| Advisory opinion request on behalf of Nicholls State University ("University") for the approval of the disqualification plan under the Code of Governmental Ethics ("Code") for Dr. Quenton Fontenot, the Director of Office Research and Sponsored Programs, and his spouse Dr. Allyse Ferrara. |
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Dr. Quenton Fontenot currently serves as Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, within the Department of Biological Sciences, a position he assumed on July 1, 2024. His spouse, Dr. Allyse Ferrara has served as a faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences since January 2002.
Proposed Disqualification Plan
Lacey Hoffpauir Crochet, MBA, Chief Innovation Officer overseeing the Offices of Advancement, Alumni, Research & Sponsored Programs, and Economic Development & Innovation, and Dr. Fontenot's direct supervisor, will serve as the initiator and/or first-line approver for all transactions and decisions involving either Dr. Fontenot or Dr. Ferrara.
Dr. Quenton Fontenot will be fully disqualified from participating in the following matters involving either himself or Dr. Allyse Ferrara:
o Approval of any and all grant or contract documents where either individual is listed as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI);
o Submission or approval of any employment requisitions (RI/R2) related to either individual that are funded through external grants or contracts;
o Transactions such as financial reporting/invoicing, progress or technical reports, budgets (including budget revisions or reallocations), effort reports (personnel activity reports), sub-recipient monitoring reports, invention or patent reports, final close out grant reports; no cost extension reports, and compliance reports;
o Any other transactions or matters in which either Dr. Fontenot or Dr. Ferrara would have a substantial economic interest.
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La. R.S. 42:1102(2)(a)(i) defines "agency" to mean a department, 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. La. R.S. 42:1102(21) defines "substantial economic interest" as an economic interest which is of greater benefit to the public servant or other person than to a general class or group of persons.
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.
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Adopt draft advisory opinion and approve the disqualification plan.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Suzanne Mooney |
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