Meet Our Staff

The heart of the Milk and Dairy Unit for the Louisiana Department of Health is the Amite Milk Lab, located at 104 N. 1st Street in Amite, LA (Tangipahoa Parish).

The majority of the state's dairy farms are located in this region and this laboratory facility processes all of the milk samples collected across the state. Additionally, several of our MDU staff are domiciled in this location.

(Click on a staff member's name to see his or her contact information. Note that the coverage areas shown on the linked directory pages reflect Food and Drug Unit activity, not Milk and Dairy Unit activity.)

Corey Lea is the Assistant Administrator for the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mr. Lea directs the activities of all MDU sanitarians and coordinates with the lab scientist supervisor to determine sampling schedules. Mr. Lea is a State Rating Officer (SRO) and a Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO) for the state of Louisiana. He collects milk samples, performs dairy and producer/processor inspections and he conducts quarterly equipment checks at firms in the Florida Parishes.

Bodie Bridges is a Sanitarian Program Manager with the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mr. Bridges is currently training with FDA to become a State Rating Officer (SRO) and he is presently a delegated Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO).  He collects samples and inspects major pasteurization plants in Baton Rouge and Hammond and performs dairy and producer/processor inspections as well as equipment checks in the Florida Parishes.

Rachel Mitchell is a Sanitarian Program Specialist with the Milk and Dairy Unit. Mrs. Mitchell conducts regular inspections of area dairies and collects routine samples.

Tammy Rottmann is the administrative coordinator for the inspection staff at the milk lab. She maintains the inventory spreadsheets, answers phone calls, notifies dairies of lab results, and performs other administrative tasks as needed.

The remaining staff engaged in MDU work are located in different areas of the state. All milk staff are trained to do Food and Drug work as well, and some Food and Drug Unit sanitarians likewise count among some of their duties aspects of MDU program activities. 

Shanta F. Hamilton is the Food and Drug/Milk and Dairy Program Administrator. She is cross-trained in milk work and  works with some of the dairies and producer-processors in north Louisiana. She works out of offices in Baton Rouge, Ruston, and Shreveport, LA.

Sophia Airhart is a Food and Drug Program Manager who is trained in milk work; she works with some of the dairies and producer-processors in the southwestern part of the state. She works out of the Vernon Parish Health Unit.

Rob Schexnayder is a Food and Drug Program Specalist who is also a State Rating Officer (SRO) and a Sample Surveillance Officer (SSO). Mr. Schexnayder works from the Marksville parish office and covers the Borden pasteurization plant in Lafayette performing inspections, collecting samples, and conducting quarterly equipment checks. He also works with other milk firms in the central Louisiana area.

Tamika Carron is a Food and Drug Program Specialist who is training in milk work; she will assist with routine inspections, sample collections, and equipment checks for Borden in the future. She works out of the Lafayette regional office.