| Proposed disqualification plan concerning the appointment of Dr. Glen Gentry as Interim Regional Director for the Southeast Region of the LSU Agricultural Center ("AgCenter") Extension, and his spouse, Dr. Donna Gentry, an AgCenter employee in the Southeast Region. |
|
The LSU AgCenter operates Cooperative Extension offices in each of the 64 parishes. Administration for these offices is organized into 5 regions. The faculty and staff domiciled in each region are managed by a Regional Director who is an existing faculty member given an administrative appointment. The Regional Director for the Southeast Region reports to the Director of the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service ("LCES"). The current Regional Director in the Southeast Region has accepted another role with the AgCenter, and the administration would like to appoint Dr. Glen Gentry as Interim Regional Director effective January 2, 2024.
Dr. Donna Gentry is the spouse of Dr. Glen Gentry. Dr. Donna Gentry has been employed as an Extension Agent ("ANR") with the AgCenter since 1988. She transferred to a position in the Southeast Region in January 2020. She is also currently serving as the Parish Chair (supervisor) in East Feliciana Parish where she supervises 3 other employees.
Proposed Disqualification Plan:
Dr. Glen Gentry is prohibited from participating in any decisions regarding leave requests/approvals, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, pay increases, promotions, demotions, or any other activity which pertains to Dr. Donna Gentry's employment with the AgCenter. Any decisions or activities regarding Dr. Donna Gentry that are normally performed by the Regional Director will be assigned to the LCES Director who is currently Dr. Tara Smith.
|
|
La. R.S. 42:1112B(1)
provides that no public servant shall participate in a transaction involving the governmental entity in which, to his actual knowledge, any member of his immediate family has a substantial economic interest.
La. R.S. 42:1112C
allows a disqualification plan to be developed in accordance with rules adopted by the Board to remove a public servant from participating in transactions that would otherwise present violations of Section 1112 of the Code.
La. R.S. 42:1119A
provides that no member of the immediate family member of an agency head shall be employed in his agency.
La. R.S. 42:1119C(2)
provides that the provisions of this Section shall not prohibit the continued employment of any public employee nor shall it be construed to hinder, alter, or in any way affect normal promotional advancements for such public employee where a member of public employee's immediate family becomes the agency head of such public employee's agency, provided that such public employee has been employed in the agency for a period of at least one year prior to the member of the public employee's immediate family becoming the agency head.
La. R.S. 42:1102(2)(a)(i)
defines "agency" for as the office, division, agency, commission, board, committee, or other organizational unit of a governmental entity.
La. R.S. 42:1102(3)
defines "agency head" to mean the chief executive or administrative officer of an agency.
La. R.S. 42:1102(13)
defines "immediate family" to include a public servant's spouse.
|
|
|
Approve the proposed disqualification plan.
|
|
| Assigned Attorney: |
Jessica Meiners |
|
|