LSMSA | Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA)

Advisory Council

List of 9 items.

Sue Rosenthal ('85) - Chair

Sue Rosenthal (She, Her, Hers) serves as Chair of the IDEA Advisory Council at LSMSA.
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Dr. Jason Anderson - Vice Chair

Dr. Jason Anderson (He, Him, His) serves as Vice Chair of the IDEA Advisory Council at LSMSA.
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Joseph E. "Jed" Cain

Jed Cain (He, Him, His) is a partner in the law firm of Herman, Herman & Katz, LLC in New Orleans.
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Sheila Kidd

Sheila Kidd (She, Her, Hers) is the mother of a 2008 LSMSA graduate.
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Alex C. Robertson ('14)

A native of Baton Rouge, Alex Robertson (He, Him, His) attended Louisiana State University where he served as the Student Government Director of Diversity for two years.
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Jenny Schmitt

Jenny Schmitt (She, Her, Hers) is from Saint Louis, MO, and currently serves as the assistant director of Student Services at LSMSA, working with residence life, student activities, student organizations, community service/outreach, and discipline.
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Scott Theriot

Scott Theriot (He, Him, His) is from Waggaman, LA, and has spent the last 14 years teaching theatre and directing high school performances.
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Maria Town ('05)

Maria Town (She, Her, Hers) is the President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities.
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Sebastian Weinell ('14)

Sebastian Weinell (He, Him, His) is a transgender man and a social worker.
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Statement of Position and Purpose

The year 2020 has been a monumentally challenging year, but it also has been a revealing one. As the veil began to lift on the inequities in the justice system for Black Americans, difficult, but necessary conversations began across the nation. Difficult conversations started by our own affected LSMSA stakeholders led to the creation of this IDEA Advisory Council. The Council, comprised of volunteers, has a mandate to ensure LSMSA fulfills its mission to every student and that all barriers to full participation in the LSMSA experience are removed.

Since the Council’s inception on June 5 Chair, Dr. Jason Anderson and Vice-Chair Ms. Jennifer Mangum invited the other members of the Council to join and hosted the first organizational meeting. The Chair and Vice Chair also immediately began to research and identify external resources the Council can bring to bear to begin addressing the problems recently articulated by students and alumni. Following the initial meeting the Council formulated sub-committees to take the lead on addressing inequities based on race, LGBTQ+ and disability issues, among other issues in response to needs raised by the voices of our LSMSA community.

Among the immediate tasks for the Council will be a review of institutional policies impacting Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access; engagement with external professional resources such as Dialogue on Race Louisiana for additional training and tutelage for creating an educational environment that bars no student from the best opportunities available; and creation of dedicated internet page where students can find resources or seek help. In the coming weeks the Council will also commission a ‘Climate Study’ to more empirically determine where we are as a community on meeting the needs of and providing opportunities for all our students.

We recognize that this is just the beginning of a long road. Other issues may arise, and the Council’s mandate must be flexible to meet those demands. However, the members of the LSMSA IDEA Advisory Council are dedicated to starting this journey and moving with the urgency that these issues and this time demand.