OPSB Elects New President & Vice President to Lead School Board

(New Orleans – January 19, 2024) — During its regular monthly board meeting, the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) unanimously voted to elect Katie Baudouin as its President and Leila Jacobs Eames as its Vice President.

"I express my gratitude to my colleagues for placing their confidence in me. Being chosen by one's peers is a significant honor, and I want to convey my deep appreciation to the board. In recent weeks, a unanimous consensus has emerged among our board members, indicating a collective desire for a more robust vision from this school board. I echo this sentiment and believe that we owe it to the residents of our city and our outstanding superintendent to deliver on that aspiration," said OPSB President Baudouin.

"I'm honored to be elected Vice President of OPSB. I'd like to thank my board colleagues and District 1 constituents for their confidence in my leadership abilities. Serving on the board has been a pleasure, and in my new role, I look forward to working with the board and the superintendent to continue to advance NOLA Public Schools. I pledge to continue to prioritize equity, safety, and the overall well-being of our schools," said Ms. Eames.

Newly Elected OPSB President Katie Baudouin represents District 5. 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 (Louisiana Alliance of Nonprofits) where she helped to advance progressive policies aimed at improving quality of life for all Louisiana families.

She also worked at the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (Louisiana Department of Health), where she worked to improve health outcomes and expand Medicaid and LaCHIP eligibility and enrollment. And as a policy analyst at the National Academy for State Health Policy, where she worked with states as they planned for Medicaid expansion.

Baudouin served for more than three years as staff to two New Orleans City Councilmembers Stacy Head and Joe Giarrusso, where she drafted legislation, assisted on land use matters, worked on budget priorities and ensured that public money was being spent wisely.

Baudouin earned a Master of Public Administration from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University.

OPSB Vice President Leila Jacobs Eams represents District 1. Eames served as interim board member for District 1, after school board member John Brown stepped down in 2022. Mr. Brown resigned from the post when his daughter became a candidate during the NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) superintendent search.

Mrs. Eames was born and raised in New Orleans and is a product of the school system in New Orleans. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge with a Master's in Administration. She also earned certification in administration from Loyola University and the University of New Orleans. Mrs. Eames is a retiree of New Orleans Public Schools where she worked professionally for more than 33 years. She served as a 5^th grade teacher, Title 1 Resource Teacher, Title 1 Coordinator of Instruction, and Associate Superintendent of Federal Programs, where she managed a $50 million annual budget.

Even though she is retired, Mrs. Eames serves as a member of The Pontchartrain Links Chapter where she chairs programming and a commissioner on the Audubon Board. Mrs. Eames also served on two non-profit boards: Eastover Property Owners Association Board and the Non-Flood Protection Management Levee Board and the Lake Forest Charter School Board. In addition, she served as an educational national consultant providing support and assistance to school districts working with teachers, principals, and associate superintendents.

Mrs. Eames attends St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, and this year she traveled to Ghana on a mission trip with her Links Chapter to help distribute food and supplies.

She is the mother of two children and the proud grandmother of five grandchildren. Mrs. Eames enjoys traveling, reading, playing bridge, playing golf, and shopping.

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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 67 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.