Grambling State News

The Center for Career and Professional Development at Grambling State University will celebrate its second class of The Distinguished 10 during Homecoming Week. Presented by SodexoMAGIC, the event will be held on Friday, Oct. 18, at 11:30 a.m. in the Black and Gold Room of the Favrot Student Union.

The Distinguished 10 Award was created to honor 10 Grambling State ​University graduates who have demonstrated excellence in their industry and ​community. Through their personal and professional achievements, these ​remarkable individuals exemplify outstanding leadership in business, research, ​public service, and/or philanthropic endeavors.

Grambling State’s Distinguished 10 Class of 2024 is as follows:

 

James Bradford, ’65

Bradford, who earned his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts in 1965, dedicated his life to serving his alma mater and community in Jonesboro, Louisiana, where he served as mayor from 2014 to 2022.

After a successful 40-year career in governmental affairs and at Smurfit-Stone, Bradford continues to work as a lobbyist for WestRock.

Bradford made significant contributions to the Grambling University National Alumni Association (GUNAA), serving as its president for more than 10 years. Under his leadership, GUNAA grew in impact, providing support and resources to current and future Grambling students.

 

One of his most notable achievements is organizing the annual Fred Hearn Jr. Golf Tournament and the Alumni and Friends event, which brings together alumni and raises funds for the institution.

Through his efforts, these events have raised over $400,000, advancing the university’s mission and providing opportunities for students.

 

Dr. Cynthia Jackson-Hammond, ’72

Dr. Jackson-Hammond, a 1972 education graduate, is COE for the Council for Education

Education, which convenes top U.S. leaders to recommend new models for higher education policy, funding, and collaboration.

 

In her role as a commissioner to the Council on Higher Education as a Strategic Asset (HESA), Jackson-Hammond advises HESA in efforts to develop and propose recommendations for ensuring that higher education institutions can deliver the workforce and educated citizenry necessary to address the United States’ most critical national priorities.

 

Dr. Jackson-Hammond’s professional career has included tenured and administrative positions in universities throughout various regions of the United States including the University of Louisiana Monroe, California State University Dominguez Hills; Delaware State University; University of North Carolina Charlotte, Winston-Salem State University; and Coppin State University.

Most recently, she completed her tenure as president of Central State University in Ohio.

 

Dr. Jackson-Hammond has served on many national boards including Thurgood Marshall College Fund; NCAA Division II Presidents Council; American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education; and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

 

She has also appeared several times on Capitol Hill providing testimony to U.S. legislators regarding the status of the 1890 Land-Grant institution.

 

Wayne McConnell, ’72

McConnell, a 1972 accounting graduate, is a managing partner for Houston’s McConnell and Jones, the 2nd largest African American owned CPA firm in the Country.

 

As Partner-In-Charge of the firm’s assurance practice, McConnell is primarily responsible for guiding the firms’ strategic direction and has overall responsibility for management of administrative functions, including human resources, accounting, marketing and information technology.

 

McConnell has oversight responsibility of the audit division’s quality control system; making sure that it adheres to the peer review and inspection requirements of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Public Company Accounting and Oversight Board (PCAOB).

 

In addition to his responsibilities as managing partner, Wayne contributes his time to the public services sector. At the American Heart Association, he is a board member of the SouthWest Affiliate, and also serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Houston Partnership where he sits on the Audit and Finance Committees. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Houston City Club as well as GSU’s Black and Gold Foundation and also serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Greater Houston where he is also Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Boris Oglesby, ’84

A 1984 marketing graduate, Oglesby is an executive vice president and practice leader at Circana, a market research and technology company that provides consumer insights to help businesses grow.

 

In his role, Oglesby is responsible for leading high-performance analytics, data development, delivery, and client services organization in developing and using Circana’s tools to identify and address a broad spectrum of key marketing issues, including new product launches, line extensions, trade spending, pricing, and retail execution within the beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco industries.

 

Oglesby also helped pioneer the Circana Diversity Advantage Program to inspire and empower rising minority- and women-owned consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to achieve positive organizational growth.

 

Previously, Oglesby was vice president of global marketing and strategy with MeadWestvaco. He has held significant senior leadership roles in other CPG companies, such as vice president of super premiums, cordials, and strategy for Jim Beam Brands and senior vice president of marketing and development for Swedish Match North America.

 

Dr. Stephanie Miles-Richardson, ’88

A 1988 biology graduate, Dr. Miles-Richardson currently serves as Associate Dean of Graduate Education in Public Health and Director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Morehouse School of Medicine.

That program was established in 1995 to address the increasing shortage of underrepresented minorities in leadership positions in the field of public health. In 1999, it became the first accredited MPH program at an HBCU.

The Founding Director of the Novartis Beacon of Hope Center of Excellence on Climate and Environmental Health at Morehouse School of Medicine, Miles Richardson was also elected president of The Council on Education for Public Health, an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs outside schools of public health.

Miles Richardson joined the faculty at Morehouse in 2008 after over a decade of federal service at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), where she was a U.S. Public Health Service commissioned officer and scientific technical advisor for a $4 million toxicology research program, and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  where she was the first Associate Director of Minority Health and Health Disparities Policy in the Office of the Director.

 

 

Dr. Quintrella Cahee, ’91
Dr. Cahee, who earned her Bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1991, serves as deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Open Source Enterprise.

Although she majored in accounting at GSU, an internship led her to join the CIA and base her career in human resources.

 

Serving on a panel of four college recruiters speaking at a program sponsored by GSu’s Center for Career and Professional Development, Cahee advised students attending that event to be true to themselves, even if that doesn’t always mean following the trail to big money.

 

Cahee also advised those in the audience for that program to  be agile, flexible and open about their career decisions.

 

 

Shlondra Amacker, ’96

A 1996 computer information systems graduate, Amacker currently serves as international cybersecurity director for Chase Bank and also serves on the Grambling State University College of Business Advisory Board.

In addition to her longtime corporate career, Amacker also has for more the 20 years served as owner/operator of Shlampat Events and Event2Plan as well as owner/operator of Geaux Savvy Designs, LLC, which creates custom embroidery, sublimation, and vinyl apparel, kitchen, home, and pet items, specializing in designs representing and promoting Grambling State University.

Amacker is also active in her service with Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, including serving as president of the Gamma Beta Omega Chapter in Wilson, North Carolina, from 2001-2004 and 2010-2012). Amacker currently serves as the Business Manager for Chi Zeta Omega and has Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Planners.

A lifetime member of the NAACP, Women in International Business, National Sports Bike Association, Coalition of Women Motorcyclists, and Women in Technology, Amacker was also named one of the Most Influential People under the Age of 40 by the Wilson Daily Times.

 

Jesse Jackson, ’97

Jackson, a 1997 marketing graduate, is executive vice president and managing director of b1BANK and leads the bank’s Financial Institutions Group and will join the executive leadership team.

 

Possessing more than 30 years’ experience in the banking industry, Jackson previously served as executive vice president of Texas Capital Bank’s Dallas Commercial Banking Practice.

Jackson was also instrumental in building their correspondent banking network of more than 400 community financial institutions across more than 40 states.

 

His 30-year banking career includes 25 years of working with key executives at financial institutions, building partnerships and consultative correspondent banking relationships.

Prior to joining Texas Capital Bank in 2013, Jackson held senior leadership roles at The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. His experience also includes positions in mergers and acquisitions, lending and consultative sales.

 

 

LaQuieta LaFaye Huey, ’00

Huey, a 2000 physics graduate, has been an aerospace systems engineer/physicist for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center since 2008.

She also holds a Master’s degree in Materials Science, an MBA from Florida A&M, and a PhD in Physics from Alabama A&M.

In 2006, Huey was honored with The Rudolf Kingslake Medal, awarded annually in recognition of the most noteworthy original paper to appear in the SPIE’s official journal, Optical Engineering, on the theoretical or experimental aspects of optical engineering.

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics.

 

 

 

Lt. Col. Levicy F. Crawford, ’06

A 2006 criminal justice graduate, Lt. Col. Crawford has been assigned to the Pentagon since 2022.

Crawford received her commission through the Direct Appointment Program in February 2012. Since entering active duty, she has served as assistant chief and chief of civil law, as adverse actions chief, and as special victims’ counsel at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In 2012, she graduated from Commissioned Officer Training and Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. Crawford also completed Squadron Officer School at Maxwell in 2015.

From 2016-17 Crawford was the deputy staff judge advocate for the 8th Fighter Wing, Office of the Staff Judge Advocate at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea, where she helped lead the base legal staff in advising and delivering legal services to the commanders and military members of the wing in support of the defense of the Korean Peninsula.

She is certified to practice law before the Louisiana Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Crawford received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Grambling State University, Grambling, Louisiana, in 2006. In 2010, she went on to earn her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.