RTA Gets New Board Members
Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the New Orleans City Council recently appointed three new Commissioners to the Board of the Regional Transit Authority in New Orleans (RTA). Sharonda Williams, Barbara Waiters and Ashleigh Gardere were sworn in at the RTA Board Meeting held in late July. Additionally, the RTA’s Board of Commissioners elected Sharonda Williams to serve as the new Chair of the Board.
A former city attorney, Sharonda Williams is special counsel at Fishman Haygood. She also served as Chief Deputy City Attorney. Prior to joining the City of New Orleans legal staff, Sharonda was a partner in the general litigation section of a major New Orleans law firm, where she handled cases ranging from construction disputes, medical malpractice, insurance coverage disputes, entertainment law contract negotiations, intellectual property licensing issues and bankruptcy adversary proceedings.
Barbara Waiters is the Director of Community and Economic Development at Delgado Community College’s Workforce Development and Technical Education Unit. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, leading a number of programs and activities, including the creation of its Strategic Plan.
Ashleigh Gardere serves as a Senior Advisor to Mayor Mitchell J. Landrieu. In this capacity, Ashleigh manages the Mayor’s Economic Opportunity Strategy and supports the revitalization of the Claiborne Corridor through a cross-sector initiative called The Network for Economic Opportunity.
Xavier University Names New VP
Keyana Scales has been named vice president for enrollment management at Xavier University of Louisiana, according to Dr. Anne McCall, XULA Provost and Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs. In the newly created position, Scales will be charged with providing leadership, supervision, and direction to the Offices of Admissions, Student Financial Aid, and the University Registrar. Scales, who will begin Sept. 12, will report directly to the Provost.
“We are pleased to welcome Keyana Scales to campus,” said McCall. “As Vice President for Enrollment Management, she will lead the integration of important units on our campus to ensure that students who can best benefit from a Xavier education enroll and have every opportunity possible to succeed.”
Among her core responsibilities at Xavier will be developing and implementing strategies to reach recruitment, tuition discounting, student revenue goals, and retention; strengthening the University’s enrollment through effective outreach strategies; overseeing the management of all aspects of the enrollment process from prospect development to enrollment; and ensuring that high ethical standards are maintained in all areas of admissions, recruitment, and financial aid policies and practices.
Scales has more than 15 years of experience in college admissions and recruitment. She comes to Xavier from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, where she has served the past two years as Director of Freshman Recruitment and Scholarships. Prior to that, Scales served as director of admissions at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (2010-13) and as associate director of admissions at North Carolina State University (2008-10). She began her professional career at the latter as an undergraduate admissions counselor in 2001 and spent nine years on staff in various capacities. She holds a BA in communications and a master of education in counseling, both from North Carolina State University.
