South Louisiana businesses and nonprofit groups recently announced the following promotions, new hires and resignations.
New Orleans
Patrick Gillies been named the new president and CEO of Easterseals Louisiana, a nonprofit that aims to change definitions of disability and make positive differences in people’s lives. Gillies previously served as Louisiana’s Medicaid executive director.
Sharonda Williams
Kea Sherman
Entergy New Orleans named a pair of new additions to its executive team. Sharonda Williams has been named vice president of regulatory and public affairs. Williams was previously the vice president of government affairs and general counsel for Loyola University New Orleans. Kea Sherman has been named vice president of customer service and economic development. Sherman was previously senior policy counsel at Van Ness Feldman in Washington, D.C.
Christian Bolden
Dustin Davidson
The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation announced two new members of its board of directors. Christian Bolden is the founder and principal of The Bolden Group, a Northern Virginia-based management consulting firm. Bolden previously worked as a staffer for the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, which he advised on matters of cybersecurity, digital policy and national security. Dustin Davidson is the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy. Davidson previously worked for the Waterways Council, Inc., as a staffer for the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and on the legislative staffs of Rep. Garret Graves and U.S. Sens. David Vitter and John Kennedy.
Jim Nelson
Jim Nelson has been promoted to New Orleans market president for Red River Bank. Nelson, who has more than 30 years of experience in banking and financial services, was hired earlier this year as a business development executive for the greater New Orleans market.
Baton Rouge
Ben Marmande
Ben Marmande has been hired as the director of corporate banking for b1Bank. Marmande spent 19 years as market president in both Houston and Baton Rouge for First Horizon and IberiaBank. He also held commercial banking and senior credit leadership roles at Hibernia National Bank.
Across Louisiana
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson has been named executive director of the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and The Arts, effective July 1. A member of the faculty at the Natchitoches school for the past 15 years, Anderson serves as its chief academic officer and director of academic affairs.
Dr. Lester Johnson has been named senior vice chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport. Before working as interim chancellor, interim senior vice chancellor and interim dean of the LSUHS School of Medicine, Johnson spent 30 years at Ochsner LSU Health in Monroe as a professor and chief of surgery.
Ryan Vidrine
Tyler Marcantel
JD Bank elevated two employees to new executive roles. Ryan Vidrine was promoted to senior vice president, commercial banker. Vidrine served as chief technology officer and chief operations officer of Guaranty Bank prior to its acquisition by JD Bank. Tyler Marcantel has been promoted to assistant vice president, office manager. Marcantel has been with the bank since 2020 and is office manager of the brand at Sale Road in Lake Charles.
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