Board of Experts.

Emmet Stephenson and his late wife, Toni, made the 2007 gift to LSU that founded the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute. He is the founder and senior partner of Stephenson Ventures and founded the internet publishing firm Domain.com. He co-founded StarTek, Inc. and served as its chairman until 2006, and served for 22 years on the board of Danaher Corp. A 1967 LSU graduate with an MBA from Harvard Business School, he is a member of the E. J. Ourso College of Business Hall of Distinction. In 2017, he and Toni were named Louisiana Legends.

Dr. Edie E. Zusman is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in traumatic brain injury and concussion. She founded Safe Living Space, a nonprofit focused on brain injuries caused by domestic and intimate partner violence, and her concussion work includes injuries from military service and law enforcement. She previously served as chief of neurosurgery and medical director of the Center for Neuroscience at NorthBay Medical Center in California. A graduate of Northwestern University's medical school, she trained in neurosurgery at UC Davis and UCSF and served as president of Women in Neurosurgery.

Kyle Ruckert served as chief of staff to Gov. Jeff Landry from January 2024 to February 2026, after directing the governor's transition. Before that, he spent nearly two decades as a chief of staff in the U.S. House and Senate, including as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. David Vitter. He holds a bachelor's degree from Tulane University.

Dr. Mike Strain has been Louisiana's Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry since 2008 and is serving his fifth term. A veterinarian, he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from LSU in 1983. He previously represented District 74 in the Louisiana House, where he chaired the Legislative Rural Caucus. He served as president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2016–17, and in 2024 he was appointed to a FEMA National Advisory Council subcommittee on planning for animal welfare in emergencies.

Mark Cooper served as chief of staff to Gov. John Bel Edwards from 2017 to 2024, helping guide Louisiana through the COVID-19 pandemic and five hurricanes. As director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness from 2008 to 2011, he led the state's response to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the BP oil spill, and the 2011 Mississippi River flooding. Earlier, he spent about 20 years in Los Angeles County public safety, rising to deputy fire chief, and he was later Walmart's senior director of global emergency management. He has served on FEMA's National Advisory Council and the FEMA Review Council, and holds bachelor's and master's degrees from LSU.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré commanded Joint Task Force Katrina in 2005, leading the active-duty military response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Before Katrina, he led defense planning and response for eight hurricanes, from Floyd in 1999 to Ivan and Jeanne in 2004. Over a 37-year Army career, he commanded the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and the Standing Joint Force Headquarters for Homeland Security, and he retired in 2008 as the 33rd commanding general of First Army. A graduate of Southern University and A&M College with a master's degree from Troy State University, he has written two books on leadership and preparedness.

Dr. T. Russell Crook is dean of LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business and the E. J. Ourso Distinguished Professor of Business. A scholar of strategy and entrepreneurship with more than 40 published articles, he works with organizational leaders to shape long-term strategy and carry it out, and he leads the college's partnerships across business, government, and academia. Before LSU, he headed the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business. Earlier, he worked in strategic planning and global procurement at American Airlines, US Airways, and IBM.

Thomas O. Ryder was chairman and chief executive officer of The Reader's Digest Association, leading the company as CEO from 1998 to 2005. Earlier, he was president of American Express Travel Related Services International. He served on Amazon's board from 2002 to 2021, including as lead director, as well as on the boards of Starwood Hotels and other public companies. A 1966 LSU journalism graduate and former editor of The Daily Reveille, he helped establish eight endowed professorships in LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication and was named a Louisiana Legend in 2026.

Dr. Richard D. White Jr. led LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business from 2012 to 2020, first as interim dean and then, from 2014, as dean. During his tenure, the college launched its Energy Program, the Professional Sales Institute, and degrees in entrepreneurship and analytics, raised more than $42 million, and earned AACSB reaccreditation. A professor of public administration and former senior officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, he is the author of several books, including Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long. He holds an MBA from Purdue University and a PhD in public administration from Penn State.

Lori Bertman was president and CEO of the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, Louisiana's largest private family foundation, until 2024. After Hurricane Katrina, she raised more than $40 million for recovery and created the Pennington Disaster Resilience Fund. In 2010, she co-founded the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and chaired its board; under her leadership, it provided more than $60 million in disaster grants. She founded the philanthropy consulting firm Bertman Associates and holds a master's degree from LSU.

Brig. Gen. Jason P. Mahfouz is director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and Army Assistant Adjutant General of the Louisiana National Guard. Commissioned into the Engineer Corps in 2001, he commanded the 199th Brigade Support Battalion of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and later served as the Guard's director of joint operations, including through the 2020–21 hurricane seasons and the COVID-19 response. He was mobilized for service in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He holds a bachelor's degree from Louisiana Tech and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.