LSU Assistant Dean Named Vice President and Executive Director for City Year Baton Rouge

May 2018

 

 

Jada Lewis, LSU’s former Assistant Dean of Diversity for the College of Engineering, has been selected as City Year Baton Rouge’s next Vice President and Executive Director.

In her role at LSU, she focused on recruitment and retention of women and minority students, groups traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields. After earning a Chemical Engineering degree from LSU, Jada went to work for an oil refinery. It was during this time that she developed an interest in public policy, which eventually led to lobbying in Washington, D.C., to promote STEM education and gender equity. Jada has gotten to know City Year well these past few years as a currently serving, elected member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

As the new leader of City Year Baton Rouge, Jada oversees a $4.5M budget and leads 19 site staff, 16 board members, and 101 AmeriCorps members impacting more than 5,500 students across 13 schools daily. Jada's first official day with City Year Baton Rouge was Monday, April 16, 2018.

Prior to joining the LSU College of Engineering, she held positions as a Regional Technical Advisor for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and as an Operations Planning Engineer for the Shell Motiva Convent Refinery. Jada Lewis received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from LSU and has a Master’s Degree in Government with dual concentrations in Law and Public Policy and Public Administration from Regent University.  Jada Lewis is recognized throughout Baton Rouge and Louisiana as a thought leader in education policy and a subject matter expert in the area of diversity and inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Workforce strategy. She is a graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Leadership Program and was selected as one Baton Rouge Business Report’s “Forty Under 40.” She is passionate about inspiring and mentoring students and young professionals and continues to devote her time and resources in developing the next generation of leaders.