LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Welcomes Terri Porche Ricks as Senior Assistant Dean for Administration

BATON ROUGE – The LSU College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) has appointed Terri Porche Ricks, PhD, JD, as Senior Assistant Dean for Administration.

"Dr. Terri Ricks is an outstanding addition to our leadership team; her remarkable combination of leadership, operational excellence, and deep commitment to public service will grow our people and our impact, advancing the mission of the College of Human Sciences & Education to improve quality of life across the lifespan," said Dean Roland Mitchell. “She will directly support the students, staff, and faculty who realize LSU's flagship mission of preparing Louisiana's future workforce and conducting research that improves lives."

As the college's chief administrative officer, Ricks oversees CHSE's administrative, financial, and operational functions, including budget and financial management, human resources, facilities and operations, and policy and compliance. She works closely with the dean and college leadership to strengthen systems and support the success of the college's schools, centers, institutes, faculty, and staff.

Ricks joins CHSE following a distinguished career in public service spanning more than three decades. Before joining CHSE, Ricks was Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, where she led a 3,600-employee state agency responsible for child welfare, family support, and disaster response through a period of workforce stabilization and culture transformation. Under her leadership, DCFS received the inaugural Code for America Government Changemaker Award. She has also served as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner of the federal Administration on Children, Youth and Families on national workforce strategy.

Prior positions include DCFS Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary of the Department of Social Services from 2004 to 2008, Assistant Attorney General in public finance at the Louisiana Department of Justice, Director of Human Resources and attorney at Baton Rouge Community College, and General Counsel of the Louisiana Housing Corporation.

Ricks earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and her master’s and PhD in Leadership and Human Resource Development from LSU, completing her doctorate in the LSU School of Leadership & Human Resource Development. She also holds a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School and is a contributing author to Andragogy in Practice: Case Studies on Innovation in Adult Learning (Routledge, 2025).