Names in the News: People shaping the future of Lake Area business – American Press

Adidas honors Monroe’s work

Author, activist and scholar Dr. Kimberly F. Monroe, a native of Lake Charles, has been recognized in the Adidas Honoring Black Excellence initiative.

Monroe is the daughter of the Rev. Abbie and Bobbie (deceased) Monroe of Lake Charles.

Before attending Grambling, she attended Wonderland of Play Head Start, John J. Johnson and Oak Park Elementary schools, Oak Park Middle and graduated from Lake Charles-Boston in 2006.

She’s a first-generation college graduate and earned a Ph.D. in African Diaspora Studies and Women’s Studies from Howard University. She graduated with a bachelor’s in African American history with a minor in Black studies from Grambling State University. She is also the author of Grambling’s first children book “Homecoming in Tigerland,” highlighting the rich history and traditions of GSU.

She is now assistant professor of African American History and Africana Studies at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C.

​She has a passion for education. As a graduate student at Howard, she was elected president of the Graduate Student Council. During that time, she advocated for students across all disciplines and designed professional workshops to assist in their academic journey. In 2018, she was a teaching assistant for the Howard University Pre-Ph.D. program, a summer intensive program that provides an experiences to HBCU students from around the U.S. who are interested in a Ph.D.

She developed the Africana Studies minor at Trinity in 2020 and a concentration Africana Studies within the Global Affairs Department.

​Kimberly views teaching as a mutually beneficial relationship that strengthens the pupil’s knowledge base and sharpens the teacher’s pedagogical skill set. Her teaching philosophy is to be an ever-evolving teacher — never falling into a level of complacency; to be an educator of not only Black studies, African American history, the African Diaspora, and Women’s Studies, but an educator of scholarship, leadership, and integrity; and to be a professor who is willing to take on any task regardless of the prescribed level of difficulty. Her philosophy is to help students achieve their goals and exceed their expectations of their abilities.

Karam named to Committee of 100

The Committee of 100 for Economic Development has selected Christopher Karam of Christus Health Louisiana and Southeast Texas as a member for 2023.

Karam is the senior vice president of group operations for Christus Health Louisiana and Southeast Texas. He has served in the role since September 2018. As senior vice president, he has oversight of all of the system’s ministries in Louisiana and Southeast Texas, including Christus Ochsner Health Southwestern Louisiana.

Karam returned to Louisiana after serving as president and CEO of Christus St. Michael Health System in Texarkana, Texas, for 15 years. He has more than 36 years of leadership in Catholic Healthcare Ministry, having held a variety of clinical, operational and management positions in acute and rehabilitation hospitals across the country. In 2008, he was named one of the “24 Hospital Leaders to Know” by The Hospital Review and Beckers’ ASC Review, and in 2009 was named one of “58 Hospital and Health Industry Leaders” by Hospital Review Magazine. In 2011, he was honored to be one of 300 “Most Influential People in Healthcare” selected out of 400,000 nominees by Modern Healthcare.

United Way names board

United Way of Southwest Louisiana has appointed 10 board members to serve new and/or renewed terms, bringing the total board membership to a diverse group of 25 of our region’s community volunteers.

They include: Wendy Aguillard, Calcasieu Parish Assesso; Paige Clayton, Pro Waste Environmental; Greg Defrates, Firestone Polymers; Tanya Gaudet, Jeff Davis Parish School System; Tonya Griffith, Wells Fargo Advisors; Tony Guillory, Louisiana Policy Jury Association; Devon Hyde, Lake Charles Memorial Health Systems; Nate Keller, Ward 3 Marshal; Kevin Lacy, Investar Bank; Debra Lastrapes, retired, Calcasieu Refining; Marcie Michalko, Westlake Corporation; Patricia Prebula, Prebula Public Relations & AdSource; Joe Robinson, Ingevity; Mike Solari, Mike Solari Company; Scot Tyler, Phillips 66; and Tony Wood, LyondellBasell.

The Executive Board was also announced and includes Gregory P. Thibodeaux, Turner Industries – chair; Stephen Dwight, Calcasieu Parish District Attorney – vice chair; Kirk Pellerin, Sabine State Bank – vice chair; Boyd Boudreaux, The Evangeline Bank & Trust Company – treasurer; James McGee, Calcasieu Parish DA’s Office – secretary; Missy Amidon, Citgo Petroleum Corporation – member at large; Keith Faul, retired, LyondellBasell – member at large; Floyd Mitchell, Chemical Waste Management – member at large; and Leona Fletcher, Rain Carbon Inc. – past chair.

Noble Named Tiger of the Year

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. John Noble Jr. received the Tiger of the Year Award from the LSU Orthopaedic Alumni Association at their annual Tiger Bones Banquet in February.

Noble is originally from Lake Charles and has 27 years of private practice experience. He joined the Center for Orthopaedics in 2000. He earned an undergraduate degree at McNeese State University and his medical degree from Louisiana State University Medical School in New Orleans.

Noble completed an orthopaedic residency at LSU Medical Center, also in New Orleans, and a Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

He has served in multiple leadership roles at the state and regional level and has a special interest in patient and physician advocacy. His practice is now focused exclusively on sports medicine and joint replacement. He serves as president of the Louisiana State Medical Society.