Louisiana

Personnel moves at EisnerAmper, LSU Health, Louisiana Bar Foundation

Published

1 year ago

August 25, 2024

Personnel moves at EisnerAmper, LSU Health, Louisiana Bar Foundation

New Orleans

Jennifer Fuselier, Sarah Tilden and Michael Morse have been named as partners in the New Orleans office of EisnerAmper.

Fuselier is a partner in the audit services group. She has nearly 15 years of public accounting experience, overseeing fieldwork and performing financial statement audits, single audits and other services for nonprofits, governments and charter schools.

She earned a bachelor’s in accounting from LSU and a master’s in accounting from the University of New Orleans.

Tilden is a partner in the advisory services group. She has nearly 15 years of experience, six of which were spent in the private sector. She specializes in accounting and finance, compliance, financial management and disbursements.

She earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Ferris State University.

Morse is a partner in the audit services group. He has 15 years experience providing audit and consultation services including employee benefit plans, construction and marine vessel supply.

He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in accounting, both from LSU.

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LSU Health New Orleans has named five new deans.

Promoted from interim dean to head of their respective school were: Dr. Richard DiCarlo, dean of medicine; Dr. Angela Amedee, dean of graduate studies; Dr. Edward Trapido, dean of public health; and Dr. Erin Dugan, dean of allied health professions.

Dr. John Gallo has been named dean of dentistry.

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Elia Diaz-Yaeger has been named chief legal officer for OnPath Credit Union.

Diaz-Yaeger has more than 20 years of litigation experience, in areas such as commercial litigation, defense, environmental complex litigation and board governance. She was previously a shareholder at Lugenbuhl and served on the board of directors for OnPath for more than 12 years.

She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and a law degree from Loyola University School of Law.

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Laura Cangelosi Sewell has been named executive director/chief executive officer of the Louisiana Bar Foundation.

Sewell has been with the foundation for 19 years, starting as development director in 2005. She is a seasoned fundraiser with a background in state contracts and nonprofit management.

Baton Rouge

Ryan Aldridge and Dana Daigle have been named as partners in the Baton Rouge office of EisnerAmper.

Aldridge is a partner in the consulting services group who has more than 10 years experience. He leads class action, mass arbitration and mass tort claims administration projects.

He earned a bachelor’s in economics from LSU.

Daigle is a partner in the advisory services group. She has nearly 15 years of experience in financial management, disbursements, forensic accounting, compliance and litigation support.

She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in accounting, both from LSU.

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Mike Gennaro has been hired as assistant vice president of commercial lending for the Bank of Zachary.

Gennaro previously worked in the commercial real estate sector for Derbes Falgout Commercial Real Estate and EXP Commercial. He founded Gennaro Commercial Realty.

He earned a master’s in business administration from LSU E.J. Ourso College of Business.

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Dr. Steven Gremillion has been named chief medical officer for Our Lady of the Lake Health.

Gremillion is a practicing cardiologist who has been with Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Louisiana Cardiology Associates for more than 30 years. He has served in multiple leadership roles within Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, including chief medical officer for the health system.

Gremillion will continue to see patients at the cardiology group’s offices in Baton Rouge and Port Allen.

He earned his medical degree from LSU Health New Orleans. Gremillion completed a residency and a fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

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Matt Doiron has been hired by V. Graham as a director.

Doiron has more than two decades of experience in financial and operational management, most recently serving as director of Mount Logan Management. Before that, he spent 18 years at Capital One and Hibernia National Bank, where he held roles including senior vice president relationship manager.

He earned a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in business administration, with a concentration in finance, both from LSU.

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Louisiana

CWD Case Found in a White-tailed Deer in Concordia Parish, LDWF Announces

Published

4 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

CWD Case Found in a White-tailed Deer in Concordia Parish, LDWF Announces

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been reported in a hunter-harvested white-tailed buck in Concordia Parish, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said. The buck was harvested on Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and is the first CWD detection in a wild deer in Concordia Parish.

CWD was first detected in Louisiana in 2022. The latest positive brings the total number of CWD detections for Louisiana to 44.

Initial diagnostics by the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL) detected CWD prion in tissue samples submitted by LDWF. Per required protocol, LADDL has forwarded the sample to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing. Final confirmation is anticipated in the coming weeks.

Due to this preliminary detection during the ongoing deer season, hunters are encouraged to submit additional hunter-harvest samples for testing. A CWD sample drop-off site is located along Highway 15 near the northern boundary of Richard K. Yancey WMA.

To obtain viable samples for testing, a fresh head including a few inches of neck is required. Data submission cards and bags are available on site. Once completed, the bagged deer head and data card should be placed in the available cooler at the CWD drop-off site.

LDWF is currently in the process of implementing the LDWF CWD response plan. More information regarding the response plan and intended mitigation efforts for this area will be forthcoming.

“We continue to count on our hunters, property owners, deer processors and taxidermists for their assistance in monitoring CWD as their continued partnership with our department will help manage the expanse of CWD in the state keeping our deer population healthy,’’ LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth said.

CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the Cervidae family. The disease is caused by a prion, an infectious, misfolded protein particle, and is 100-percent fatal in affected deer after an indeterminate incubation period. There is no treatment or preventative vaccine for CWD. CWD-infected deer may exhibit symptoms of weight loss and emaciation, salivation, frequent drinking and urination, incoordination, circling, lack of human fear, and subsequent death of the animal.

Although CWD has not been shown to be contagious to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend against the human consumption of deer known to be infected with CWD. Also, it is recommended that people hunting in areas known to harbor CWD-infected deer have their deer tested for the disease prior to consumption. LDWF provides CWD testing for hunter-harvested deer free of charge.

For more information on CWD, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cwd.

Questions can be addressed to Dr. Jonathan Roberts at jroberts@wlf.la.gov or Johnathan Bordelon at jbordelon@wlf.la.gov.

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Louisiana

What Louisiana’s broadband cost cuts mean for families, taxpayers

Published

16 hours ago

January 6, 2026

Press Room

What Louisiana’s broadband cost cuts mean for families, taxpayers

Louisiana’s approach to expanding high-speed internet access is being recognized on the national stage,

Recently, The Wall Street Journal highlighted the state as a model for reducing costs while accelerating broadband deployment.

In a recent editorial, the Journal pointed to Louisiana as a case study in how streamlined regulations and efficient program design can significantly lower the cost of connecting households and businesses to high-speed internet.

According to the Journal, Louisiana sharply reduced its average cost per connection after adopting updated federal guidance.

“The average cost for each new household or business connected in Louisiana fell to $3,943 from $5,245,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

The editorial credited fewer procedural requirements and increased private-sector participation as key factors allowing states like Louisiana to stretch taxpayer dollars further while expanding access, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

Louisiana’s broadband strategy has drawn attention not only for its cost savings but also for how state leaders plan to reinvest those savings.

In September, Gov. Jeff Landry sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick outlining a proposal to redirect remaining broadband funds into state-led initiatives aligned with national priorities, including artificial intelligence, education, and workforce development.

In the letter, Landry requested federal flexibility to allow Louisiana to keep and use remaining grant funds within the state, rather than returning or reallocating them elsewhere. The governor argued that reinvesting the savings locally would support long-term economic growth, innovation, and community development across Louisiana.

Louisiana was also the first state in the nation to submit a revised broadband plan under the updated federal framework, positioning it at the forefront of efficient high-speed internet deployment. State officials said the approach not only accelerates connectivity but also opens the door to broader investments that strengthen education systems, workforce readiness, and emerging technologies.

As The Wall Street Journal noted, Louisiana’s experience is increasingly being viewed as a national example of how states can modernize infrastructure programs while delivering better value for taxpayers — a model that could influence broadband policy well beyond state lines.

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Louisiana

Federal regulators seek record fine over Louisiana offshore oil spill

Published

1 day ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

Federal regulators seek record fine over Louisiana offshore oil spill

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The U.S. Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump is seeking a record $9.6 million civil penalty against a pipeline operator over a massive offshore oil spill that sent more than 1 million gallons of crude into waters off Louisiana.

Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, known as PHMSA, announced the proposed penalty against Panther Operating Company for violations tied to the November 2023 failure of the Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline system.

PHMSA said the $9,622,054 penalty is the largest civil fine ever proposed in a pipeline safety enforcement action.

Federal investigators concluded the spill released about 1.1 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf after a subsea pipeline connector failed and operators did not shut the system down for hours.

“Safety drives everything we do,” Duffy said in a statement. “When companies fail to abide by the rules, we won’t hesitate to act decisively.”

According to PHMSA, the violations involved failures in integrity management, operations and maintenance, leak detection, emergency response and protections for high-consequence areas.

The agency also proposed a compliance order requiring Panther to overhaul how it evaluates geological and geotechnical risks affecting the pipeline system.

The spill occurred along the 67-mile Main Pass Oil Gathering system, which transports crude oil from offshore production areas south of New Orleans. Oil was first spotted roughly 19 miles off the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines Parish.

Federal investigators later determined the pipeline was not shut down for nearly 13 hours after pressure data first suggested a problem. Regulators said quicker action could have significantly reduced the volume released.

The National Transportation Safety Board said underwater landslides and storm-related seabed movement contributed to the failure and that the operator did not adequately account for known geohazards common in the Gulf.

PHMSA said Panther must now develop a plan to protect the pipeline against future external forces such as seabed instability, erosion and storm impacts. The company has 30 days to respond to the notice of probable violation and proposed penalty.

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