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Communications & Media

Claire Delaune has been named public relations director for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Delaune was formerly the news planning associate producer at WBRZ. In her new role, she will oversee news releases, media appearances, a monthly newsletter and a monthly televised show, and she will assist with marketing and promotion of all library programs.

Bill Lawrence has joined WBRZ as an AVID producer/editor. Lawrence has extensive editing experience on many national and regional commercial accounts from post houses in Michigan, Florida and Canada. He graduated from Kent State University, where he majored in telecommunications.

Education

Peter Haynes is the new dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, having served as interim dean since July 2006. Haynes came to LSU in 1974 as an assistant professor and veterinary clinician. His research interests include equine surgery and equine sport-related disorders.

Jack Weiss, a partner in the New York law firm of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, is the new chancellor of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center. A New Orleans native, Weiss will assume his duties July 1. He received his juris doctor from Harvard Law School.

Our Lady of the Lake College has announced the following new appointments: Leon Mathes, business manager; Aimee Lange, director of student accounts; Tiffany Magee, director of the Office of Financial Aid; and Tracy Novak, assistant director of the Office of Financial Aid.

Financial & insurance

Dirk Wild, currently senior vice president and chief accounting officer for The Shaw Group, is now the interim chief financial officer as Robert J. Belk Jr. takes a medical leave of absence from the company. Wild has been with Shaw since 2001 and has served in his current position since 2004.

E. Graham Thompson, city president of Whitney National Bank, is the 2007-08 president of the Louisiana Bankers Association. Thompson succeeds H. Carter Leak III, president and CEO of Bank of St. Francisville.

Health care

Darcy Gann has been named director of the Center for Newborn and Infant Care at Woman’s Hospital. Gann has worked in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit since 1991, including the past eight years as a nurse manager.

LaMarylis Newman is the new volunteer manager at Ochsner Medical Center and will oversee the hospital’s volunteer services program. She is a native of Baton Rouge with more than 20 years of experience working with volunteers.

Law

John Davis has joined Baker Donelson as a shareholder. Davis graduated from the Loyola University School of Law in 1994 and focuses primarily on commercial litigation arising from disputes involving insurance policies, contracts, construction plans and specifications and servitude agreements.

Nonprofit

Rebecca Hamilton, director of the State Library of Louisiana, has been elected to the Southeastern Library Network Inc. board of directors. SOLINET is an Atlanta-based not-for-profit library cooperative serving the Southeastern United States and the Caribbean.

Paul West is the new chair of the Shaw Center for the Arts board of directors. Other officers include Laura Boyce, vice-chair; Perry Franklin, secretary; and Jerry Baudin, treasurer. David Briggs remains as president and executive director, while Charles Lamar becomes the immediate past chair.

Retail

Gary Richards Jr. has been named inventory/fleet manager with Hollingsworth Richards Ford. Richards has been with Hollingsworth since January 2005 and has served as a sales manager, Internet manager and special finance manager.

Science & technology

David Laborde has been promoted to vice president, services for EMCO Technologies Information Technology Group. Laborde has been with EMCO for 16 years and previously served as national field information technology operations manager. In his new role, he will have increased responsibilities in all aspects of EMCO’s information

technology services.

Dr. Penny Walker has been named as Humana’s market medical officer for its Louisiana commercial operations. She joins Humana after serving as medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for the past three years. Her duties will include leading the company’s clinical programs for its Louisiana commercial lines of business.