October Monthly Chamber Luncheon

October's Monthly Chamber Luncheon will feature prominent leaders in Louisiana's education system including April Giddens, Kimberly Eckert, Kenneth Champagne, and Hannah Dietsch.  

Please note that the program will begin at 11:30a.m. sharp.  

The Panelists

Kimberly Eckert

Kimberly Eckert has been teaching in West Baton Rouge Parish for nine years. In addition to teaching English I at Brusly High School, she has also served as a special education inclusion teacher, a reading interventionist, speech teacher, mentor and master teacher, as well as an instructional coach. Eckert holds a Bachelor of Social Work, completed her teacher preparation program through LRCE and obtained a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Northwestern State University. In 2016, Kimberly was named as the Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators (LACUE) Teacher of the Year for high schools. Previously, she won the same award for middle schools, and in 2013, Kimberly was selected as the West Baton Rouge Parish Middle School Teacher of the Year for work as a special education teacher. Kimberly has been awarded several grants to further educational initiatives, is a Kagan Scholarship winner, a Discovery Star Educator, and has had student work showcased on local TV stations in Baton Rouge. Kimberly has presented at local and state conferences and has had work featured in LACUE publications on integrating technology for struggling learners in a flipped classroom.
 

Ken Champagne
Ken Champagne, as SVP of Confie’s Premium Finance Business Unit, is responsible for the overall management of Confie’s premium finance operations based in Baton Rouge.  He has thirty years financial, accounting and operations experience in public accounting and financial service industries, including insurance and consumer lending.  Ken holds a BS degree in Accounting from LSU and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Ken volunteers his time and talents in support of youth, education, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, economic development, and cancer screening and treatment programs.  He serves as chairman of Dream Teachers, a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with its mission to inspire excellence in education, enhance learning outcomes, and recognize and reward Louisiana’s most-effective educators and school leaders.

April Giddens
April has been teaching for 22 years.  19 of those were spent with Natchitoches Parish School Board.  Currently, April is an Assistant Professor of Education at Northwestern State University.  April is a National Board Certified teacher currently pursuing her doctorate degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. April is the 2012 Louisiana Teacher of the Year.  April lives in Natchitoches with her husband Mike and their three children, Hannah, Timothy, and Emma.
 

Hannah Dietsch 
Hannah Dietsch has served as Louisiana’s Assistant Superintendent for Talent since 2012, overseeing educator preparation, licensure, and workforce management initiatives. She began her career in education as a middle school English teacher in Baltimore City, and went on to serve in educator workforce and policy roles in Maryland and New York City, and at Teach For America and TNTP. Hannah holds a B.A. in English from Tulane University and Master’s degrees in education from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University.  While Hannah is a Midwesterner by birth, she is proud to call New Orleans home and lives there with her husband and two young daughters.

MENU
Roasted Turkey Breast
Homemade Cornbread Dressing
Giblet Gravy
Carrot Souffle
Fresh String Beans
Cranberry Slaw
Homemade Banana Pudding
Honey Roll