Leadership

Edith Walker, Ed.D. is the Superintendent for Ascension Public Schools, an A-rated school district that serves more than 24,000 students at 31 schools.

A native of White Castle, Dr. Walker is a 26-year veteran educator with 23 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.

Before assuming the superintendency, she served as the Chief Instructional Director for Ascension Public Schools, a position she held from 2020-2023. In that capacity, she led the district's Instructional Team which oversees Pre-K through 12 education. 

Dr. Walker's vision for Ascension Public Schools includes the following: 

• Expanding relationships with governmental, business, and industry leaders
• Creating teacher and student advisory committees
• Implementing more robust support for struggling students
• Providing professional development and services to support the mental well-being of students
• Improving the teacher salary to be competitive with the top 5 districts in the state of Louisiana
• Expanding and aligning K-12 STEM pathways to better prepare students for STEM-related job opportunities

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.

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.

Carli Francois is the Chief Instructional Director for Ascension Public Schools, a position she has held since 2023. She leads the district's Instructional Team which oversees Pre-K through 12 education.

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.

Jeff Parent is the Chief Operations Director for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2024.

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 Operations Team page.

Frederic brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the role, having served the Ascension Parish School System for 33 years.

Frederic began her career in 1992 at Dutchtown Primary, where she spent 16 years as a first-grade self-contained teacher and one year as a fourth-grade teacher before transitioning into leadership roles. She served as an instructional coach for three years, and then as an assistant principal for five years. Her passion for education led her to Oak Grove Primary, where she served as principal for three years, and most recently, she spent the past five years as Primary School Supervisor.

Frederic holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeastern Louisiana University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Louisiana State University.

She has been married to her husband, Steve Frederic, for 33 years, and together they have three children: Olivia, Ian, and Nicholas.

A lifelong resident of Ascension Parish, Jackson has been an integral part of the Ascension Parish school board since 2002, serving as an accountant and most recently as a senior accountant since 2018. Throughout her tenure, she has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in budgeting, financial statement preparation, and administrative oversight, including managing the purchase card program.

Jackson holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Southern University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. She is also an active member of professional associations including the Louisiana Government Finance Officers Association, the Louisiana Association of School Business Officials, and the Southern Association of School Business Officials.

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.

Matthew Monceaux, Ed.D. is the Director of Middle Schools for Ascension Public Schools, a position he has held since 2024. 

Originally from Crowley, Louisiana, Monceaux moved to the area to attend Louisiana State University (LSU), where he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 2006 and a master's degree in education in 2007. He further advanced his education by earning a Doctorate of Education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2017.

Monceaux has dedicated his entire educational career to Ascension Parish. He began as a social studies teacher at Dutchtown High School and then served as an assistant principal at both Lowery Middle School and East Ascension High School. He later held the position of associate principal at St. Amant High School. 

Monceaux was instrumental in opening Bluff Middle School as its first principal and subsequently served as principal of Dutchtown High School.

He is married to Heidi Monceaux, and they have four children: Hayden, Jeremy, Ella, and Avey.

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.

Beth Templet leads all four high schools as the Director of Secondary Education, a position she has held since 2023.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Templet has worked in education for almost 30 years. She student taught at St. Amant High before moving to north Louisiana while her husband finished college.

After returning to Ascension Parish, Templet served as a social studies teacher at St. Amant High for 12 years. In 2010, after a one-year appointment as an instructional coach, Templet became an assistant principal at St. Amant High and served as associate principal in charge of the freshman academy for five years. For the past six years, Templet has led St. Amant High School as its principal.

Templet earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Louisiana State University and a master's degree in educational leadership from Southern University.

She and her husband, Scott, have a son, Bennett.

Visit the High Schools page.

Jackie Tisdell oversees all communications for Ascension Public Schools as the district’s Director of Communication.

Under her leadership, the district has earned 10 national awards including the National School Public Relations Association’s Gold Medallion in 2017 and the Golden Achievement award in 2021 and 2024. She was was named the 2024 Louisiana School Communicator of the Year and was one of 27 nominees for the 2024 National School Communicator of the Year.

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 as President of the Leadership Ascension Foundation and Past President of the Louisiana School Communications Association. Her past community service includes serving multiple years on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education's Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP), the Ascension Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Ascension Committee, 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 22 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.
 

A graduate of Louisiana State University, McKnight brings a wealth of experience in operations, project management, and facility improvement.

Prior to joining Ascension Public Schools, McKnight served as Operations Manager at the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) from 2012 to 2015, where she oversaw key initiatives and systems. Following her time at BRAC, she worked as a Project Analyst for CSRS, leading facility improvement projects and renovations totaling over $500 million for the Louisiana Technical & Community College System (LCTCS). Her extensive experience also includes working with school boards across Louisiana and contributing to major projects such as the Covid-19 Relief efforts at LSU and renewable energy projects.

McKnight's experience with Ascension Public Schools began through her work with CSRS, where she played a vital role in the district’s 2016 Flood Recovery Program, 2016 and 2020 Bond Programs, and Hurricane Ida Recovery Program. She has been instrumental in the successful completion of numerous construction and maintenance projects, including the renovations at Gonzales Middle School and the demolition and reconstruction of East Ascension High School’s main building.

McKnight resides in Ascension Parish with her husband, Andrew, and their two children, William  and Blaine.

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.