JD Bank welcomes back Mitchell

JENNINGS — Lori Mitchell has joined JD Bank as SVP commercial lender. Mitchell will be located at the JD Bank Sulphur Branch, 2905 Maplewood Drive.

With more than 38 years of experience in the banking industry, she works with business customers throughout Southwest Louisiana to help them meet their financial goals through the financing of commercial real estate including rental investments, subdivision development, spec homes, RV Parks and many other business needs.

Mitchell started her banking career in 1980 as a teller and worked her way up through the ranks as a collector, loan associate, appraisal reviewer, compliance assistant and consumer lender. In 1995, she was hired by JD Bank and during her 17-year career served as branch manager for the Sulphur and Kinder branches and commercial lender for the Kirby Street branch in Lake Charles. Most recently, she worked as a commercial lender for Pedestal Bank for six years before returning to JD Bank.

Mitchell is active in the community as a member of the DeQuincy Federated Service League, secretary/treasurer for the DeQuincy Veterans Organization, and teaches preschool for her church, Crosspoint Community Church.

Rhinehart named general manager

WESTLAKE — Jolie Rhinehart has been named general manager of the Phillips 66 Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex in Westlake. Rhinehart has more than 21 years of experience in a variety of refining roles.

Prior to Lake Charles, she was the general manager at the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery since May 2017. She was the operations manager at the Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery’s Wilmington site, beginning in 2015. Previously, she served as the operations manager at the Ferndale Refinery from 2012 until 2015.

Rhinehart began her career as a process engineer at the Trainer Refinery in Trainer, Penn. There, she worked various assignments of increasing responsibility in engineering as well as in planning and economics. In 2007, Rhinehart served as the area operations supervisor, and then in 2009 as the business team leader at Trainer.

Rhinehart represents Phillips 66 on the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufactures’ (AFPM) Manufacturing Committee and is a former PAC66 Chairperson.

Rhinehart was born in Reading, Penn., and graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering.

CPSB announces new promotions

Sharla Darbonne has been named assistant principal at Moss Bluff Middle School.

For the last 15 years, Darbonne has been on the staff at the school and has served as the curriculum leader for the last five years. She presented a plan to minimize the anticipated achievement gaps in learning due to early school closures for COVID-19, and she also addressed equity gaps in student population due to socioeconomic factors. In addition to having her Educational Leadership certification, Darbonne also has a master’s degree in counseling and school counseling. She is also well versed in academic and behavior RTI, PBIS, and Compass.

Alisha Fontenot has been named a new assistant principal at Iowa High School. She has 18 years of education experience, including time spent as a teacher, graduation coach, student advisory and as an assistant principal. Fontenot has extensive experience with data interpretation/analysis and technology implementation. During recent years, she was an integral part of moving her school from a “C” to an “A.” She presents a strong understanding and knowledge of SPS, is an experienced instructional leader of curriculum and virtual learning, and presented innovative ideas to help Iowa High School grow.

Bryan Fralick is the new assistant principal at the Sulphur High School 9th Grade Campus. Fralick has 14 years of experience as a math teacher and coach at the 9th grade campus, and he is highly skilled in technology and curriculum development. He’s held several leadership roles on his campus including math department head, teacher mentor, PBIS coordinator, and a member of the PLC Leadership Team. A proud Sulphur High alum, Fralick provides strategic ideas to help grow the Sulphur High SPS and is well invested in the entire Sulphur Community.

Huval named branch manager

JENNINGS — Cheryl Huval, a Jennings native, has been named VP Branch Manager of JD Bank’s N. Main Street, Roberts Avenue, and W. Division branches in Jennings. Huval will oversee daily operations at the three branches. Huval, who has served as the consumer lender at the N. Main location, will continue to work with JD Bank customers to meet their lending needs.

Huval began her banking career as a teller at JD Bank in 1985. She has served in various roles throughout her 35-year career, including documentation review clerk, loan processing clerk, collections, insurance clerk, and loan associate.

Active in the community, she is a member of the Lions Club and participates in local events, including CADA Taste and Tell, Laugh for Life, as well as assisting many other organizations throughout Jeff Davis Parish.

Camara named to bank board

M. Shawn Camara has been elected to Merchants & Farmers Bank’s board of directors. Camara serves as city president and commercial lender for the Lake Charles market area.

Camara joined Merchants & Farmers in 2006 after an extensive career in banking that began in 1974. Most notably, Camara served in management and lending positions with the former Calcasieu Marine National Bank and Hibernia National Bank.

Camara attended McNeese State University, the LSU School of Banking of the South, the University of Oklahoma National Commercial Lending School and the Louisiana Banking School for Supervisory Training. Additionally, he has studied with the American Institute of Banking and the University of Tennessee on a variety of banking topics including credit analysis, cash flow analysis and personal financial statement analysis.

Camara serves on the board of directors for the Calcasieu Community Clinic and has previously held volunteer positions with the Shannon Cox Counseling Center and the Louisiana chapter of the Arthritis Foundation.

Davalos joins Memorial Medical

Memorial Medical Group welcomes Fidencio Davalos, MD, a pulmonologist/critical care physician to its staff. He joins fellow pulmonologist/critical care physicians, R. Craig Broussard, MD, Clifford Courville, MD, Gary Kohler, MD,, and Ben Thompson, MD at Pulmonology Associates on the Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Campus.

Davalos comes to Memorial from Harlem Hospital — New York Health and Hospitals, which is an affiliate of Columbia University. Before that he worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He is board-certified in critical care medicine and board eligible in pulmonary medicine.

Davalos has a Bachelor in Arts from Eastern New Mexico University. He received his medical degree from Autonomous University of Guadalajara School of Medicine in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. His post-graduate training includes an internal medicine residency at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, N.Y., a fellowship in critical care medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital-Icahn School of Medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Harlem Hospital — New York Health and Hospitals.

Watson reappointed to state board

BATON ROUGE — Wells T. Watson of Lake Charles has been reappointed to the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District.

Watson is an attorney with Baggett, McCall, Burgess, Watson, and Gaughan and will serve at-large.

The Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District is a state agency/political subdivision comprised of seven members appointed by the governor. The board’s primary purpose is to plan, finance, construct, develop, maintain and operate facilities located within the district for events of public interest.

Monlezun named to gas commission

BATON ROUGE — Dominique J. Monlezun of Lake Arthur has been reappointed to the Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission. Monlezun is the president of Dominique Monlezun Interests and was nominated by the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission.

The Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission’s mission is to promulgate and enforce rules that allow for the safest possible distribution, handling and usage of LNG and anhydrous ammonia. The commission accomplishes this through inspections of storage facilities and equipment, as well as examination of personnel engaged in the industry.