Pelican State News

Three keynotes, Tower Medallion presentation punctuate Tech ’22 Spring Commencement ceremonies

May 16, 2022 | Alumni, Applied and Natural Sciences, Business, Education, General News, Liberal Arts

Three ceremonies and a special  induction honoring a most distinguished alumnus will complete a full day  of celebration as Louisiana Tech University holds its spring  commencement May 21 in the Thomas Assembly Center.

Family and friends unable to attend commencement can watch the event live on Facebook.

Here are the times and keynote speakers for each session.

• 9 a.m.: Education and Liberal Arts, Doug Boulware, Class of ’80.
• 12:30 p.m.: Business and Applied and Natural Sciences, Scott Poole, Class of ’86.
• 4 p.m.: Engineering and Science, General Anthony J. Cotton.

During the 4 p.m. ceremony, 1982 College of Engineering and Science  graduate Nick Akins, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of  American Electric Power, will be inducted into the University’s Hall of  Distinguished Alumni. He will receive the University’s highest honor,  the Tower Medallion, awarded to those alumni who have distinguished  themselves by exceptional achievement, community service and  humanitarian activity.

Speaker biographies

Doug Boulware has made a difference for Tech since  his undergraduate days as an offensive guard on the Bulldogs’ Southland  Conference and Independence Bowl championship team in 1977.

He graduated in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in Education and  returned to Louisiana Tech to earn a master’s degree in Industrial  Psychology in 1993. He has used his knowledge, experience, education,  and passion for the care of the elderly to become a successful managing  partner of Priority Management Group located in Dallas.

Boulware has more than 30 years of experience overseeing and managing  facilities in Louisiana and Texas that care for the elderly. The  mission of his company is to provide the highest quality care to the  more than 3,000 residents it currently services.

Boulware, the 2018 College of Education Distinguished Alumnus, and  his wife Sandra have made a major investment, both to the College and to  a future Athletics capital project that will pay educational dividends  for decades to come.

Scott Poole is President and Chief Operating Officer  for RoyOMartin Sustainable Resources LLC in Alexandria, Poole graduated  from Louisiana Tech with a BS in Forestry in 1986 and soon joined the  Martin Companies. He later earned his MBA from LSU in Baton Rouge.

With more than 1,200 employees, the Martin Companies own or control  over half a million acres of forest land within the State of Louisiana  and own and operate the three largest plywood and oriented strand board  manufacturing facilities in North America. Poole’s current  responsibilities include the management of all timber, manufacturing,  and sales operations within the organization.

A current Advisory Board Member for Tech’s School of Forestry, Poole  also serves on the board of the Louisiana Association of Business and  Industry. He is a past board member of the Louisiana Forestry  Association, past Chairman of the Louisiana Forestry Commission and the  Louisiana Forest Products Society, and past Chair of the Central  Louisiana Manufacturers Council.

Poole is married to the former Heather Spillers of Vidalia, who  earned both her BA and MBA degrees from LSU and later earned her EdD in  Education Leadership from Tech. She is currently Executive Vice  Chancellor of Central Louisiana Technical Community College in  Alexandria. The couple call Pineville home and enjoy spending time in  Louisiana’s outdoors with their four children.

General Antony J. Cotton is Commander, Air Force  Global Strike Command (AFGSC) and Commander, Air Forces Strategic–Air,  U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC  provides strategic deterrence, global strike capability, and combat  support to U.S. Strategic Command and other geographic combatant  commands.

The command is comprised of more than 33,700 professionals operating  at two numbered air forces; 11 active duty, Air National Guard, and Air  Force Reserve wings; and the Joint Global Strike Operations Center.  Weapons systems assigned to AFGSC include all U.S. Air Force  Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and bomber aircraft, UH-1N  helicopters, E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft, and the  U.S. Air Force NC3 weapons system.

Cotton entered the Air Force through the ROTC program in 1986 after  earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from North Carolina  State. In 1991, he earned his MS in Administration from Central  Michigan. He has completed more than a dozen military courses and  seminars since.

Cotton has commanded at the squadron, group and wing levels,  including his service as Deputy Director of the Secretary and Chief of  Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group, as Senior Military  Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Deputy  Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, as well as Commander and  President of Air University.

Nick Akins received his bachelor’s degree in 1982  and a master’s degree in 1986 in Electrical Engineering from Tech. Now  he will receive the Tower Medallion, which recognizes those exceptional  individuals who have brought honor not only to themselves but also to  the University.

Akins  will be permanently recognized in the University’s Hall of  Distinguished Alumni. Tech has always recognized that the true measure  of its greatness is the performance of its alumni.

In addition to his Tech degrees, Akins has earned additional training  through executive management programs at LSU, the University of Idaho,  and the Reactor Technology Course for Utility Executives at the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Akins and the AEP Foundation have long been supporters of the  University. The Foundation graciously presented Tech with a check for  the Integrated Engineering and Science Building long before it became a  reality. The University also received a generous gift from Akins,  president of the Foundation, in 2017 to support the then-new Academic  Success Center, which includes Tech’s cyber training center, located in  the National Cyber Research Park in Bossier City.

Under his leadership, AEP continues to invest in modernization and  security of the electric grid, resource diversification, and technology  and innovation to enable the transition to a clean energy future while  preserving universal access to the grid. Through strategic partnerships  and collaboration with customers, Akins has positioned AEP to redefine  the future of energy and embrace the transformation sweeping the  industry.

Original source can be found here.