Leadership

David Alexander is the Superintendent of Ascension Public Schools, an A-rated school district that serves more than 24,000 students at 31 schools.

Born and raised in Ruston, Louisiana, Alexander began his 38-year career in public education as a mathematics teacher and football coach. In 1997, he left Lee High School in Baton Rouge for a position at St. Amant High and has spent the last 25 years working in Ascension Parish including as Principal of Dutchtown High and Director of Secondary Education.

Under his leadership at the high school level, Ascension Public Schools partnered with business and industry to develop career training programs for students; converted the alternative school into APPLe Digital Academy to leverage technology with traditional classroom settings; and created the Early College program where students can dually enroll in high school and River Parishes Community College to achieve an associate’s degree.

Prior to assuming the school district’s top leadership position, Alexander spent six months leading education programs for the Pelican Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. Although named Superintendent by the Ascension Parish School Board in July 2016, he officially began in the midst of the historic flood of 2016 and led flood recovery efforts including the relocation of five schools and 5,000 students in under two weeks.

In addition to flood recovery, Alexander’s over five years as superintendent included district reaccreditation by international accrediting agency AdvancED and Cognia, the launch of a five-year strategic planning process, implementation of $120 million in capital outlay improvement projects including four new schools, the passage of a $140 million construction millage, and continuing education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alexander holds an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Louisiana Tech University and a master’s degree in math education from Louisiana State University. He and his wife, Dacia, have two children who are products of Ascension Public Schools: Caleb and Ashley. Caleb and his wife Krystal have two beautiful baby boys: Parish and Boone. 

Updated March 2023

A. Denise Graves is the Assistant Superintendent of Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2009. She leads the district's Administration Team comprised of the Business, Human Resources, Information Technology, and Public Information departments. 

Graves began her career in 1981 as a physical education teacher and basketball coach at St. Amant High School. In 1994, she became assistant principal of St. Amant High before moving to principal of Gonzales Middle School in 1998.

In 1999, Graves became director of middle schools and then director of human resources in 2003. After six years, she was promoted to her current position as assistant superintendent.

It is important to note that from February 2016 to August 2016, Graves served as the Interim Superintendent of Schools while the Ascension Parish School Board held a search for a new superintendent. Under her leadership, the school district successfully passed a $120 million construction bond millage and valiantly addressed the Flood of 2016.

Graves earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Texas El Paso, a master's degree in kinesiology from Louisiana State University, and 30+ graduate hours in educational administration from LSU. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Edith Walker, Ed.D. is the Chief Instructional Director for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2020. She leads the district's Instructional Team which oversees Pre-K through 12 education.

A native of White Castle, Dr. Walker is a 24-year veteran educator with 21 years working in Ascension Parish. She began as an English teacher before serving as a counselor and Assistant Principal at St. Amant High School. She moved to Dutchtown High School to serve as Associate Principal and then led the school as Principal from 2011-2014. Walker served as an Instructional Supervisor for the district before becoming Director of Middle Schools in 2016.

Dr. Walker holds multiple degrees from Louisiana State University including a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing, a master's degree in counseling and administration, and an Educational Specialist degree in adolescent counseling. She is also earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Edith is married to Kendrick Walker, and they have a daughter, Kennedi.

Chad Lynch is the Chief Operations Director for Ascension Public Schools. He leads the district's Operations Team, which includes the Planning and Construction, Child Nutrition, Supply Chain, Maintenance, and Transportation departments. 

Lynch worked for an architectural firm that served the school board as Program Managers from 1998 to 2002. Ascension hired him as Supervisor of Planning and Construction in April 2002. He was promoted to Director in 2006, when he was assigned the responsibility for oversight of the Maintenance Department, and later added oversight of Transportation in 2012. The responsibility for oversight of the Supply Chain and Child Nutrition Departments was included in the newly developed Chief Operations Director role, which Lynch assumed in 2020. 

Lynch is a lifetime resident of Ascension Parish and graduated from East Ascension High School in 1988. He received a bachelor's degree in architecture from Louisiana State University in 1994 and completed the United States Army Sergeants Major Course at Ft. Bliss, Texas in 2007. Lynch completed the Leadership Ascension Program in 2014 and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

Lynch served in the Louisiana Army National Guard from 1988 until 2009 when he retired as the Command Sergeant Major for the 769th Engineer Battalion. While working for APSB, he was deployed on active duty missions such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina.

Chad has been married to Jeanie Lynch since 1993, and they have three daughters: Marlie, Madelyn, and Julia. 

Visit the Operations Team page.

Kimneye Cox is the Director of Business Services for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2019.

Cox previously served an an Account Manager with the Louisiana Department of the State Treasury's Unclaimed Property Division. Her 22-year career began in 2001 at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality as a Travel/Imprest Accountant. In 2005, she moved to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) as an Appropriation Accountant. She was promoted to several managerial positions at DHH overseeing the areas of cash management, budgeting, expenditure and cost allocation, and appropriation management units.

As a member of the Association of Government Accountants, Cox served in various leadership positions at chapter and national levels. During her tenure as Chapter President, Cox led her chapter to the Platinum Level Recognition Award and was nominated for the national award, "Emerging Leader of Excellence." In her national position as Senior Vice President of Regional Services Section II, she led four Regional Vice Presidents in the following regions: Gulf, Midwest, South Central and Southwest. 

Cox is a Certified Louisiana School Business Administrator (CLSBA) who earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting with a minor in Internal Audit from Louisiana State University. She also earned a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix.

Visit the Business Services Department.

Jeremy Muse, Ed.D., is the Director of Human Resources for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2022.

An employee of Ascension Parish for 16 years, Muse taught every grade level from 3rd through 8th before spending nine years as the assistant principal of Central Elementary and Central Middle School. In 2016, he became the principal of Lake Elementary School.

In his five years as the principal at Lake Elementary, he led the school to earn an “A” rating annually, including earning the designation of “Top Gains Designee” for student growth each year. In 2020, Lake Elementary School was named a Model PLC by All Things PLC. Dr. Muse was selected as the Louisiana Middle School Principal of the Year for 2022. 

Dr. Muse earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, a master's degree in educational leadership from Louisiana State University, and a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which included a dissertation in school policy and law. In addition, he is an SHRM certified professional and expects to finish his MBA later this year.  

His wife, Stacie, has been a librarian at East Ascension High for nine years and his twins, Isabella and Madelyn, attend Lake Elementary.  

Visit the HR Department webpage.

Darby Lambert is the Director of Information Technology for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2021. 

Lambert has lived in Ascension Parish for his entire life and is an alumnus of St. Amant High School. He began his 24-year career with the Ascension Public Schools as a Programmer/Analyst in August of 1999. Most recently, Lambert served as the district’s Supervisor of Information Systems and Technology, a position he held since September of 2018. 

Lambert earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems and Decision Sciences from Louisiana State University in 1996. He also earned a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

He lives in Galvez with his wife, Carla, and their three daughters: Averi, Libby, and Emrie. All five have attended public schools in the Ascension district. 

Visit the Information Technology page.

Dina Davis is the Director of Middle Schools for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2019. 

Davis began her 35-year educational journey serving special needs students in Terrebonne Parish. For 16 years, she served as a Behavior Strategist and then a Master Teacher.

In 2003, her family relocated to Baton Rouge, and she became the Assistant Principal of Prairieville Middle School (PVM). After nine years, Davis became the Principal of PVM in 2012. Under her leadership, PVM became the highest performing middle school in the state with non-selective entry.

She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's degree in education from Nicholls State University. She also earned +30 graduate hours.

Visit the Middle Schools page.

Elizabeth "Libby" Stafford is the Director of Primary Schools for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2006.

Born and raised in Gonzales, Louisiana, Stafford is a 43-year veteran educator.

She began her career as a teacher at Dutchtown Middle School in 1980. She became the Assistant Principal of Dutchtown Primary in 1990 and then Dutchtown Primary Principal in 1996. In 2006, Stafford became the Director of Primary School and has served in that capacity for 16 years.

Stafford earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's degree in educational leadership, and a supervisor of student teaching certificate from Louisiana State University. She also completed post-graduate studies in counseling at Louisiana Baptist University in Shreveport.

Libby has been married to Matthew Stafford, Sr., for 51 years. They have five children and 18 grandchildren. All of the family including Matt and Libby have attended Ascension Parish public schools. She is part of a family legacy as Libby's mother worked as a teacher, counselor, principal, and supervisor for 32 years in Ascension Parish and two of her children currently work for the school district.

Visit the Primary/Elementary Schools page.

Carli Francois leads all four high schools as the Director of Secondary Education, a position she has held since 2022.

Francois has been an educator for 26 years, serving in many capacities including a teacher, instructional coach, TAP mentor teacher, assistant principal, and principal. In her most recent position, she spent the past eight years leading Dutchtown High School, which is the largest school in the state. In 2019, she was named the 2020 Louisiana High School Principal of the Year.

Francois earned a bachelor's degree in communications education and a teaching certification in English from Southeastern Louisiana University. She also earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Southern University.

She is married to Reuben Francois, and they have three children: Reuben II, Olivia, and Isabella who are all proud graduates of Dutchtown High School.

Visit the High Schools page.

Lynn Hathaway is the Director of Special Education for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2018.

Hathaway has advocated for the needs of at risk children for more than 30 years. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Youngstown State University in 1987 and her Juris Doctorate in law from Ohio State University in 1990, she served as a juvenile defense attorney and then as a therapeutic foster care parent for children with intensive needs. She was named the Kinship Village Foster Parent of the Year in 1997.

Hathaway received a master’s degree in special education from LSU in 2002, and her master’s program focused on children within special education in the juvenile justice system and alternative educational settings.

After graduating, she began working for Ascension Public Schools, where she has served as a special education teacher, lead teacher, special education coordinator, assistant principal, and principal of APPLe Digital Academy.

Visit the LeBlanc Special Services page.

Jackie Tisdell oversees all communications for Ascension Public Schools as the district’s Public Information Officer, a position she has held since 2015.

Under her leadership, the district has earned seven national awards in the past six years including the National School Public Relations Association’s Gold Medallion in 2017 and the Golden Achievement award in 2021.

Prior to working in Ascension, Tisdell spent 12 years at the University of Louisiana System overseeing communications for the Board of Supervisors and its nine public universities.

She currently serves on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP), the Ascension Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Ascension Committee, the Leadership Ascension Foundation Board, and  Volunteer Ascension's Board of Directors.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Centenary College and a master’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University.

Jackie has been married to Eric Tisdell for 21 years. They have two children, Jackson and Max, who attend Ascension Public Schools.

Visit the Public Information Office.

Leuna Johnson, Ph.D. is the Supervisor of Child Nutrition for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2010.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Dr. Johnson earned a bachelor's degree in dietetics, a master's degree in business administration, and a doctoral degree in public policy from Southern University A&M. 

Prior to working for Ascension Public Schools, Dr. Johnson served as the Director of Child Nutrition Programs for the Assumption Parish School Board.

Visit the Child Nutrition Department page.

Robyn Simmons, EdD, is the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance (Student Services), a position she has held since 2021. 

Born in New Orleans, Simmons began her career with Ascension Public Schools in 2010 as an English teacher at Donaldsonville High School. At DHS, she served as a career teacher, Mentor Teacher, and Master Teacher before moving to Dutchtown High in 2013. She began teaching English at Dutchtown High and also served as a Mentor Teacher for the instructional leadership team and then an Assistant Principal. In 2019, Simmons became the Principal of Early College Option. She remained in this position before being named Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.

Simmons earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and a master’s degree in English from Jackson State University. She also earned a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Southeastern Louisiana University. 

Visit the Student Services page.

Tim Amedee is the Supervisor of Maintenance for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2020.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Amedee graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Architecture. He lived and worked in Pocatello, Idaho for two years before moving back to Baton Rouge in 1995 to work for Domain Architecture. 

Over the course of his 15-year career at Domain, Amedee worked on projects for Ascension Public Schools, Idaho State University, LSU, Southern University, BREC, EBR Schools, and Zachary Schools.

He is married to Karen Tabiolo, and they have two children: Elizabeth and Ethan.

Visit the Maintenance Department page.
 

Jeff Parent is the  Supervisor of Planning and Construction for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2020.

Parent is a 1989 graduate of St. Amant High School and obtained a bachelor's degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in construction management from the University of Houston in 1995. 

He served eight years in the Louisiana and Texas Air National Guards then worked 12 years in the petrochemical industry in various roles in engineering, maintenance, and capital outlay construction. He has served as Ascension's Supervisor of Maintenance since June 2006.

Jeff is married to Lori Parent, and they have three children: Berkley, Cohen, and Pierson.

Visit the Planning and Construction page.
 

Amber Miller is the Supervisor of Supply Chain for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2020.

A lifelong resident of Ascension Parish, Miller has spent her entire 23-year career in Ascension Public Schools. She started as a student worker at LeBlanc Special Services and was hired as a full-time employee after graduating from college.

Most recently, Miller served as the Administrative Assistant for Title Programs and Special Education.

She earned a bachelor's degree in art with a concentration in graphic design from Southeastern Louisiana University.

Visit the Supply Chain Department page.

Mary Dazé is the Supervisor of TAP and Teacher Development for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2021.

A native of Donaldsonville, Dazé began her 27-year career as a teacher at Lutcher High School. She was hired by Ascension Public Schools in 2008 as a Mentor Teacher at Donaldsonville High. In 2011, she advanced to a Master Teacher position for the school. Five years later, Dazé became the Assistant Principal of Galvez Middle School. Most recently, she served as the Executive Master Teacher for 12 TAP schools and Teach Ascension Academy for the last five years. 

A National Board Certified Teacher, Dazé earned a bachelor’s degree from Nicholls State University and a master’s degree from Louisiana State University. 

Aubrey Yates is the Supervisor of Transportation for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2020.

Yates was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee and came to Louisiana in 1989. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Southern University in 1996.

He obtained a real estate broker's license in 1996 and worked as a real estate agent and owned and operated a mortgage company until 2008.

His career with Ascension began at Dutchtown Middle School, where he served as a long-term substitute math teacher until he was hired full time as a paraprofessional for one year. He went on to serve five years as a Truancy Interventionist for the district before becoming the Transportation Coordinator in 2014.

Aubrey is married to Shlonda Yates ,and they have six children: Brandi, Brendon, Kirsten, Sierra, Christopher, and Ayden. They also have three grandchildren: Nahla, Bryson, and Jrue.

Visit the Transportation Department.