Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced appointments to the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board.

The Children’s Cabinet Advisory Board shall provide, information and recommendations from the perspective of advocacy groups, service providers, and parents to the Children’s Cabinet. The purpose of the Cabinet is to facilitate and require coordination of policy, planning, and budgeting affecting programs and services for children and their families. The cabinet carries out its functions in order to assure the most efficient and effective use of resources, particularly through programs for intervention and prevention and through services that assist and support children.

According to statute, the board is comprised of forty gubernatorial appointments including:

  • A representative from Agenda for Children
  • A representative from the Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund
  • A representative from Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana (formerly the Louisiana Council on Child Abuse)
  • A representative from the Louisiana Maternal and Child Health Coalition
  • A representative from Louisiana Early Steps (formerly Child Net)
  • A representative from the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
  • The director of the State Head Start Collaboration Project
  • A representative from the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Board
  • A representative from Louisiana State University, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
  • No fewer than three and no more than five parents nominated by agencies represented herein and approved by the cabinet
  • The assistant secretary of the office of community services of the Department of Social Services
  • The assistant secretary of the office of family support of the Department of Social Services
  • The assistant secretary of the office for citizens with developmental disabilities of the Department of Health
  • The assistant secretary of the office of public health of the Department of Health
  • The assistant secretary of the office of mental health of the Department of Health
  • The director of the bureau of health services financing of the Department of Health
  • A representative of the Louisiana Workforce Commission (formerly the Department of Labor), to be designated by its secretary
  • The assistant secretary of the office of youth development of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections
  • Three representatives of the Department of Education to be designated by the superintendent as follows:
    • One member representing academic programs
    • One member representing special education
    • One member representing educational support programs
  • The board also includes a representative of the Division of Administration, as designated by its commissioner
  • A member of the Commission on Perinatal Care and Prevention of Infant Mortality
  • A member of the Louisiana Families In Need Of Services Association
  • A member of the Louisiana Court-Appointed Special Advocate Association
  • A member of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops (formerly Louisiana Catholic Conference)
  • The president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System or his designee
  • The chief executive officer of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, health care services division, or his designee
  • A representative of the National Association of Social Workers
  • A representative of the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations
  • A representative from the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
  • The assistant secretary of the office for addictive disorders of the Department of Health
  • The president of the Louisiana Council of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry or his designee
  • A member of the Louisiana Assembly on School-Based Health Care a member of the Louisiana Chapter of the March of Dimes
  • A representative of Families Helping Families
  • A representative of the Louisiana Association of Childcare Agencies
  • A representative of Louisiana Children's Advocacy Centers
  • A representative of the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Tulane University
  • A representative of the Louisiana Primary Care Association
  • A representative of the Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families 


Appointments to the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board:

David Benada, of Lake Charles, is a lieutenant in the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.  Benada is vice president of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Louisiana (CACLA) and will represent CACLA on the board, as required by statute. 

Sheri Hogg, of Sulphur, is the prevention services director for Nursing Families of Louisiana.  Hogg will serve as a representative from Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana (formerly the Louisiana Council on Child Abuse), as required by statute. 

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