James Garvey
Mr. Garvey returns to BESE in 2020 for his thirteenth year. He is an attorney, specializing in insurance law and personal/commercial litigation.
Mr. Garvey has consistently won reelection with significant support from Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Stand for Children, which both prioritize increasing voucher programs, charter schools and standardized testing metrics.
You can contact Mr. Garvey at 504.836.6500 (Office) or James.Garvey@la.gov.
Kira Orange Jones
Ms. Jones returns to BESE in 2020 for her ninth year. She has worked with the Teach for America (TFA) program since she was a corps member in 2000 in Baton Rouge. She is now the Executive Director of TFA - New Orleans.
Ms. Jones has been an advocate for charter school expansion in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina and as a BESE member she has worked to preserve those "reforms." Ms. Jones has faced criticism from the Louisiana Ethics Board because of the conflict of interest she faces as a director with TFA, which holds hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of contracts that must be approved by BESE. Ms. Jones nearly didn't qualify for reelection in 2019 because she hadn't filed state tax returns for 2015 and 2017.
You can contact Ms. Jones at 225.342.5840 (Office) or Kira.OrangeJones@la.gov.
Sandy Holloway
Ms. Holloway returns to BESE in 2020 for her second term on the board and first term as Board President. She is a former teacher and charter school director in Lafouche Parish.
Ms. Halloway has been a long-time advocate of the Common Core standard and expanding school voucher programs and charter schools. She has received significant support from Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Stand for Children, which support her attempts to further privatize Louisiana public schools.
You can contact Ms. Halloway at 225.342.5840 (Office) or Sandy.Holloway@la.gov.
Tony Davis
Mr. Davis begins his second term as a member of BESE after being unopposed in the 2019 election. He will serve as Vice President of the Board this year. He is also the Executive Director or the Natchitoches Community Alliance and has a degree in Business Administration.
Mr. Davis has consistently advocated for expanding school voucher programs and charter schools as well as s supporter of outgoing State Superintendent John White. He is the chair of the Minimum Foundation Program Task Force.
You can contact Mr. Davis at 225.342.5840 (Office) or Tony.Davis@la.gov.
Ashley Ellis
Ms. Ellis begins her first term as a member of BESE in 2020. She is an assistant principal at Neville High School in Monroe.
Ms. Ellis' campaign did receive significant support from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, but is also a longtime educator with widespread support from her community in Monroe. As BESE deliberates on a new State Superintendent, we will soon better understand Ms. Ellis' priorities as a Board member.
You can contact Ms. Ellis at 225.342.5840 (Office) or SBESE@la.gov.
Ronnie Morris
Mr. Morris begins his first term as a member of BESE in 2020. Mr. Morris is a 22-year ExxonMobil employee and he is involved in a number of charitable organizations in Louisiana.
According to his campaign platform, Mr. Morris believes in the importance of standardized testing and does not support reducing testing in any way. Furthermore, he believes teacher compensation should be determined based on student's performance on those standardized tests.
Mr. Morris received significant support from from Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Stand for Children, which advocate for further voucher programs. We hope that as Mr. Morris becomes more familiar with education reforms in Louisiana he will recognize the negative impact these failed policies have had on our children and work with us moving forward.
You can contact Mr. Morris at 225.342.5840 (Office) or SBESE@la.gov.
Holly Boffy
Dr. Boffy begins her third term as a member of BESE in 2020. She is a former employee of the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana (A+PEL) and a teacher.
Dr. Boffy has been a long-time supporter of the out-going State Superintendent John White and recently praised his "leadership" and "tireless service to the damilies, students, and educators of our state" (BESE statement, 1/8/2020).
Dr. Boffy has consistently supported Common Core and standardized testing procedures. She has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in support from organizations seeking to expand voucher programs and school testing.
You can contact Dr. Boffy at 337.354.5572 (Office) or SBESE@la.gov.
Preston Castille
Mr. Castille begins his first term as a member of BESE in 2020. He is a attorney and recently retired from the firm Taylor Porter.
Mr. Castille's campaign did receive significant support from the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and Stand for Children. However he does support increasing teacher and staff pay, giving teachers and schools greater autonomy, increasing dual enrollment opportunities, and developing strategies to help children beyond the classroom by addressing their SocioEconomic conditions.
We look forward to working with Mr. Castille to advocate on behalf of Louisiana's children and those who work with them everyday.
You can contact Mr. Castille at 225.342.5840 (Office) or SBESE@la.gov.
Belinda Davis
Dr. Davis was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to replace Dr. Lurie Thomason, Jr. Dr. Davis is an Associate Professor of Political Science and the Deputy Director of the Public Policy Research Lab at Louisiana State University and a long-time advocate for Public Education.
In 2019, Dr. Davis won the Friend of Education Award from the Louisiana Federation of Teachers and School Employees. The Friend of Education Award is the highest honor that the LFT bestows on non-members of the Union. It is presented to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to public education.
You can contact Dr. Davis at 225.342.584 (Office) or SBESE@la.gov.
Doris Voitier
Ms. Voitier was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards for a second term on BESE. She also serves as the Superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish Public Schools after a 33-year career in the school system - beginning as a high school math teacher.
Ms. Voitier has received national praise for her work in St. Bernard Parish through Hurricane Katrina. She physically protected records and equipment throughout the storm and worked tirelessly to ensure schools reopened within two months of the Hurricane.
You can contact Ms. Voitier at 225.342.5840 (Office) or Doris.Voitier@la.gov.
Thomas Roque
Mr. Roque will begin his second term as a member-at-large on BESE. He was appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards for both terms. Mr. Roque is the Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Alexandria.
Mr. Roque previously served as the Assistant Superintendent of Administration in Rapides Parish the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. Before that, he was a principal of two high schools in Natchitoches Parish.
You can contact Mr. Roque at 225.342.5840 (Office) or Thomas.Roque@la.gov.