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How do our predetermined gender roles define us? Modern society doesn't have room for biased perspectives and normative roles of women and men. In order to move past gender stereotypes and to stop categorizing people according to preconceived notions of what men and women can and can’t do, we need to think outside the box.

It begins in the workplace. We need to hire people who have differing opinions and who don't look like us. It is imperative in leadership to know your limitations and to bring people into your inner circle who will challenge your belief system and force you to think outside the box. Being different is what produces individuality and uniqueness. Each varying perspective at the table represents a way of thinking reflected in the public. We can’t reach everyone if we don’t talk to them or those who share their background and belief system.Ìý

Purposefully choose to surround yourself with people that have different points of view and experiences. Utilize these relationships to check personal biases. Enlarge your friend group; bring some unique perspectives to the table. What diversity adds to the workplace can only enhance your personal life as well. We all should take another look at our circles and make sure we are practicing what we preach.

Stephanie Robinson, MPA

Former Manager

³È×ÓÊÓƵ Precision AG & UAS Research Center

Stephanie Michelle Robinson was born and raised in the Monroe area and is a two-time graduate of ³È×ÓÊÓƵ. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Aviation and a Master’s degree in Public Administration.Ìý

During her time at ³È×ÓÊÓƵ, Stephanie became the first female licensed drone pilot in the Aviation program. Stephanie had a variety of opportunities to serve the community and institution during her time at ³È×ÓÊÓƵ. She served the community through teaching courses to local law enforcement and state police while working as a student worker. In these courses, she taught law enforcement officials on how to obtain their Part 107 Certificate. As a grad assistant, Stephanie worked in the Precision Ag and UAS Research Center where she served the institution by providing drone footage to various departments on campus and assisting with grants through the Research Center. Stephanie also served the campus and community simultaneously through training high school students on drone technology through ³È×ÓÊÓƵs TRIO Program. As well as middle school and elementary students through ³È×ÓÊÓƵs Continuing Ed Program.Ìý

Stephanie is currently pursuing her Doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration to pursue a career in higher education.

Dr. Richard G. Shrubb

Graduate Faculty & Coordinator of the Ed.D Program, College of Education; Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership

Louisiana Tech University

Ric Shrubb lives in Quitman, Louisiana, with his wife, Julie and their two dogs: a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Hemingway, and a Catahoula Leopard Cur named Phideaux. Ric and Julie attend Trinity United Methodist Church in Ruston.

In 2016, Ric joined Louisiana Tech University as a member of the graduate faculty and Coordinator of the Ed.D. Program in the College of Education; Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership. He has served as a community college president, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, Dean of General Education, Campus Dean, Technical Communication Program Director, and faculty member in Education, English, and General Studies departments. He has a BA in English from Lee University, an MA in English from Southeastern Louisiana University, an MBA from William Carey University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Curriculum and Finance from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Outreach and equity have always been inherent and visible in Ric’s behaviors, both professionally and personally. As an administrator, he has a decades-long record of accomplishment for creating gender-nontraditional leadership opportunities and advocating for job applicants from underrepresented constituencies; as a researcher, he has a reputation for promoting leadership dissertation topics relating to inclusion.

Ric has several recent gender-relevant publications of local interest in BayouLife Magazine. He has a longstanding record of accomplishment for gender-related professional presentations and in partnerships with doctoral students at Louisiana Tech, Ric chairs dissertation topics of gender and racial equity.

• Leadership and Half the World’s Population (2018)
• And with Dr. Morgan Patrick, The Sisterhood Ceiling (2019); and The Sisterhood Ceiling, Part II (2020).

In partnerships with doctoral students at Louisiana Tech, Ric chairs dissertation topics of gender and racial equity:

• A Case Study on Female Leaders’ Perceptions of the Gender Leadership Gap

• The Impact of Institutional Support on African-American Male Students in Higher Education

• Efficacy and Resilience in College Students: Influences on Socially Responsible Leadership

• How Afrocentric Educational Models Strengthen Online Learning
• Undergraduate Academic Advising for Gender-Nontraditional Career Choices

He has a longstanding record of accomplishment for gender-related professional presentations:

• The Dark Side of Leadership (with Dr. Morgan Patrick and Katie Dawson, 2020).

• Title IX, The Cleary Act, The Violence Against Women Act, and The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (2013)
• Cracking the Code: New Models to Enhance Leadership and Drive Institutional Change (2012)
• The Prairie as a Metaphor for Affirmative Action (2009)
• Organizational Effectiveness: Attracting and Retaining Faculty (2005)
• Student Diversity, Interpersonal Communication, and Undergraduate Persistence (1996)

Rev. DeRon L. Talley, MBA

Owner

Key Marketing Solutions

DeRon was born and raised in Folsom, Louisiana, and is a 2019 graduate of the Louisiana State University-Shreveport University (LSU-Shreveport) with a Master of Business Administration - Marketing, and a 2012 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe (³È×ÓÊÓƵ) with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications, where he ran track for two years. He is married to Patience Talley and they have one daughter (3) and a son on the way.Ìý

DeRon is the owner of Key Marketing Solutions, a digital marketing company that specializes in

content creation, digital and internet marketing, and website and app development. DeRon is also the Pastor of St. Joseph Missionary Baptist Church of West Monroe, where he has served since 2019. He also works at Northeast Delta Human Services Authority as the Public Information Director. He has served at the Louisiana Small Business Development Center as the Director of Marketing & Communications. He has served as the Editor of the Donaldsonville Chief Newspaper and the Editor of the Gonzales Weekly Citizen Newspaper in 2013 serving both roles concurrently until 2015. As an Editor, Talley collectively garnered nearly two dozen Louisiana Press Association awards.

In 2019, DeRon was appointed by Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser to serve as a Commissioner for Volunteer Louisiana. He is the Vice-President of Louisiana Catalyst and serves on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Coalition of Northeast Louisiana. He also has served as the President of the Twin Cities Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow for contributing more than $1,000 to the organization. He is a graduate of Leadership Ouachita Class of 2017. DeRon has also served as the Vice-President of the Donaldsonville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

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