Meet The Board

> Ted M. Hankins, President

TED M. HANKINS, Regulatory Operations Director for CenturyLink, currently handles the regulatory operations for Louisiana and other states. He is responsible for the development and presentation of CenturyLink advocacy before regulators and legislators concerning broadband, competition, pricing and a variety of other issues.

Ted has worked in the telecommunications industry in various capacities since 1980, and has served on a number of industry committees and state telecommunication associations. Ted currently serves as Second Vice Chairman of the Louisiana Telecommunications Association, and serves on the Oklahoma High Cost Fund Board. During his carrier, he has held positions in Fixed Asset Accounting, Cost Separations, Retail Toll Billing, Carrier Access Billing, Intrastate Settlements, Economic Analysis and Pricing, State Government Relations, and State Regulatory Operations.

Ted received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the California State University – Chico. He has also completed additional course work toward a Master’s of Business Degree as well as courses on industry topics.

CenturyLink is a global communications, hosting, cloud and IT services company enabling millions of customers to transform their businesses and their lives through innovative technology solutions. CenturyLink offers network and data systems management, Big Data analytics and IT consulting, and operates more than 55 data centers in North America, Europe and Asia. The company provides broadband, voice, video, data and managed services over a robust 250,000-route- mile U.S. fiber network and a 300,000-route- mile international transport network.

> Karen Babineaux, Vice President

After college graduation, Karen began a career in the banking industry as an executive secretary to the president/ceo of New Iberia National Bank (now Iberiabank, the largest bank in Louisiana). With a Masters in Education, she decided to transition from the business sector to education. For the next 21 years she worked in every facet of education, working with various school organizations and committees. She served on several evaluation teams for the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges collaborating with others for the improvement of education through accreditation. She and her husband started and managed a successful family health club business for 22 years. She has recently completed the Burk Baker School of Real Estate and is licensed by Louisiana Real Estate Commission. She is a realtor with EXP Realty, Lafayette.

Karen and her husband, Baron have three children. Their first child was born with a profound hearing loss. She has witnessed firsthand the isolation the deaf, blind and deaf/blind (her son has usher’s syndrome and is now deaf/blind) have experienced because of communication. She is also aware this carries over to speech impaired, hearing impaired and HOH. Karen is passionate about assisting in making communication services available to all. She was present at the Capitol when the first relay call in Louisiana was made by Baron, Jr to then governor, Honourable Edwin Edwards.

> Lauren Evans, Treasurer

Lauren Temento Evans is the Associate Counsel with the Office of Executive Counsel at the Louisiana Public Service Commission. She has been employed with the Commission since September 2014. In her role as Associate Counsel, Lauren represents the Commission and Commissioners in litigation before state district courts and the Louisiana Supreme Court, assists the Executive Counsel in advising the Commissioners and Executive Secretary on legal matters affecting the Commission, and manages cases filed at the Commission for determination at the agency level. Prior to working for the Commission, Lauren served as Judicial Clerk for the 23 rd Judicial District Court, Parishes of Ascension, Assumption, and St. James, for the Honorable Judge Guy Holdridge. Lauren received a B.A. in Political Communication in 2007, a M.S. in Sports Management in 2009, and a J.D. in 2013, all from Louisiana State University.

> Jana M. Broussard, Secretary

Jana Moon Broussard was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, and began learning American Sign Language in elementary school after meeting a classmate who was Deaf. Through this friendship she became actively involved in the Deaf community over the course of her personal and professional life. She is the current Interim Director for the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf (LCD) and has over 13 years of experience working as an interpreter in educational and community settings, serving four of those years as one of the lead interpreters for the Lafayette Parish School System. She currently holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in ASL/English Interpreting from William Woods University, a certificate in Educational Interpreting from the University of Northern Colorado, and is certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf; K-12. She is also a member of the Louisiana DeafBlind Collaboration Team, sits on the Early Hearing Detection Intervention (EHDI) Advisory Board, the Louisiana Board of Hearing Aid Dealers, and is involved in many other collaborations and projects related to the Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing communities around the state of Louisiana.

> Ernest Garrett

Ernest E. Garrett III is the current Superintendent of Louisiana’s Special School District in Baton Rouge, LA. He is the former executive director and chief executive officer of the Deaf Empowerment Awareness Foundation, Inc., located in Webster Groves, Mo. In the private sector, he is the founder and owner of Garrett LCSW & Consulting headquartered in Jefferson City, Mo. Garrett holds the distinction of serving as the first Deaf and African American superintendent of the Missouri School for the Deaf; a member of the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; former president of the National Black Deaf Advocates (NBDA); and is a current member of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf National Advisory Group. Garrett is a doctoral candidate at Walden University. He earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in history and professional and technical writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. From Gallaudet University, he earned a Master of Science degree in Administration and a Master of Social Work degree. In addition, he has an advanced research qualification, the Master of Philosophy in Management, with a Leadership and Organizational Change specialization, from Walden University. Garrett is a lifetime member of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association; the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Alumni Association; the Walden University Alumni Association; and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He holds memberships in NBDA, AAPD, National Association of Social Workers, the National Association of the Deaf, National Society of Leadership and Success, The Network for Social Work Management, American Society of Association Executives, the Saint Louis Club, and the Rotary Club of Webster Groves. A recipient of the “Advocate of the Year Award” from NBDA, he has received awards of distinction from the Special School District of St. Louis County, and the Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.