Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University has presented Alden Andre with its Franciscan Impact Award and named Sandra Launey as Distinguished Alumni, John Vincent as Shining Star Alumni and Dr. Lisa McDivitt as Rising Star Alumni.

Andre is a retired leader of Formosa Plastics Corp. and also the past chair and current member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University Board of Trustees. Launey has worked as a nurse in various locations in Louisiana and Texas and volunteers for a number of organizations, including serving as an alumni volunteer for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University. Vincent is a nurse anesthetist at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge and has been involved in a construction mission to build a chapel, a medical mission to offer assessments and health supplies to a community in Mexico and a general relief mission to Peru. McDivitt is an advocate for children’s health rights and participated in a medical mission to Mombasa, Kenya, and fundraising to support childhood cancer research.

Sales and Marketing Executives of Greater Baton Rouge is presenting Excellence in Sales and Marketing awards to Barbara W. Auten, executive director of Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area; Kevin Burke, director of sales at LSU Sports Properties; Stephen David, regional retail manager for Whitney Bank; Jim Engster, president of Kingfish Communications LLC, which does business as Louisiana Radio Network and Tiger Rag Magazine; Aaron Hogan, chief executive officer and founder of Eye Wander Photo; Stan Levy, founder, president and CEO of SASSO; Julie Russell, account executive at Franklin Data Empowered Direct Marketing; Dr. Michael G. Strain, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry; Beverly Brooks Thompson, president and chief counsel at Brooks Thompson Consulting; and Trey Williams, senior director of marketing at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

The organization is presenting its Nell Mitchell Doughty Lifetime Achievement Award to Skip Bertman, former baseball coach and athletic director at LSU.

The excellence award honorees are being recognized Nov. 16 for promoting the principles of free enterprise and for their vision and innovative concepts that have helped set their companies apart from competitors, including a significant percentage of growth, revenue from sales and profitability over the past two years.

The Baton Rouge Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana has presented its 2017 Douglas Manship Sr. Torch Award for Ethics in Business to G.W. Oliver Construction Inc. in the category of one to 10 employees; Garcia Roofing & Sheet Metal, 11-99 employees; Premier South Roofing & Sheet Metal, 100-299 employees; and Hancock Whitney Bank, 300 or more employees.

The Torch Award honors businesses that exhibit the highest ethical standards of behavior toward customers, suppliers, users, shareholders, employees and the community.

IBM of Baton Rouge was presented an Excellence in Volunteer Mobilization Award by US2020, which encourages work in science, technology, engineering and math mentoring.

The award identifies top volunteer-providing organizations. IBM also was a finalist for the Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award.

US2020 is a division of Citizen Schools, a national nonprofit organization that partners with middle schools to expand learning for children in low-income communities. It developed the awards in 2015 from a White House call to generate large-scale, innovative solutions to STEM education.

LSU AgCenter extension specialists Charles Overstreet and Raj Singh, both in the LSU AgCenter Department of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology, received service awards from Epsilon Sigma Phi, a national organization dedicated to fostering standards of excellence in the extension system and developing extension professionals.

Overstreet, a nematologist, received the International Service Award for the Southern Region for his mentoring and encouragement of international students and assistance with travel funds through the Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America Foundation.

Singh, a plant pathologist, received the Early Career Service Award for the Southern Region for his accurate and rapid diagnosis of plant health problems for the residents of Louisiana as well as his identification of new diseases and pests.

NEW ORLEANS AREA

LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry presented Dr. Eric Hovland, professor emeritus and former dean of LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry, with its Lifetime Service Award and named Dr. Nelson Daly as its Alumnus of the Year.

Hovland led the LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry from 1993 to 2008 and continued as a professor in the Department of Endodontics and director of the Office of Advanced Education until his retirement this year. He is credited with expanding the school’s scope of service and advanced dental education. In partnership with various agencies, Hovland established a satellite dental hygiene program and clinic in Lafayette, a clinic in New Orleans for the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS and the Tooth Bus, a mobile pediatric dental clinic in New Orleans. He also strengthened the continuing education program, created a Master of Science degree in oral biology (now master of dentistry), created a competency-based curriculum and established the first patient-simulation laboratories for preclinical instruction. He also was involved in the creation of a research center and a clinical research facility. 

Daly and his wife, Dr. Sally Bowie Daly, also an LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry graduate, own Fleur de Lis Mobile Dentistry, which travels to nursing homes throughout the state to provide care to residents. Daly, a Baton Rouge native and graduate of LSU and UNO, earned his dental degree at LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry in 1993. He completed a general practice residency at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in New Orleans in 1994. In 2008, Daly completed the Medical College of Georgia and AAID Implant Maxi Course, and has been a member of Advanced Dental Implant Studies at the Atlanta Institute for Advanced Education. Daly has served in leadership roles for numerous dental organizations during his career.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana received the Chamber of the Year Award from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in the medium-sized category, which includes between 250 and 499 members.

The award recognizes its contributions to the business community through programs such as its annual town hall roundtable and luncheon and its annual women’s business symposium. Award criteria are based on major accomplishments in the areas of business, economic development, procurement and/or access to capital; leadership, partnerships and service to the Hispanic community and business community; and measurable results and outcomes within the Hispanic business community.