Tonya holds a master’s degree in leadership from Grand Canyon University and a bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She completed Grand Canyon University’s Life Coaching program as well as Cornell University's D&I program. Tonya is also a certified John C. Maxwell coach, trainer and speaker. She currently serves as a mentor for the UL’s Black Women Leadership Association and UL’s women's basketball team. She is a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Acadiana's board of directors and president of the UL Christiana Smith Alumni Chapter. Tonya is a graduate of the Leadership Institute of Lafayette and the Leadership Louisiana programs.

Hillary earned her bachelor’s degree from Fisk University and a master’s degree from Southern University and A&M College in Public Administration. She most recently worked in state and local government relations at Northrop Grumman Corporation, an American global aerospace and defense technology company. Hillary also previously worked at Ochsner as a Talent Acquisition Coordinator in 2014.

John is a Shreveport native and veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve – departing with the rank of Staff Sergeant, an executive level Non-Commissioned Officer. Prior to joining Ochsner LSU Health, John served as the Shreveport Fire Department's Fire Communications Officer II for 18 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social and Criminal Justice, a Master of Public Administration, and is currently pursuing a Master of Health Administration with an emphasis in health care quality and patient safety.

Laura joined us after serving as a senior consultant for leadership development at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Prior to this role, she spent several years directing communications and programs for the UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity & Inclusion. She holds an MBA, also from UAB. She is a certified Cook Ross Implicit Bias trainer, an award-winning public speaker, and a communications and messaging expert and consultant.

Inez is a seasoned member of the Ochsner team with over 20 years of experience spanning the areas of talent acquisition, training, strategic planning and project management. Inez graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in industrial engineering and computer science. She is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and has earned certification in See Me as A Person, Korn Ferry Leadership Architecture, 360 Assessments, and Harvard Inclusive Leadership and Innovation programs. Prior to joining the Diversity & Inclusion team, she served as director of Ochsner’s Learning Institute, which is responsible for designing and providing learning opportunities for over 29,000 employees. She is the 2020-2021 president of our ABLE (African Americans Building and Leading Equality) Ochsner Resource Group. Inez also serves as the Ochsner Health representative on the Board of the New Orleans Black Chamber of Commerce.

A nurse with over 25 years of healthcare and leadership experience, Arina joins us from the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB). She has a diverse background with experience in regulatory affairs, and quality and process improvement. She has two master’s degrees: one in nursing & health systems administration from UAB and one in in health law & policy from the Cumberland School of Law

Cameron joined the Ochsner family in early 2019 and has been an integral part of the Talent Acquisition (TA) team’s success. He developed and launched the TA Diversity Task Force and serves as a member of the Unconscious Bias Training Project team. He is active in our Ochsner Resource Groups (ORGs), serving as an officer of PRIDE and a member of ABLE (African Americans Building and Leading Equality). He holds a BA in organizational communication from Northwestern State University and an MS in human resource education and leadership development from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Wesley E. Heath (he/him) is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) scholar-practitioner with seven years of professional experience. Wes earned his dual Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology from Manchester University, and received his Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Ball State University. Most recently, he finished his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Research from Louisiana State University (LSU). Wes worked at LSU from November 2016 to August 2021 in the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Jean-Marc has been a champion of local economic development and small businesses for over 20 years. He served as president/CEO of a community development financial institution (CDFI) and administrator of impact investment and commercial loan funds. He also spearheaded the creation of a community development credit union and served as a member of the board of directors of banking institutions and high impact non-profit economic development organizations. In his current role he is accountable for developing shared strategies that leverage Ochsner Health’s competencies and economic assets in addressing the socio-economic drivers of health in the vulnerable communities it serves.

Jacob has more than 10 years of experience working in the healthcare field, attaining roles of increasing responsibility spanning the areas of marketing, event planning, talent acquisition, training, community relations, university relations and diversity & inclusion. In his current role Jacob directly manages and supports the needs of our Ochsner Resource Groups.