tammany is funded by individual and corporate sponsors throughout the area. There are 25 sponsors, which is “the most we’ve ever had,” Johnson said.

Article Originally Appeared on theadvocate.com