Biotechnology Magnet Academy student DeMarcell Frierson named Gates Scholar
Biotechnology Magnet Academy at Southwood High School senior DeMarcell Frierson has been named a 2022 Gates Scholar. The Gates Scholarship is highly selective with more than 37,000 applicants this year. Frierson is one of 300 students nationwide selected to be a part of this prestigious group. Scholars receive funding for the full cost to attend college that is not already covered by other financial sources.
The Gates Scholar program is designed for outstanding minority high school seniors from low-income families and is designed to help students reach their maximum potential at college and to continue to excel as leaders throughout their lives. Each student must show academic achievement and commitment.
Frierson is the top-ranked student in his graduating class and scored a 27 on his ACT. At Southwood, he was student council president, a member of the National Honor Society and a member of the National Beta Club. Frierson also spent a semester as a BioStart Research Internship Program intern under the guidance of Dr. Yunfeng Zhao at LSU Health Shreveport, where he studied glucose metabolism and its effects on the UCP2 protein, specifically in cancer cells.
Frierson plans to study pre-med at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with the goal of becoming a neonatologist.
Heard, McElroy & Vestal, LLC announces new partnerships
Heard, McElroy & Vestal, LLC (HMV) is proud to announce the promotions of Roy E. Prestwood, CPA to managing partner and Claire A. Sevier, CPA to partner, effective July 1, 2022.
Roy received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Centenary College followed by his Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston. Roy joined Heard, McElroy & Vestal in 1998 and was elected partner in 2001. Roy has more than 30 years Managing Partner of Heard, McElroy & Vestal, LLC experience in the accounting industry and is licensed both in Louisiana and Texas. As a Partner in the Tax Department of the Shreveport office, his main focus is in taxation, specifically related to closely held businesses, physicians, and oil & gas.
From 2009 to 2017, he served as the firm’s Personnel Development Partner, and in 2017, he began serving as the Partner-In-Charge of the Tax Department. Roy is a current member of the Administrative Committee.
Roy is active in both professional and community organizations, currently a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA), the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce, Chair-Elect, and the Christus Schumpert Shreveport-Bossier Strategic Committee to name a few.
Claire joined the tax department at Heard, McElroy & Vestal in 2012. She received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Accounting from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. She works in the Shreveport office in the Tax department and her responsibilities include communicating with clients to discuss present and future tax saving opportunities, developing certain tax planning tactics, and completing Federal and multi-state tax returns for individuals, corporations, partnerships and trusts. Claire also researches current federal and state tax laws and regulations.
Claire is currently the President of the Shreveport Chapter of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA), a board member of the First Baptist Church School, Treasurer of the Noel Foundation, as well as a member of the Finance Committee for the Holy Angels’ Board of Directors. In 2019, Claire was a recipient of the “40 under 40” award of the Young Professionals Initiative and Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce.
Stacy named dean of the College of Business and Technology at Northwestern State
Dr. Mary Edith Stacy has been named dean of the College of Business and Technology at Northwestern State University. Her appointment has been approved by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System. Stacy has been interim dean since October 2021.
“I look forward to continuing to work with students, faculty, staff, alumni and stakeholders to advance the College of Business and Technology,” said Stacy. “Among my priorities will be attract and retain strong students and working closely with business and industry to make certain our programs are preparing our graduates for the workforce.”
The College of Business and Technology includes bachelor of science programs in accounting, business administration with concentrations in business analytics, e-sports management, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management and marketing. The College also includes bachelor of science programs in computer information systems with concentrations in application development, core programming, cyber security, networking and system management, web development and hospitality management and tourism with concentrations in culinary arts, hospitality services, travel and tourism. The College of Business and Technology offers a Master of Science in Computer Information Systems.
Stacy has been a member of the staff and faculty at Northwestern State since 1992. She has worked in the Office of Financial Aid as coordinator of university scholarships from 1992 to 1998 and as director of auxiliary services from 1998 until 2003.
From 2003 to 2011, she was director of enrollment management where she was responsible for NSU’s student recruitment and retention plan and future enrollment forecasting. Under her leadership, the university had a record enrollment and made a successful transition to selective admissions which strengthened the institution.
Since 2011, Stacy has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and School of Business. In the School of Business, she has taught classes in business statistics and operations management to an average of 120 students per semester. Stacy has designed assessments to demonstrate a student’s knowledge of real-world business problems and finding solutions through problem solving techniques.
Stacy earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree at Northwestern State and a doctorate at Louisiana State University.
As a faculty member, Stacy has made numerous presentations to state, national and international professional conferences often collaborating with colleagues at Northwestern State.
Argent Financial Group Announces New Board Members
Argent Financial Group announced today the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors: Lance Hall and Glen Post.
Lance Hall is the president and CEO of Origin Bank. He has served in a variety of roles within Origin Bank, including Louisiana state president, chief strategy officer and chief operating officer. In these roles, he has managed the bank’s operations, technology, strategic planning, and brand teams. Hall earned his bachelor’s degree of business administration from the University of Mississippi and attended the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.
Glen Post is the former chairman and CEO of CenturyLink. During his long tenure at the company, he also served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Post was awarded the Louisiana Tech College of Business Distinguished Alumni, Louisiana Tech University Medallion Award and DeGree Enterprise Lifetime Achievement Award in Business. He earned both his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his master’s in business administration from Louisiana Tech University.
