WHO IS MEP of Louisiana?
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System Manufacturing Extension Partnership of Louisiana (LCTCS MEP of LA) is the statewide MEP National Network Center established to serve Louisiana manufacturers, whose primary goals are to narrow the workforce gap, mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities and leverage technology.
We have experts in-house, as well as our partner college affiliates, industry representatives, and other members of the manufacturing community that we use to strengthen and empower both Louisiana manufacturing and US manufacturing. We use our knowledge, industry connections and resources to benefit the manufacturing ecosystem by providing a full range of services that focus on productivity, profitability and manufacturing success.
Established in 1997, MEP of Louisiana is partially funded by a cooperative agreement with the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
As the Executive Director, Blanchard leads MEP of Louisiana as it works to help all Louisiana manufacturers grow and compete. She is responsible for a number of leadership functions including adherence to compliance standards, budgetary analysis and reporting, and formulation of organizational positions and performance goals. As director, she leads efforts to identify the needs of small and medium-size manufacturers and build MEP of Louisiana’s capabilities to meet those needs.
Kayla is primarily responsible for establishment, annual update and execution of the Center’s marketing strategy. She documents client success stories, posts Center information on social media, and creates press releases and monthly newsletters sent to clients and partners. She is responsible for all internal project management. Kayla manages quarterly reporting and collaborates with Project Managers and Community College points of contact to successfully assist manufacturers. She also conducts market research to determine the needs of Louisiana manufacturers.
As a Project Manager of the MEP of Louisiana, Wynn delivers industry consulting services and drives implementation engagements to achieve maximum business impact. Wynn also analyzes the needs of the manufacturer to determine areas of improvement needed, develops a plan to address the areas of improvement, estimates the potential return on investment, presents the proposed plan for services to business executives and executes the agreed plan with the manufacturer.
As Operations Director of the MEP of Louisiana, Baxter supports MEP of Louisiana activities by working in conjunction with the MEP of Louisiana Executive Director as well as the team of MEP Project Managers and LCTCS college partners to create and drive the mission of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) MEP. Baxter is also tasked with understanding manufacturing needs and helping to grow and sustain the coordinated partnership with the community and technical colleges in Louisiana to most effectively support manufacturers throughout Louisiana.
As a Project Manager of the MEP of Louisiana, Dan delivers industry consulting services and drives implementation engagements to achieve maximum business impact. Dan also analyzes the needs of the manufacturer to determine areas of improvement needed, develops a plan to address the areas of improvement, estimates the potential return on investment, presents the proposed plan for services to business executives and executes the agreed plan with the manufacturer.
As Business Compliance Coordinator of the MEP of Louisiana, Caroline is responsible for assisting in the development and execution of a system of internal controls to ensure that colleges affiliated with the MEP awards are meeting compliance objectives set forth by the NIST MEP award instrument. Caroline also acts as liaison and supports the Executive Director with various tasks including the MEP of LA Industrial Advisory Board and preparing the staff for meetings and travel.
Ed Dauphin originally started his banking career in Lafayette, Louisiana, with a combination of operations and commercial lending experience and built a reputation that afforded him the opportunity to turnaround a failed bank bought from the FDIC by a group of investors. As President, he quickly transformed Louisiana Delta Bank into a high-performance bank. Dauphin exceeded investor goals through developing updated operational systems, reducing operational cost through the implementation of technology, and acquiring a large agricultural loan portfolio. In 1997, he assumed the role of CFO of the holding company, which owned Louisiana Delta Bank, other banks and loan related businesses.
After graduation from Texas A&M and working for several years at the Western Electric manufacturing plant in Shreveport, Jim transferred to corporate headquarters with AT&T in New Jersey as a member of the company’s Leadership Continuity Program. His “Bell System” telecommunications career came full circle in the late 1990’s when he transferred back to Shreveport, ultimately becoming the Lucent Technologies and Avaya local Plant Manager. The automotive boom in the 2000’s saw Jim launch a greenfield GM supplier location in Shreveport for privately held Android Industries. During his 9 years with “Ai-Shreveport” he expanded his scope to include operations in Arlington, Texas and Mexico, launching another greenfield location in Toluca, near Mexico City.
Al Herrera is Vice President of IPS of Louisiana Corp. and serves as President for its division Best Bolt and Nut, IPS Properties and IPS BBN. Mr. Herrera was employed with Ford Motor Company after receiving his degree in Finance from the University of New Orleans. During his time at Ford Motor Company, Mr. Herrera was instrumental in the opening and development of Ford Motor Credit’s Customer Service Center in Omaha, Nebraska. This was the first National Customer Service Center opened by any Financial Institution. 
Sandy Marshall
Kevin’s working career consists of 29 years in the Folding Carton Industry where he progressed from Customer Service Representative to Sales Manager, and General Manager. For the past 8 years he has been the Vice President of Alta Max in charge of all Industrial products, specifically Tamper Evident Security Seals.