2017 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 208
BY SENATORS APPEL AND WALSWORTH
A RESOLUTION
To commend Stephanie Desselle on her retirement from the Council for A Better Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Stephanie Desselle has had a distinguished career spanning more than
three decades supporting civic engagement and dialogue on important issues facing the state
of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, much of her career has focused on improving educational opportunities
for all students, enhanced school and district accountability, school choice options, early
childhood education, higher academic standards, effective teacher preparation, and improved
outcomes for students at all levels; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Desselle has served the students of Louisiana in many capacities
including as a researcher with the Louisiana Department of Education, education policy
adviser to former Governor Charles "Buddy" Roemer, an appointee to the Board of
Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), and for more than twenty years as a nonprofit
education advocate with the Council for A Better Louisiana (CABL); and
WHEREAS, she played a major role in some of the state's most significant education
policy reforms including Louisiana's school and district accountability system, creation of
the Recovery School District (RSD), transfer of failing public schools to the RSD after
Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana's first charter school law and the expansion of charter schools,
the LA-4 preschool program for at-risk four year olds, implementation of higher academic
standards and quality assessments, school board and tenure reform, school letter grades, and
creation of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Desselle's effective advocacy led to policies which have achieved
measurable improvements in student attainment in schools across Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, her tenacity, passion, and integrity are well known within the halls of
the capitol building and among members of the legislative education committees, BESE, and
the state Department of Education; and
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WHEREAS, Ms. Desselle has also been a leading voice in Louisiana for civic
engagement, public discourse, and governmental ethics; and
WHEREAS, in furtherance of these causes, she served with distinction for ten years
as director of CABL's prestigious Leadership Louisiana program which educates current and
emerging community leaders about the most important issues facing Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, she remains respected and held in high esteem by hundreds of alumni
who participated in the program under her leadership; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Desselle's work has lasting and positive impact upon the students
of Louisiana and our state as a whole; and
WHEREAS, despite her retirement, it is unlikely that she will cease visiting the
capitol to share her views on important issues or relinquish the relationships she has with so
many legislators, staff members, and fellow advocates who continue to work for the
betterment of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, it is altogether fitting and proper to congratulate Stephanie Desselle on
her retirement from the Council for A Better Louisiana and honors her for a career as a
passionate advocate for improvements in education.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Stephanie Desselle on her many accomplishments
and achievements in the policy arena; does hereby extend its best wishes on the occasion of
her retirement; and does hereby extend to her best wishes for continued success and
happiness in all of her future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Stephanie Desselle.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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