Army appoints civilian aides

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth swore in Logan O. Morris as Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army during an investiture ceremony at the Pentagon on July 13.

Morris, CASA for Louisiana (North), is a fourth-generation insurance agent and realtor from Leesville, the home of Fort Johnson. He is serving as the CEO of the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce.

Morris served as president of Louisianan Realtors in 2019 and as the Region 10 vice president of the National Association of Realtors in 2022. He is a life member of the Association of the United States Army and is a member of the First Methodist Church of Leesville.

In his capacity with the chamber, both as a volunteer board chair and now CEO, Morris has worked with the command team at Fort Johnson and leaders at the local, state and national level to improve the entire local community by addressing issues related to economic development, housing, education and spousal employment.

Warner named dean at McNeese

Dr. Ann Warner has been named dean of the McNeese State University College of Nursing and Health Professions.

The college includes the departments of undergraduate nursing, graduate nursing, psychology and counseling (which includes the Kay Doré Counseling Center and McNeese Autism Program), radiologic and medical laboratory sciences and the health systems management program.

Warner, whose appointment became effective June 1, received her doctorate in nursing science from Texas Woman’s University in Houston, her Master of Science degree in trauma/critical care nursing from the University of Maryland in Baltimore and her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Mississippi in Jackson.

Warner has been serving as interim dean since January 2021. Prior to her appointment, Warner — a professor of nursing — served as co-coordinator of the McNeese graduate program from 2012-2021. She shared responsibility for administering the online Master of Science in Nursing program of about 150 students within the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing. This multi-site, multi-school consortium is Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accredited to offer concentrations in family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and nursing education.

A McNeese nursing faculty member since 1992, Warner taught in the undergraduate nursing program for 20 years before moving to the graduate nursing program. She has almost two decades of clinical practice experience in critical care and trauma and surgical intensive emergency care in a variety of nursing roles including staff nurse, charge nurse, assistant head nurse and head nurse in community hospitals and academic medical center settings.

Warner was also part of the curriculum development team for the new Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program in advanced practice psychiatric mental health nursing that began in fall 2021 and is producing much-needed mental health care providers for the state. She worked with colleagues on a $1.45 million grant proposal funded by the U.S. Department of Labor that focuses on increasing enrollment in the RN-to-BSN program to provide job training that will improve employment in underserved areas and has also received more than $230,000 in grants for research projects funded by local, state and national foundations and organizations.

Warner is a member of several university committees and professional organizations, has published several articles and made numerous presentations. She is a Pinnacle Excellence Award winner as well as the recipient of numerous nursing professorships and a Shearman Research Fellowship.

She represents McNeese in the Louisiana Council of Administrators in Nursing Education, serving in multiple leadership roles, and was selected as one of 49 nursing faculty from 25 states for the 2018 Leadership for Academic Nursing Fellowship Program sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

White named to Visit LC Board

Evelyn White, lifelong educator and community leader, was recently appointed by the West Calcasieu Community Center Authority to serve on the board of directors of Visit Lake Charles.

A resident of Starks, White was a teacher at Starks High School from 1965-2006. She earned her BA degree in upper elementary education in 1965 from Northwestern State University and master’s of education from McNeese State University in 1983. She also completed PIPS Professional Improvements classes from McNeese and Dillard University.

Her community involvement includes helping to develop the Starks Business & Civic Association in 1993, serving as the secretary for nearly 30 years, as well as organizing the Starks Mayhaw Festival for decades.

White was appointed to serve on the board of directors for Visit Lake Charles, replacing JC Cormier who passed way this spring.

She currently sits on the board of the West Calcasieu Parish Community Center Authority, and also served in the past while the development of the property was underway. For the past 30 years, White has contributed her time to the Starks Volunteer Fire Department, and she was the secretary of the Starks Lions’ Club for 17 years.

The CVB is governed by an 11-member board of directors. Nick Zaver, appointed by the City of Sulphur, is the chair; Kane Mitchell, representing the West Calcasieu Association of Commerce, serves as the vice chair, and Mike Buckley, representing the Southwest Louisiana Lodging Association, is the secretary/treasurer.   

Awan joins LC Memorial

Lake Charles Memorial Health System is pleased to welcome Interventional and Endovascular Cardiologist Ahmad Awan, MD, to its medical staff. Awan is board certified in cardiovascular medicine.

Awan received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. He did his residency in Internal Medicine at Howard University Hospital, Washington D.C. During his residency, he was awarded “Outstanding Chief Resident” and “Most Valuable Resident” award. He subsequently completed a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the same institute where he was also the “Chief Fellow.”

Awan furthered his training in cardiology by doing his fellowship in interventional cardiology at the Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y. He did additional training in vascular medicine and endovascular interventions, focusing on medical and procedural management of peripheral arterial and venous diseases. Awan is passionate about teaching and won numerous teaching awards during his residency and fellowship.

Awan is a member of the vascular committee of the Society of Coronary Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and scientific sessions committee of the Society of Vascular Medicine (SVM). He is also an avid researcher and has numerous well-cited publications to his credit.

He is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, nuclear cardiology, and echocardiography. Additionally, he is also a Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation.