Ruben D. Henderson III and Brandi Clay were honored by Leadership Institute of Acadiana on Feb. 11.
Henderson, associate director of undergraduate recruitment at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was given the Distinguished Alumnus Leadership award, which goes to Leadership Lafayette alumni whose professional and civic contributions to the community correlate with the goals, mission, and vision of LIA.
Clay, assistant principal at Grolee Elementary School in Opelousas, was given the Ignite Leadership Award, which honors a Leadership Lafayette grad who is blazing a trail for others by engaging in community leadership activities and achieving tangible results.
Distinguished Alumnus Leadership Award Honorees reflect the following criteria: leaders who have made substantial contributions to the community; innovative, resolute, ambitious, inspirational leaders; and, those who embody the pillars of servant leadership.
Casey Dickerson was named executive vice president and chief financial officer for First National Bank of Louisiana.
Dickerson has 27 years of accounting experience, including 15 years specializing in bank accounting. He has a bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
He is a certified public accountant and a chartered global management accountant. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants.
Stacey C. Bergeron was named executive director for the 1st Clubs for Kids Foundation.
Bergeron, an instructor of marketing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, has experience in leadership, marketing, and strategy.
The foundation provides youth with their first hands-on introduction to golf, while instilling values such as integrity, perseverance, honesty, focus and etiquette. It also offers support to aspiring golf teaching professionals, therapeutic golf outings for children grieving the loss of a loved one, and golf-related programs for children with autism spectrum disorder.
Brandon Abdella has rejoined the staff at Baton Rouge-based Beau Box Commercial Real Estate.
He is a commercial agent based in Lafayette and a graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans with a degree in business management.
Abdella interned with the company and worked two years with the company until 2023.