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Committee holds confirmation hearings for Board of Regents and community-technical college nominees; focus on workforce and rural access
Summary
The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee heard testimony from nominees to the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, emphasizing workforce development, rural access and partnerships with industry; no committee votes were recorded on the nominations in the transcript.
The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee took testimony from several nominees to the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, as senators probed nominees on their background and priorities for higher education and workforce development.
David Aubrey, a native of Claiborne Parish and current board member, introduced himself and described a long history of service in higher education, student government and local government. He told senators he has worked to expand dual-enrollment and off-site community-college offerings in rural communities and that workforce partnership is a priority: "we certainly have a vision for, you know, the momentum is part of our master plan," he said.
Sabrina Hogan, presented as a nominee to the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, described her nursing background and her work leading Ella Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana. Hogan said LCTCS is "one of the critical need areas" for the health-care workforce and praised the system's regional flexibility and rapid program adjustments to local needs.
Other Board of Regents nominees introduced themselves: Dallas Hickson, from Alexandria, said he sold his long-standing car business and was "looking forward" to serving; Ted Glazer, a sugarcane farmer and Farm Bureau leader, noted he would be the first agriculture representative to serve on the board; and Darren Muir, former Orleans Parish assessor and assessment director, described prior service on university boards. Senators welcomed the nominees and inquired about local workforce programs, including a fiber-optics technician program tied to broadband expansion that David Aubrey described as a partnership across multiple colleges.
No committee confirmation votes are recorded in the provided transcript; the hearing featured introductions, a set of routine oath/swearing procedures and questions on nominees' plans to support credential attainment, technical programs and community-college facilities. Senators emphasized the role of the community and technical college system in rural workforce training and discussed the need for modernized facilities and bonding capacity to support campus improvements.
