Rev. Jay Augustine Named National Chaplain of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Rev. Jonathan C. Augustine, the 46th senior pastor of Historic St. James AME Church in New Orleans, has been named national chaplain of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Initially initiated into the fraternity in 1991 through its Beta Chapter, located at Howard University, Augustine is a life member and active with the Sigma Lambda Chapter in New Orleans.

In addition to earning a B.A. from Howard University, Augustine earned a J.D. from Tulane University and M.Div. from United Theological Seminary, before completing a fellowship for further study at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Rev. Augustine and his wife, Michelle, are the parents of two children, Mason and Jillian.

Camille Whitworth Reigns as Queen in 2017 Joan of Arc Parade

Camille Whitworth reigned as Queen Yolande of Aragon in the recent ninth annual St. Joan of Arc Parade in the French Quarter.

Approximately 70 krewe members, members of local French organizations, parade sponsors and partners recently attended a reception to honor the parade’s royalty at the residence of Gregor Trumel, Consul General of France in New Orleans Jean-Luc Albin, owner of Maurice French Pastries, reigned as King Charles VII; and Heloise Trumel, a 16-year-old student at De La Salle High School and daughter of Gregor Trumel, reigned as Joan of Arc.

Whitworth, a former anchor at WDSU-TV, currently owns and operates Victory Bar and The Drink Lab, a cocktail school. She is also the head of her own media and public relations firm, Media by Design. Whitworth is very active in the New Orleans community, donating her time to the Susan G. Koman Foundation, March of Dimes, National Association of Black Journalists, Children’s Hospital, the New Orleans Council on Aging, and Young Audiences of Louisiana.

She serves on the board of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and the March of Dimes and is a member of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee and The Links, Inc. Crescent City Chapter.

Peoples Health Names New CEO

Peoples Health recently announced that Warren Murrell, its president and chief operating officer for the past two years, will step into the role of CEO.

Murrell’s appointment as CEO comes after the Dec. 4 death of Carol Solomon, who had served the Metairie-based Medicare Advantage company for nearly 20 years as CEO. Solomon died at the age of 72 after complications resulting from a pulmonary embolism.

Murrell, who has been with the company 16 years, had been taking more of a leadership role over the past two years. In January 2015, he was named president and chief operating officer as part of a leadership succession plan. Murrell previously served as COO, vice president of IPA services and regional director of IPA services.

Prior to joining Peoples Health as sales manager in 2000, Murrell worked at Memorial Sisters of Charity Health Network and Prudential Healthcare, both in Houston.

He is president of the Louisiana Association of Health Plans board of directors and serves on the board of directors for Greater New Orleans Inc. and for Peoples Health.

Delgado Advancement Vice Chancellor McNeely Named Interim Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Technical Education

Dr. Stanton McNeely, vice chancellor for institutional advancement at Delgado Community College, has assumed the responsibilities of interim vice chancellor for workforce development and technical education.

He will serve in both capacities until a search can be conducted for a permanent vice chancellor for workforce development and technical education.

Delgado Chancellor Joan Davis made the announcement earlier this month.

A native of New Orleans, McNeely holds degrees in higher education leadership (Ed.D., Northcentral University); business administration (M.B.A., Loyola University, New Orleans); and accounting (B.S.,Our Lady of Holy Cross College, New Orleans). He has more than 20 years of career experience in higher education administration and teaching.

Spears Group Hires New Director of Special Events, Names New Vice President of Operations

The Spears Group is pleased to announce Michelle Tarallo joined the team as the Director of Special Events. Tarallo will lead the newly-formed Special Events division that will focus on the continued growth of the firm’s existing event portfolio while creating new signature events as well as managing the event and experiential needs for clients.

A Houston native, Tarallo initially moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University where she earned a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Business. Tarallo has a background in events, marketing, and business development as well as previous experience with SMG at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and most recently she served as Manager of Business Development at Dinner Lab, helping the New Orleans-based supper club expand across 30 cities and produce hundreds of events.

As Spears Group prepares for its 10-year anniversary in 2018, it focuses on additional structural improvements to secure the firm’s future into the next phase of the business. With these business developments, Ronald Evangelista has been promoted to Vice President of Operations, effective immediately.

Evangelista joined the team in 2013 and most recently held the position of Director of Operations.  In addition to managing all internal operations for the company, he also previously managed the operations and logistics for all of Spears Group’s signature events.

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