MEET OUR SPEAKERS
SESSION 6: DEMYSTIFYING THE BUDGET PROCESS
This session provides an overview of how public university budgets are structured, funded, and managed, using LSU as a case study. It also discusses comparisons between incremental centralized budgeting processes and those of Responsibility Center Management (RCM) decentralized budgets. Finally, it explains the major budget categories (operating, restricted, auxiliary, and capital), outlines key revenue sources and expenditures, and describes the annual budget development and approval process for state funds. LSU’s financial profile is highlighted, showing a heavy reliance on self-generated revenues and tuition, while also emphasizing significant financial pressures such as rising personnel costs, deferred maintenance, and changing federal policies.
Brandi Roberts
LSU System CFO
Brandi Bush Roberts, PhD, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer for the Louisiana State University (LSU) System and a senior financial executive with more than 21 years of experience spanning public accounting, higher education finance, and enterprise operations. She provides strategic financial leadership to the entire LSU enterprise, which includes the flagship campus in Baton Rouge, regional four‑year institutions, a two‑year campus in Eunice, two LSU Health campuses, and specialized entities such as the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the LSU Agricultural Center. Dr. Roberts began her career in public accounting at KPMG and later taught accounting at Southeastern Louisiana University before joining LSU in a series of progressive leadership roles, including Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff for Finance and Administration. She holds a PhD in Higher Education Administration, a Master of Science in Accounting (Taxation specialty), and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from LSU, is a Certified Public Accountant, and is a graduate of the College Business Managers Institute.
Elahe Russell
Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance
Elahe Russell is the Interim Vice Chancellor for Finance at LSU A&M. She has held this role since July 2026 where she serves as the senior financial officer for LSU’s flagship campus and as the principal advisor on campus financial matters. In this role, she provides executive oversight and leadership for Accounting Services, Budget & Planning, Auxiliary Services, Risk Management and Trademark Licensing. Elahe earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from LSU. She has also served LSU for more than 27 years, holding several roles within Accounting Services during her tenure. She is a member of the LSU Administrators of Sponsored Programs, NACUBO, SEC Controller’s group, and a graduate of the LSU LEAD Emerge program. Elahe also served as the Finance lead for LSU’s Workday implementation, which went live in 2016 and as the Finance liaison for the Workday Student implementation which went live in 2025. Because of her extensive Workday experience, she has presented at several user conferences on LSU’s implementation. Through her leadership, Elahe brings together financial stewardship, operational excellence, and forward-looking technology to support LSU’s mission and long-term success. She is committed to strengthening the university’s financial foundation and ensuring that resources are aligned with the needs of its students, faculty, staff, and broader academic community.
SESSION 7: FROM MODEL TO MINDSET - HOW BUDGET STRUCTURES SHAPE LEADERSHIP
Building on the conference’s opening session on higher education budget models, this conversation examines how those structures shape leadership at the college level. LSU College of Humanities & Social Sciences Dean Troy Blanchard and Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts Dean Jason Hicks, both former SEC ALDP Fellows from LSU, will compare their institutions’ different budget models. Working closely with campus budget experts, they must make difficult choices that shape every aspect of academic life, and communicate those decisions clearly to faculty, staff, and students, building understanding and trust around the priorities that guide their colleges.
Troy Blanchard
Dean, College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Troy C. Blanchard, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Louisiana State University. Under his leadership, the College has experienced record-setting growth in undergraduate enrollment and degrees awarded and doubled its research expenditures. He is advancing a next-generation vision for the humanities and social sciences centered on the growing value of human understanding and distinctly human capabilities. Blanchard also recently served as LSU’s Interim Executive Vice President & Provost and Interim Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost, bringing a broader enterprise perspective to his leadership of the College and his approach to academic leadership, resource allocation, and the financial models shaping higher education.
Jason Hicks
Dean, Auburn University
An international scholar in human memory, Jason L. Hicks began his tenure as dean of the College of Liberal Arts in July 2022. With oversight of the largest college on Auburn University’s campus, Hicks will build upon academic endeavors that enhance CLA’s core values: learning, knowledge, engagement and impact. Hicks previously served as a Provost Fellow at Louisiana State University and from 2018-2021 was associate dean of LSU’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. A native of Wichita, Kansas, Hicks earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Truman State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Georgia.
SESSION 8: BUDGET INBOX EXERCISE & REPORT OUT
Following the budget model presentation and dean discussion, participants will work through a budget scenario and consider how they would respond as academic administrators. Brandi Roberts, Elahe Russell, Troy Blanchard, Jason Hicks, and the SEC ALDP liaisons will be available to answer questions and offer guidance throughout the exercise. Each group will then report its approach, followed by time for discussion and questions.
SESSION 9: A LIVING TRADITION: THE PROMISE, CHALLENGES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A LIVE MASCOT
This session explores the promise and complexity of having a live animal mascot. A live mascot can serve as a university ambassador and symbol while creating opportunities for research, education, and student development. The discussion will highlight LSU’s conservation research and the responsibilities and challenges of caring for a live tiger on campus, including animal-welfare concerns, specialized veterinary needs, appropriate facilities, and public education.
COLIN MITCHELL
INTERIM DEAN, SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Dr. Colin Mitchell is the Interim Dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Since joining LSU in 2005 as an Assistant Professor of Equine Surgery, he has served in a variety of clinical, educational, research, and leadership roles. His work has focused on veterinary education, surgical care for equine athletes, and research on equine bone health and fracture healing, with a particular interest on the effects of bisphosphonates on bone metabolism. He is committed to building on the school's strengths and helping LSU School of Veterinary Medicine continue on its upward trajectory.
Sabrina Taylor
Weaver Brothers Distinguished Professor, Director of Graduate Studies in Renewable Natural Resources, Chair of the LSU Graduate Council
Dr. Taylor studies the conservation genetics of imperiled species and species of management concern. Her lab’s work on tigers uses whole genome sequencing to: 1) assess genetic relatedness and help zoos with tiger breeding plans; 2) clarify population structure and the genetic support for subspecies and 3); identify the geographic origin of tiger products seized by the US Fish & Wildlife Service to understand wildlife trafficking. She was hired at LSU in the School of Renewable Natural Resources in 2009 following postdoctoral work at the University of British Columbia (Canada). She obtained her PhD in Zoology at the University of Otago in New Zealand, her MS in Biology at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia (Canada) and her BS (Hons.) in Biology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia (Canada). She is a member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which assesses the endangerment status of wildlife species for listing purposes.
SESSION 10: MODERN LEADERSHIP IN ATHLETICS
The landscape of college athletics has shifted dramatically in recent years, requiring a different skillset for leaders in the modern era. In this session, participants will learn about how the transfer portal, revenue share, and NIL have changed the way leaders must approach college athletics in order to sustain a winning culture and continue to support student-athlete development, achievement, and success.
VERGE AUSBERRY
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Verge Ausberry serves as LSU’s Vice President and Director of Athletics. The New Iberia, La., native and veteran senior administrator was named LSU’s 11th Director of Athletics in November 2025 following more than 30 years of service to the University. He joined the department in 1991 as an intern in the compliance office and has gone on to serve the Tigers in academics, fundraising, corporate relations, marketing, game management, sport administration, life skills, sports medicine and performance, equipment and alumni relations. A four-year letterwinner, Verge was a linebacker on the LSU football team from 1986-1990 and was a member of two SEC Championship teams and was a two-year captain on defense.
SESSION 11: TRADITION, INNOVATION, DISCOVERY - THE ARTS AT RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES
The arts do more than enrich campus culture; they expand the capacity of research universities to ask better questions, imagine new possibilities, and translate discovery into human experience. From preserving centuries of artistic knowledge to training the next generation of creatives and designing digital environments, the arts bridge tradition and innovation in ways that are essential to the future of higher education.
Arne Flaten
Dean, College of Art & Design
Dr. Arne R. Flaten is Dean of the College of Art & Design at LSU, and Chancellor’s Distinguished Professor of Art History. Growing up in a diplomatic family, Flaten has lived around the world, including Israel, Italy, and Rwanda. His research and scholarship have been supported by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Fulbright Commission, the NEH, the NEA, the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Renaissance Society of America, the College Art Association, and others. He serves on various national boards, including the International Council for Arts Deans (ICfAD) and A2RU, and he is an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA).
Eric Lau
Dean, College of Music & Dramatic Arts
Dr. Eric Lau serves as Dean of the College of Music & Dramatic Arts and Penniman Family Professor of Music at Louisiana State University. With an extensive background as a performing artist, educator, and administrator, Dean Lau has dedicated his career to fostering excellence and innovation in performing arts education. Dean Lau continually strives to provide students and faculty with expanded opportunities for creative expression and professional development. Prior to his appointment at LSU, he served in multiple administrative roles at the University of New Mexico, including Dean of the Honors College, Dean of the University College, and Chair of the Department of Music. A performer himself, Dr. Lau has presented concerts, masterclasses, and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. His commitment to new music has led to his presenting premiere performances of more than two dozen works for saxophone. As baritone saxophonist with the Iridium Quartet, a saxophone quartet that he co-founded, he can be heard on four professional CDs that include eight world premiere recordings. Dr. Lau received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from Michigan State University where he was a recipient of both the Catherine Herrick Cobb Fellowship and the Dean’s Recruitment Fellowship and his Bachelor of Music Degree from Louisiana State University summa cum laude with College Honors.