Savoie named outstanding agricultural economics alumnus

David Savoie, center, of Crowley, was named the outstanding alumnus at the LSU Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Alumni Association annual award ceremony on Sept. 22. Savoie received his master’s degree in agricultural economics from LSU in 1981. He received his undergraduate degree in agribusiness from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the vice president and large agriculture corporate sales manager for Sunshine Quality Solutions and has worked in the farm equipment industry since 1981. The alumni association also gave out 13 scholarships to students studying agricultural business in the LSU College of Agriculture. Presenting Savoie with the award are Mike Salassi, head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, and Christine Schmidt, association president. Photo by Tobie Blanchard

Alumna St. Paul gives Golden Girls new look

Suzanne Perron St. Paul has designed gowns for celebrities, brides, debutantes and Mardi Gras royalty, but the New Orleans-based designer recently took on new clients, the LSU Golden Girls. “My goal was to come up with a fleur de lis-inspired outfit, a lot more gold, but on a white base, and we did it,” St. Paul said. The uniforms include hand-painted fabric and more than 1,000 Swarovski crystals per outfit. St. Paul was a Golden Girl in the 1980s. She studied textiles, apparel and merchandising. After graduation she taught for a year at LSU and then was accepted into an accelerated program at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. “I was thrown right in the program. It was like fashion vo-tech. All of our professors worked in the industry. I met so many designers.” St. Paul worked for top designers Carolina Herrera, Anna Sui and Vera Wang before returning to Louisiana to open a studio in New Orleans.

Neal and Martin named assistant deans

Jennifer Neal

Amanda Martin

The LSU College of Agriculture has restructured the Dean’s Office to better serve the needs of students, faculty and staff. Jennifer Neal, former director of student services, now serves as assistant dean for student and academic affairs. Brandon Guillory, the office’s academic coordinator, will assume the role of manager of student services. Amanda Martin is now the assistant dean of recruitment and student development. She was the director of recruitment and retention. Henry Hebert, who coordinated recruitment and retention, is now the manager of recruitment. These changes streamline the team’s ability to meet the college’s goals and mission.

Scholarship awards total $375,000

LSU College of Agriculture students who received a 64 Parish Strong scholarship were recognized at the college’s Honors Convocation held on Aug. 30. They were among the 140 students who received scholarships from the college. The total amount awarded to both incoming and continuing students was $375,000. Photo by Tobie Blanchard

Layni LeBlanc elected FFA secretary

Layni LeBlanc, a junior studying animal sciences in the LSU College of Agriculture, was elected as National FFA secretary at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis. LeBlanc will serve with a national officer team of five other students from across the country. National officers commit to a year of service to National FFA. LeBlanc will travel nationally and internationally to represent FFA and interact with agricultural industry leaders, FFA members, teachers and government officials. She will help lead personal growth and leadership conferences for FFA members across the country. LeBlanc is the first female national officer from Louisiana, and the state hasn’t had a national officer since 1988.