Louisiana Center for Women in Government and Business Hall of Fame facts for kids
The Louisiana Center for Women in Government and Business Hall of Fame is a special place that honors women (and sometimes men) from Louisiana who have done amazing things or made big contributions across the state. It's like a hall of fame for people who have shown great leadership and helped make Louisiana a better place. Some men are also honored for their important support of strong women.
This Center is located at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux. It was started in 1991 to encourage and support women in government and public service. The first group of people were added to the Hall of Fame in March 1994, during Women's History Month.
Honoring Louisiana Leaders
The Hall of Fame celebrates individuals who have made a real difference in Louisiana. These people come from many different fields, including politics, business, community service, and more. They are recognized for their hard work, dedication, and impact on the lives of others.
Meet the Inductees
Here are some of the remarkable people who have been honored in the Louisiana Center for Women in Government and Business Hall of Fame. They are listed by the year they were inducted.
| Name | Image | Years Active | Year Inducted | What They Are Known For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd "Chip" Badeaux | 2017 | Supporting women in leadership | ||
| Marguerite Knight | 2017 | Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley | ||
| Mary Landrieu | 2017 | Former United States Senator | ||
| Yvonne LaFleur | 2017 | Successful business owner | ||
| Genny May | 2017 | United States Marshall | ||
| Elaine Musso | 2017 | Leadership Council activist | ||
| Eva Shanklin | 2017 | Civil rights leader and community organizer | ||
| Kim Sport | 2017 | Legal expert and former Executive Counsel | ||
| Luci Sposito | 2017 | Local government leader | ||
| Karen St. Germain | 2017 | Former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | ||
| Raja Talluri | 2017 | Physician and supporter of women | ||
| Stephanie Burks | 2015 | Co-owner and co-founder of RYCARS Construction, LLC | ||
| Leah Chase |  |
(b. 1923) | 2015 | Award-winning chef and restaurant owner |
| Jackie Clarkson |  |
(b. 1936) | 2015 | Public servant on the New Orleans City Council |
| Felicia Frederick | 2015 | Manager of State Governmental Affairs for Chevron | ||
| Russ Herman | 2015 | Lawyer and supporter of women's causes | ||
| Christian LeBlanc |  |
(b. 1958) | 2015 | Actor and supporter of many charities |
| Leslie Marsh | 2015 | Activist and donor relations officer at Tulane University | ||
| Nell Nolan | 2015 | Journalist for The Advocate | ||
| Karen Puckett | 2015 | President of Global Markets for CenturyLink | ||
| Brandie Toups | 2015 | Activist for The Center for Women and Louisiana Girls Leadership Academy | ||
| Vanessa Whipple-Chiefe | 2015 | Chief Judge, Louisiana's First Circuit Court of Appeal | ||
| Donnell Zeringue | 2015 | Activist and leader in women's initiatives | ||
| Maurice Durbin | 2013 | Advocate for women's rights in Louisiana | ||
| Kay Katz | (b. 1938) | 2013 | Former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| Demetric Mercadel | 2013 | Senior Associate Analyst for Entergy New Orleans, Inc. | ||
| Willie Mount |  |
(b. 1949) | 2013 | Former member of the Louisiana State Senate |
| Lena Torris | 2013 | Clerk of Court for St. Bernard Parish | ||
| Elizabeth Ratcliff Dent | 2012 | President of Financial and Management Services | ||
| Kathleen Mix Diamond | 2012 | Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Education | ||
| Andie Bollinger Giardina | 2012 | Supporter of women student-athletes | ||
| Rose Hudson | 2012 | Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana Lottery | ||
| Alice Pecararo | 2011 | Leader in various state boards and organizations | ||
| Adele Ransom | 2011 | First woman elected to the Ouachita Police Jury | ||
| Jean Rice | 2011 | Leader at The Louisiana Center for Women and Government | ||
| Suzanne Terrell | (b. 1954) | 2011 | Former Louisiana Elections Commissioner | |
| Jean Armstrong | 2010 | Co-founder of the Louisiana Voting Rights Network | ||
| Betty Scott Cummins | 2010 | Director for Winnsboro State Bank and Scott Companies | ||
| Faith Peperone | 2010 | Founder of the Metropolitan Republican Women's Club | ||
| Leslie Robichaux Suazo | 2010 | Director of Coastal Restoration and Preservation for Terrebonne Parish | ||
| Rosemary Ewing | 2009 | First female board chairman of Louisiana United Methodist Children and Family Services | ||
| Phyllis Mayo | 2009 | First woman elected to the Alexandria City Council | ||
| Anne Milling | 2009 | Past president of the Junior League of New Orleans Inc. | ||
| LilyB Moskal | 2009 | Founder of Success Seminars, motivational workshops | ||
| Kitty DeGree | (1922-2012) | 2008 | Philanthropist and real estate investor | |
| Sandy Rosenthal | 2008 | Civic organizer who founded Levees.org/ | ||
| Dolores Spikes | (b. 1936) | 2008 | Former President of Southern University and A&M College | |
| Phyllis Taylor | 2008 | Philanthropist and CEO of Taylor Energy Company | ||
| Irma Muse Dixon | (b. 1952) | 2007 | First African-American woman elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission | |
| Mary Ann Lemmon | (b. 1941) | 2007 | United States federal judge | |
| Melinda Schwegmann | (b. 1946) | 2007 | First woman Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana | |
| Pinkie Wilkerson | (1948–2000) | 2007 | Former Louisiana State Representative | |
| Mari Ann Fowler | (b. 1937) | 2006 | Recognized for her life and contributions | |
| Bunnatine H. Greenhouse | 2006 | Whistleblower at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | ||
| Ethel N. Knobloch | 2006 | Former City Councilwoman, Thibodaux | ||
| Verna S. Landrieu | 2006 | Matriarch of a prominent Louisiana family | ||
| Marilyn B. Kilgen | 2005 | Professor of Biological Sciences | ||
| Carol R. LeBlanc | 2005 | Member of the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana | ||
| Martha A. Madden | 2005 | Consultant and former Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality | ||
| Barbara Norton | 2005 | Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | ||
| Laura Badeaux | 2004 | Director, Louisiana Center for Women and Government | ||
| Velma Callais-Rogers | 2004 | Community leader | ||
| Judy Ewell Day | 2003 | Lobbyist and consultant for women's health | ||
| Roberta Madden | (b. 1936) | 2003 | Writer and co-founder of the Baton Rouge chapter of the National Organization for Women | |
| Darlene L. Pellegrin | 2003 | Community leader | ||
| Margaret Gamble Pereboom | (1928–2008) | 2003 | Psychologist and advocate for women in politics | |
| Jo Ann Cefalu Blanchard | 2002 | Member Historic District Commission, Morgan City | ||
| Alice Foster | 2002 | Former First Lady of Louisiana | ||
| Sibal Suarez Holt | 2002 | Business owner and former president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO | ||
| Norma Jane Sabiston | 2002 | Political consultant | ||
| Lois D. Breaux | 2001 | Community leader | ||
| Joanne Ferriot | 2001 | Member of Louisiana Board of Ethics | ||
| Margaret D. Montgomery-Richard | 2001 | Co-owner of DMM & Associates | ||
| Cecile B. Tauzin | 2001 | Board of Trustees, Ford Theatre, Washington D.C. | ||
| Eleanora Angelo | 2000 | Community leader | ||
| Eileen R. Armstrong | (1917–2010) | 2000 | First female school board president in East Baton Rouge Parish | |
| Constance A. Koury | 2000 | First female executive council to the Governor of Louisiana | ||
| Barbara Mansfield | 2000 | Former president National Federation of Democratic Women | ||
| Beth Rickey | (1956–2009) | 2000 | Republican political activist | |
| Marilyn Thayer | (b. circa 1929) | 2000 | Republican Party activist and former president of the National Federation of Republican Women | |
| Wilhelmina Bernard Armour | 1999 | Community leader | ||
| Charlotte A. Bollinger | 1999 | Executive Vice President, Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. | ||
| Beth Courtney |  |
(b. 1945) | 1999 | President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting |
| Sybil Haydel Morial | 1999 | Founder of the Louisiana League of Good Government | ||
| Mary Ellen Wisham | (1916–2012) | 1999 | Undersecretary of Management and Finance for the Louisiana Department of Labor | |
| Betsy Cheramie Ayo | (d. 1997) | 1998 | Active in civic organizations, namesake of a hall at Nicholls University | |
| Sally Clausen | (b. 1945) | 1998 | Former Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education | |
| Linda Talbert | 1998 | Nurse and community leader | ||
| Iris Kelso | (1926–2003) | 1997 | Journalist in New Orleans | |
| Myrtle Pickering | deceased | 1997 | Community leader | |
| Doris B. Reggie | 1997 | Civic-engaged Democrat activist | ||
| Marie Louise Wilcox Snellings | (1912–1994) | 1997 | Board member at Tulane University | |
| Gayle F. Truly | 1997 | Member of the Louisiana Violent Crime and Homicide Task Force | ||
| C. Maxine Holtry Daniels | 1996 | Leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference | ||
| Betty Green Heitman | (1930–1994) | 1996 | Co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee | |
| Kathy M. Vick | (1939–2011) | 1996 | Democratic Party worker | |
| Lillian W. Walker | (b. 1923) | 1996 | Former Louisiana State Representative | |
| Dorothy H. Wallace | deceased | 1996 | Community leader | |
| Lucille May Grace | (1900–1957) | 1995 | First woman to hold a statewide elected office in Louisiana | |
| Maggie Bell Atkins Hodges | (1922–1986) | 1995 | Republican Party activist | |
| Eddie D. Brown Jones | 1995 | Community leader | ||
| Ellen Bryan Moore | (1912–1999) | 1995 | Louisiana Register of State Lands | |
| Ollie Tucker Osborne | (1911–1994) | 1995 | Real estate business woman and women's rights activist | |
| Lindy Boggs |  |
(1916–2013) | 1994 | Former member of the United States House of Representatives and Ambassador |
| Fran Bussie | 1994 | Democratic Party activist | ||
| Pat Evans | 1994 | Director of the International Project for Nonprofit Leadership | ||
| Virginia "Ginny" Martinez | (1922–1992) | 1994 | Louisiana Republican Party National Committeewoman | |
| Corinne D. Maybuce | deceased | 1994 | Regional Director for Delta Sigma Theta | |
| Mary Evelyn Parker | (1920–2015) | 1994 | First woman to serve as Louisiana State Treasurer | |
| Doris Lindsey Holland Rhodes | (1909–1997) | 1994 | First woman to serve in the Louisiana legislature | |
| Rupert F. Richardson | (1930–2008) | 1994 | Former national president of NAACP | |
| Virginia Shehee | (1923-2015) | 1994 | Former Louisiana State Senator |
Images for kids
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Leah Chase, a famous chef and restaurant owner.
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Jackie Clarkson, a public servant in New Orleans.
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Christian LeBlanc, an actor and charity supporter.
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Willie Mount, a former Louisiana State Senator.
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Beth Courtney, President and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
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Lindy Boggs, a former U.S. Representative and Ambassador.
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