A former senior staffer for the state Senate Revenue and Fiscal Committee, a former workers’ compensation judge and the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s former deputy CFO have all been appointed to high-ranking positions in the LWC.
New LWC Executive Director Ava Dejoie announced today that Cathy Wells has been named deputy executive director and chief of staff, Sheral Kellar will become director of the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration and Bennett Soulier will ascend to the position of CFO.
Dejoie made the appointments a few weeks after she took over the department from former executive director Curt Eysink.
Besides working as a senior staffer for the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Committee, Wells has nearly 25 years of legislative experience in both the state House and Senate.
Keller has more than 25 years experience in labor, employment and workers’ compensation law, and will oversee adjudication of claims under the state’s workers’ compensation laws.
Soulier began working for the LWC’s predecessor, the Department of Labor, in 2004 and will oversee human resources and administrative duties as CFO.
Dejoie also announced the return of Bryan Moore and Dayne Freeman as director of the Office of Workforce Development and director of the Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration, respectively.
