NOLA-PS Swears In Orleans Parish School Board Members

(New Orleans – January 11, 2021) — Four newcomers are now officially part of the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB), but they're certainly not strangers to working in schools or government. The newly elected members were sworn in during individual ceremonies, due to COVID-19 distancing requirements, along with three existing board members.

Olin G. Parker, Dr. Jancarlos (J.C.) Wagner Romero, Katherine Baudouin, and Carlos Luis Zervigón join existing board members John A. Brown, Sr., Ethan Ashley, and Nolan Marshall, Jr. as part of the new board. All of them will serve our school community for the next four years.

During the meeting, the board members voted to keep Ethan Ashley as their President and elected Nolan Marshall as its Vice President.

"I must thank my colleagues for re-electing me as board president and allowing me the opportunity to serve them and our community for another term," said Ethan Ashley, OPSB President. "As a board, our focus is squarely on the need to not just recover from, but sustain during this time of an active pandemic. The health and safety of our students, families, educators, and the whole community is our number one priority. We're dedicated to ensuring that all of our students are supported and educated well, while also keeping safety at the forefront of the work that we do."

"As the newly elected Vice President on the board and an incumbent re-elected to this position, my vision is the same as it's always been," said Nolan Marshall, OPSB Vice President. "... and that is to work with community partners to provide schools with clear direction and the resources necessary to achieve successful outcomes for all of our children."

All of the board members expressed their excitement to be part of the board and looked forward to helping students achieve academic success and ultimately professional success.

NOLA Public Schools is governed by OPSB. The Board is a government body comprised of seven elected officials, each of whom represent a portion of Orleans Parish. The board meets monthly as a full board during its business meetings, and in smaller committees that make recommendations to the full board. Committees include Accountability, Policy, Budget/Finance, Property, and Legal/Legislative These meetings are free and open to the public. More information about board meetings, board policies, and related documents can be found here.

Below is a brief bio on each of the school board members.

Olin G. Parker – Represents District 3

Mr. Parker has dedicated his entire career to education, most recently as the Executive Director overseeing all charter and nonpublic school accountability at the Louisiana Department of Education. In this role, Mr. Parker helped expand access to high quality schools for Louisiana families, designed and implemented support and accountability frameworks impacting hundreds of schools, and managed statewide programs and federal grants with a combined budget of over $50 million that impacted tens of thousands of students annually. In addition to his leadership at the state level, Mr. Parker has helped to design and implement data systems for schools and districts, assisted educators in rapid response to natural and manmade disasters, and served as a mentor to new teachers. He is also a former high school math teacher at both charter and traditional district schools in Louisiana. Mr. Parker has been involved with numerous community organizations as a board member and volunteer. Currently he serves 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 of the 18th Ward Sports Club, an organization he co-founded with other educators. Prior to his election to the school board, Mr. Parker served two terms as the chairperson of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization. He is the husband of a lifelong educator and current school administrator, and the proud parent of three children, all of whom attend public schools.

Dr. Jancarlos (J.C.) Wagner Romero – Represents District 4

Dr. Romero is a native New Orleanian who has dedicated his entire adult career to the field of education. A former high school dropout, raised by a single immigrant mother from Nicaragua, Dr. Romero understands the positive impact that a strong education can have on the life trajectory of a young person. He is deeply committed to working to ensure that education is the gateway for cultivating sustainable and socially just communities in the City of New Orleans. Dr. Wagner Romero is a former school teacher who is passionate about providing students with the opportunities they need to succeed in school and beyond. He began his Orleans Parish teaching career in District 4 at Paul Habans Elementary School in Algiers. During his tenure, Dr. Romero was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2015. Dr. Wagner Romero is a former local and international school and network leader dedicated to cultivating the skills and capacity of educators. He has been recognized as a successful international school turnaround principal and continues to engage in critical educational issues as an adjunct professor of education and CEO and principal consultant of Romero Educational Strategies, LLC. He received his GED and A.A. degree in English Literature from Delgado Community College, B.A. in sociology from Northwestern State University, M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Northeastern University, and doctorate in educational practice from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Romero remains heavily engaged in the New Orleans community, serving on a variety of boards, including that of the Center for Racial Justice at Dillard University. He lives in Algiers with his husband, Alex Wagner-Romero, and their four dogs—Titi, Patches, Frankie Rue, and Jack.

Katherine Baudouin – Represents District 5

Mrs. Baudouin has spent her career working in state and local government and for nonprofit organizations. She started her career at the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations where she helped build the capacity of Louisiana's non-profit sector, advocating on behalf of the people they served and garnering support from policy makers. There, Mrs. Baudouin helped to advance progressive policies aimed at improving the quality of life for all Louisiana families. Mrs. Baudouin worked at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, where she worked to improve health outcomes and expand Medicaid enrollment and eligibility. She also worked as a policy analyst at the National Academy for State Health Policy, where she helped states plan for Medicaid expansion. Mrs. Baudouin served for over three years as staff to two New Orleans City Councilmembers - Stacy Head and Joseph Giarrusso - where she drafted and passed legislation, built support with stakeholder groups, worked on budget priorities and ensured that public money was being spent wisely. In 2009 she earned a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University, with a focus on state and local policy. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, where she studied Sociology and History. Mrs. Baudouin lives in the Touro Bouligny neighborhood with her husband, Jason Sappington, and their two daughters.

Carlos Luis Zervigón – Represents District 6

Mr. Zervigón was born and raised in New Orleans. A proud 1984 graduate of Eleanor McMain Secondary School, he earned a BA in History, a BFA in Glass Sculpture, as well as his Teacher Certification for Secondary Social Studies from Tulane University, and received his Masters in History Teaching from the University of New Orleans.

Mr. Zervigón and his wife Elizabeth have six children, all of whom attended New Orleans Public Schools.

He joined the New Orleans Public Schools teaching core, and from 1993-2000, he taught social studies at Ben Franklin High School. Having struggled with severe learning disabilities, Mr. Zervigón served as the Learning Disabilities Contact Teacher to give students under his care the support he never received. He helped create the new geography curriculum, won state approval for a new elective entitled "History of the 20th Century", and served as the Freshman Class Sponsor.

In 2000, Mr. Zervigón began working full-time as a freelance glass sculptor. He has won numerous awards and his work has shown nationally, and been featured in many publications. Helping to rebuild the arts community post-Katrina, he co-founded and later became 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.

He helped oversee NOCGI's merger with YaYa, Inc. to create the YaYa Arts Center in Central City, and was elected Founding Board Chair of Audubon Montessori / L'Ecole Franco-Américaine as the school worked to reopen after Hurricane Katrina. From 2018-2020, he served as President of the board of Ben Franklin High School and has also served as Founding Treasurer/Secretary of New Orleans College Beyond, Board Member of the NOCCA Institute and the Ruby Bridges Foundation, as well as Secretary and later Vice President of the Louisiana SPCA.

John A. Brown, Sr. – Represents District 1

Mr. Brown is a lifelong and proud native of New Orleans and graduate of Walter L. Cohen High School. He earned his Business Education Bachelor's degree from Winston-Salem State University, and a M.Ed. Special Education/School Administration from the University of New Orleans.

Mr. Brown was drafted into the U. S. Army and was honorably discharged in 1973. He returned home to work as a Supervisor/Coach for the New Orleans Recreational Department (NORD) where he implemented recreational programs for area youth, many of which have developed to be not only productive and contributing citizens of our community but also prominent leaders.

A retired OPSB educator of 30 years, his career in education started at Rabouin High School and later at Fortier High School where he served as Special Education Business Ed teacher and Administrative Assistant for 8 ½ years and would later become Principal. Mr. Brown also served as Principal of Harriet Tubman Elementary School and Phillips Junior High School.

Upon returning to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Brown joined the School Leadership Center of Greater New Orleans as its Fellows Director, with a mission of inspiring and developing instructional leadership among principals and other educators to advance student achievement in the schools of those school leaders.

Mr. Brown is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., where he serves as President (Polemarch) of the New Orleans Alumni Chapter. Mr. Brown also serves as Chairman of a mentoring program at Lake Area High, as well as the RPGA Chairman for an annual golf tournament benefiting Children's Hospital. Mr. Brown is a member of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church. He and his wife of over 43 years, Wynella, have three children and three grandchildren.

Ethan Ashley – Represents District 2

Raised in a single-parent home, Mr. Ashley's grandparents played a huge role in his life, including his grandmother and mother's years in public school education.

Not only did Mr. Ashley beat the odds after being diagnosed with cancer as a child, he also beat the odds by becoming one of the youngest black students to graduate from high school.

Mr. Ashley is a proud graduate of Howard University and Howard University School of Law. After law school, he dedicated much of his life to serving those most vulnerable at notable civil rights non-profit organizations like the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, the Urban League of Louisiana, and The Anti-Defamation League.

During his role at the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, he helped organize and pass legislation to end juvenile life sentences for non-homicide offenses. Mr. Ashley's passion to change the infamous school-to-prison-pipeline is what motivated his career change into the field of education.

He currently serves as the Co-CEO and Co-Founder of School Board Partners, a non-profit organization that connects emerging, inspired elected community leaders serving on local school boards with the training, support and mentorship needed to successfully push for anti-racist high-quality school systems.

Mr. Ashley is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc., and a 2014 fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Community Leadership Network. During his fellowship, he created and runs a Black male leadership program called the New Orleans Black Male Achievement Network (NOBMAN). He is the proud co-owner of JE Howard Ventures, an investment company that specializes in community development.

Most importantly, he is a parent of two school-aged children and husband to an amazing wife, Arielle McConduit. Mr. Ashley is a member of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and is a strong advocate for youth justice, civil rights, and servant leadership.

Nolan Marshall, Jr. – Represents District 7

Mr. Marshall is a native New Orleanian, educated at Macarty Elementary in the Lower Ninth Ward (now Martin Luther King Elementary), St. Augustine High School, Loyola University, and the University of New Orleans.

Known in the community mainly as a photographer, Mr. Marshall operated the business his father started in 1948, Marshall Studios, from 1972 to 2013, before retiring to serve his community.

Mr. Marshall was elected to the Orleans Parish School Board in 2012 representing District 7. He has served on several local non-profit boards and has been a member and officer in many school and community organizations. He presently serves on the board of directors for the Bayou District Foundation, which has the responsibility for the redevelopment of the St. Bernard Housing Development area.

He is the father of two daughters and one son, five granddaughters, and three grandsons. All have been educated in traditional public schools as well as private, parochial, and/or charter schools.

To learn more about OPSB, visit: https://nolapublicschools.com/about/board

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About NOLA Public Schools: NOLA Public Schools 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. NOLA Public Schools currently oversees 76 public schools and is led by Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr.

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