Retired Judge John C. Campbell was appointed by Gov.-elect John Bel Edwards to be a part of a sixth transition team committee.
The Children and Family Services Committee will make recommendations on ways in which the state can better empower Louisiana families and prioritize the safety and well-being of our children. The committee is also tasked with identifying ways in which the Department of Children and Family Services can be fully staffed and funded in order to fulfill its mission.
“I was very honored to be asked to serve on the transition team for Gov.-elect Edwards,” Campbell said in an email to the Press-Herald. “I know my 27 years as judge of the Minden City Court, which has juvenile jurisdiction, has afforded me insight into the problems our children and families face. I am pleased that Gov.-elect Edwards reached out to people in our community to serve on the transition team. Each change in administration brings hope and enthusiasm, and I’m pleased to be part of it.”
Edwards says he’s asked the committee to focus on the children and solutions to the challenges DCFS faces.
“Children must be our number one priority in all that we do,” he said. “I’ve asked this committee to focus on the well-being of our children, which should be at the heart of every solution they seek. We can and must do better by our children, and I look forward to this committee’s recommendations.”
The committee is chaired by Katherine Spaht, professor of law, emeritus at the LSU Law Center. It is co-chaired by Judge Guy Bradberry, 14th Judicial District Court.
The following is a list of those serving on the committee: Annetta Garner, Leadership Academy Coordinator for the Volunteers for Youth Justice, Artelia Bennett-Banks, program specialist, social services of DCFS, Bambi Polotzola, COO of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, PSC, Betty Cooper, instructor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Cathy Johnson, president of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers, Charmaine Cappioppi, COO and executive vice president of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, Clifton Starks, president of the Central Trades and Labor Council of Shreveport AFL-CIO, Darrin Goss, president and CEO of Capital Area United Way, DeLisa Washington, board member of the Louisiana Association of Educators, Jacqui Vines, former senior vice president at Cox Communications Southeast Region, Bradberry, Campbell, Julio Galan, president and CEO of Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Spaht, LaMonica Jones, president of the Monroe City Association of Educators, Mallery Callahan, reverend at LA Home and Foreign Mission Baptist State Convention, Pam Hutchinson, community activist, Samuel Tolbert, president of the National Baptist Convention of America, Sandie Lollie, vice president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, Sharon Braggs, itinerant hearing specialist for Caddo Parish Schools, Sherry Guarisco, executive director of the Louisiana Partnership of Children and Families and Wanda Washington, child welfare supervisor of the Department of Children and Family Services.