With the arrival of the new year, St. Tammany Hospital Foundation is getting a new-look Board of Trustees.
For starters, Rock Kendrick’s nine-year stint on the board is coming to a close. In addition, though, five new members will be joining, boosting the body’s size to 17 members.
“Two years ago, our board made the decision not to grow in numbers, as our tightknit, hardworking group worked to meet the challenges of fundraising in a pandemic and began work with a consultant to create a strategic plan for our foundation,” said Nicole Suhre, the foundation’s executive director.
“As we looked forward to 2022, we knew this was the right time to increase our numbers and bring on a dynamic group of community leaders to add value to our board. We are thrilled to have these talented and driven individuals work with us in our mission to support St. Tammany Health System.”
Meet the board’s new members below.
Laura Brown
A 30-year resident of the Northshore and the mother of two children, Brown spent much of her “mommy” years volunteering in the parents clubs at her daughters’ schools.
When the younger of those daughters recently packed her bags for LSU, the local real estate agent found herself looking for a new cause.
“I’m empty-nesting,” she said. “Now that they’re gone, I don’t have anything I’m volunteering for.”
That’s when Liz Healy, the foundation’s vice chair, recruited Brown to consider joining the STHF mission. She did – and now she’s eager to dive in and get to work.
“I’m happy to be here and work with everybody,” Brown said. “The staff is so amazing. I’m looking forward to it.”
Penny Dastugue
As a resident of St. Tammany since 1975, Dastugue raised her children on the Northshore and still lives with her husband along Jahnke Avenue in Covington, “So we consider this hospital to be our neighbor,” she said.
But, really, it’s more than that. The former member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has been a patient at St. Tammany Health System, as has her brother.
“Most profound, my mother was a cancer patient here,” Dastugue said. “The care was so extraordinary, the people were so great, I think that cemented my devotion to St. Tammany.”
As a co-founder of the nonprofit Kickin’ Parkinson’s organization, she brings to the table prior experience in the philanthropic and healthcare realms. She also brings great affection for the work of the foundation.
“I see St. Tammany as a powerful force in this community for healing and care,” she said, “and I’ve always had a tremendous respect for it.”
Chip Lavigne
Chip Lavigne wears a lot of hats.
The northshore native is president and owner of Lavigne Oil in Baton Rouge. He owns Blue Harbor Pointe service station in Mandeville. He’s an experienced property developer.
And now, he’s a member of the St. Tammany Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees.
“I’ve been a donor to St. Tammany Hospital for many, many years,” he said. “You’ve got to have great healthcare. You’ve got to take care of the people – and St. Tammany is a fixture, so I just wanted to get involved and give back to the community.”
That being said, if he’s got a particular area of interest, it’s cancer care.
“I lost both my parents to cancer,” Lavigne said. “So I’ve been contributing for cancer care for a long, long time. Cancer is a big key to me – and this is a great group of people.”
Tim Lentz
If the name Tim Lentz sounds familiar, that’s for good reason.
The former chief of the Covington Police Department and second-in-command at the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office has been a prominent member of the local community for decades. But with his retirement from law enforcement, the Mandeville native felt like he had some gas left in the tank.
That’s when he and his wife founded TASS Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center, which has locations in Ponchatoula, Crystal Springs and Covington.
That, of course, keeps him fairly busy – “I run around between those three facilities, taking care of odds and ends,” he said – but not so busy that he doesn’t have time to give back to the community.
“I grew up in this community,” Lentz said. “This is home to me. And now I’m at a point in my life where I have time, I have the talent and it’s time to give back. It’s time to serve."
Sunny McDaniel
Sunny McDaniel is no stranger to healthcare.
She’s a nurse practitioner who practices in Ponchatoula. She teaches at the Loyola University School of Nursing. She’s a certified autism specialist.
Even with all that, she somehow finds time to be mom to twin 8-year-olds and a 14-month-old – all boys. “They’re great kids,” she said. “I’m blessed.”
She also sees a glaring local need, and that’s a big part of why she’s joined the foundation board.
“Particularly in our area, St. Tammany Health System is among very few resources for individuals with autism, whether that’s therapy, whether that’s resources on how to enter the medical world,” she said. “The standard of care doesn’t change when you treat patients, but the approach might be different. … And so my goal is to try to connect those worlds.”