BIO
Dr. Thomas R. Warner
Chancellor, Nunez Community College
Dr. Thomas R. Warner is a native of the New Orleans area. He is married to the former Mary Ellen Schorr, and they have seven children and 18 grandchildren. His family has always been the foundation around which he has built his life. It is also one of the reasons he has been a proponent of quality education for all residents of our community and the State of Louisiana.
Dr. Warner graduated from Redemptorist High School in 1953 and attended Tulane University from 1953 - 1957. His work in education began after his graduation from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He was a teacher and a coach at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans. He later moved to teaching and coaching at Chalmette High. In 1962, he began working on his Master of Education degree in Administration and Supervision at Tulane University. Upon completion of his master’s degree, he became Assistant Principal at Chalmette High in 1967.
Dr. Warner’s next appointment was as Director of Curriculum in the St. Bernard Parish School System in 1970. It was during this time that he began working toward a Doctorate of Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Orleans. He earned his Doctorate of Education in 1975 and became the Assistant Superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish School System. During that time, he was a visiting professor at several institutions, including Tulane University, University of New Orleans, and the Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership of the University of San Francisco in California. Within six years, he became Associate Dean of Instruction at Delgado Community College.
Dr. Warner also ran several small businesses and was a State Representative for 13 years. His most recent position in educational administration was the Director of Administrative Services at Nunez Community College.
Dr. Warner was appointed Chancellor of Nunez Community College on September 14, 2000. His philosophy of education is consistent with the stated purpose of the college, which is to meet the diverse needs of the individual and the demands of a democratic and multi-cultural society. Above all, he believes the foundation of education is to provide the individual with lifetime learning through the acquisition of necessary skills in order to have a satisfying career and productive life.
Having survived the aftermath of Hurricane Betsy in 1965, Dr. Warner; his wife, Mary Ellen; members of his faculty and staff; and some of their family members stayed in the Arts, Sciences, & Technology Building on the campus of Nunez Community College during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They were evacuated by helicopter six days after the storm.
After their evacuation, Dr. Warner and key staff members went to work immediately in temporary offices on the campus of Baton Rouge Community College. Through his diligence and tenacity, and the hard work of faculty and staff, the College was able to begin classes in Slidell, Louisiana, at Slidell High School in the evenings in October of 2005. In addition, the College offered several online courses beginning that October, as well. The main accomplishment of the College was the continuation of the Practical Nursing and EMT classes, within three weeks of the storm, virtually uninterrupted. In fact, 22 of the 26 original “senior” nursing students were able to complete their program in March of 2006.
Because of his heroism during Hurricane Katrina and the accomplishments in reopening the College that he and his staff affected in the 2005 – 2006 academic year, Dr. Thomas R. Warner was awarded the prestigious “2006 President’s Leadership Award” by Dr. Walter Bumphus, President of the Louisiana Community & Technical College System.
BIO
Dr. Alex Johnson
Chancellor, Delgado Community College
Alex Johnson is Chancellor of the 17,400-student Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to this post, he was President of the Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.
Among Dr. Johnson’s local board memberships are the Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans, PBS affiliate WYES, and Kingsley House. He serves nationally on the boards of the Council for the Advancement of Experiential Learning and the American Council on Education (ACE), and is a member of the Commission on Women of ACE and the Commission on Research of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Johnson has contributed his expertise to the recovery effort as a member of Mayor C. Ray Nagin’s “Bringing New Orleans Back Commission” steering committees on education, strategic healthcare issues, and economic development, chairing its workforce subcommittee.
Dr. Johnson is a recipient of many honors including Phi Theta Kappa’s President of the Year Award and the Frank G. Jackson, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, Visionary Award.
His Doctorate is from Pennsylvania State University, Master’s from Lehman College, and Bachelor’s from Winston-Salem State University.
BIO
Dr. Joe May
President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System
Dr. Joe D. May is President of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS). Prior to his current position, he was Senior Vice President for Best Associates (Higher Ed Holdings, LLC), where he provided operational leadership for new colleges in Illinois, Massachusetts, Panama, and Colombia.
During his career, Dr. Joe D. May has provided leadership for successful organizations throughout the United States and abroad. His background includes serving in leadership roles in business organizations, public colleges and universities, and private colleges and universities. His experience ranges from having served as a counselor and a faculty member to the System President of the Colorado Community College System.
As the Associate Vice President for Institutional Partnerships at Regis University, Dr. May was responsible for the programs and services provided by New Ventures of Regis University and the Community College Partnership Program, a nation-wide consortium of community colleges. As the System President for the Colorado Community College System, he provided leadership to over 116,000 students enrolled in thirteen colleges throughout the state. Prior to that role, he served as the president of Pueblo Community College.
Before his recent move to Louisiana, Dr. May held positions as the Dean of Instruction and Student Development at Danville (VA) Community College and at Vernon College (TX.), was Dean of Student Services at Navarro College (TX), and Assistant Professor of Education at Sul Ross State University (TX). He earned a doctorate in education at Texas A&M-Commerce, and a Master’s of Education and Bachelor of Science from Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX.
Dr. May has been married to his wife, Jeanne, for 32 years. He has two children, Christina who is age 26 and Clint who is 23.
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