Current OPSB Board President & Vice President Re-elected to Lead School Board

(New Orleans – January 23, 2022) — During its regular monthly board meeting, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) unanimously voted to re-elect Olin G. Parker as its President and Carlos Luis Zervigon as its Vice President.

"I'd like to thank my fellow board members for their continued support and belief in me. We have a very talented and experienced board, and it's an honor to serve with you," said OPSB President Olin G. Parker. "Our board has come a long way in the last year--from responding to the impacts of the pandemic to hiring a new superintendent. But we still have a lot of work to do to expand mental health services for students, expand racial and economic equity, clearly define what we believe a good school is and making sure all of our schools fit that description, and working to ensure all our students and families feel safe."

"I'm proud to be on this board, I feel like it is one of the best school boards we've had in a really long time in terms of the level of expertise, the willingness to think outside the box, collaborate, to think independently, and be transparent and open about the direction we're heading in," said OPSB Vice President Carlos Zervigon. "Thank you, colleagues, for your continued faith in me."

OPSB President Olin G. Parker represents District 3, which includes parts of Mid-City, Bayou St. John, Gentilly, Lakeview, the Lake Area, and Lakewood. He has dedicated his entire career to education. Prior to his service on the Orleans Parish School Board, Mr. Parker served as an official at the Louisiana Department of Education and an award-winning high school math teacher. More recently, Mr. Parker has helped to design and implement data systems and support strategic planning initiatives for schools and districts as well as assist educators in rapid response to natural and manmade disasters.

Mr. Parker has been involved with numerous community organizations as a board member and volunteer. He has served as the Senior Warden at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, as a board member of St. Andrew's Episcopal School, and as a youth sports coach for both the 18th Ward Sports Club and Carrollton Boosters. Prior to his election to the school board, Mr. Parker served two terms as the chairperson of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization and helped to found a racially- and economically-diverse preschool program.

Mr. Parker is the husband of a public school principal and the proud parent of three children, all of whom currently attend or graduated from the elementary school where his wife serves.

OPSB Vice President Carlos Luis Zervigon represents District 6. Born and raised in New Orleans, Zervigon is a proud graduate of the New Orleans Public Schools, graduating from Eleanor McMain Secondary School in 1984. He went on to study History, Studio Art, and Education at Tulane University where he earned a BA in History, a BFA in Glass Sculpture, as well as his Teacher Certification for Secondary Social Studies. Zervigon also holds a Masters in History Teaching from the University of New Orleans. He and his wife Elizabeth (Ben Franklin '84) raised their six children in New Orleans, all of whom attended New Orleans Public Schools.

Out of a sense of loyalty to the system that gave him his education and a sense of urgency that the system must improve, Zervigon joined the New Orleans Public Schools teaching core, including teaching social studies at Ben Franklin High School from 1993-2000. Having struggled with severe learning disabilities, Zervigon is keenly aware of the need to meet each child's unique learning needs. While teaching at Ben Franklin, Zervigon served as the Learning Disabilities Contact Teacher, giving students under his care the support he had never received. At Ben Franklin, Zervigon also helped create the new geography curriculum and won state approval for a new elective, History of the 20^th Century. He also served as the Freshman Class Sponsor, helping the 9^th grade students adjust to life in high school.

In 2000, Zervigon began working fulltime as a freelance glass sculptor. His work has shown nationally, has been featured in many publications, and has won numerous awards. Helping to rebuild the arts community post-Katrina, Zervigon was a co-founder, then President and CEO of the New Orleans Creative Glass Institute (NOCGI) which built a state-of-the-art public-access glass studio in Mid-City. Opening in September of 2006, NOCGI was the first business to open in central Mid-City post Katrina. As President and CEO, he helped oversee NOCGI's merger with YaYa, Inc. to create the YaYa Arts Center in Central City.

Rebuilding public schools after Hurricane Katrina, Zervigon was elected to be the Founding Board Chair to reopen Audubon Montessori / L'Ecole Franco-Américaine as Audubon Charter. Working with the school community and the Orleans Parish School Board, Audubon rehired its faculty and reopened in January of 2006. He later served on the board of Ben Franklin High School, serving as its President from 2018 to 2020. Zervigon's other board service includes Founding Treasure/Secretary of New Orleans College Beyond, Secretary then Vice President of the Louisiana SPCA, and Board Member of the NOCCA Institute and the Ruby Bridges Foundation. While serving the LASPCA, he was the founding Chair of the Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee which advocates for animal welfare legislation and helps negotiate the animal control contract between the LASPCA and the City of New Orleans.

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is the public school district for Orleans Parish. It includes the district's administration and elected school board, known as the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). NOLA-PS currently oversees 72 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams, the first woman in the District's 181 years to serve as its permanent superintendent.

For more information, visit www.nolapublicschools.com. For updates, follow NOLA Public Schools on Facebook @NOLAPublicSchools, Instagram @nolaps and Twitter @NOLAPSchools.