Staff | LSU Leadership Development Institute

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ed holtonElwood F. "Ed" Holton, III, EdD, MBA, Senior Director

eholton2@lsu.edu

Dr. Holton devoted 23 years of exceptional service to Louisiana State University, where he was Director of the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the Jones S. Davis Professor of Human Resource Development, Interim Associate Dean for Distance Learning & Leadership, and Interim Director of the School of Information Studies. During that time, he worked to establish a one-of-a-kind program for Louisiana, LSU’s Leadership Development Institute. In December 2023, Dr. Holton returned to LSU as the Senior Director of LDI and Special Assistant to the Dean of College of Human Sciences & Education for Leadership Programs. He oversees strategic vision and mission for the Leadership Development Institute, as well as long range planning, assessment, advisory board, fiscal management and fundraising. He serves as advisor to the dean on leadership initiatives, military and veteran initiatives and leadership/workforce development initiatives. Dr. Holton promotes interdisciplinary research and collaboration within the college, university, state, and beyond in the areas of leadership and workforce development while positioning the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education as a national leader in these disciplines. 
 
Dr. Holton holds a distinguished record of accomplishments in adult and continuing education and human resource development. His scholarly work about adult and workplace learning includes over 200 publications in academic journals and professional articles and is recognized by adult and continuing education scholars and practitioners around the world. Dr. Holton has advanced the theory and practice of both adult education and human resource development through his co-authored books The Adult Learner – 9th Edition (soon to be 10th edition) and Foundations of Human Resource Development. He is the founding editor of Human Resource Development Review and a past president of the Academy of Human Resource Development.  

Dr. Holton was inducted into both the Academy of Human Resource Development Hall of Fame and the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.   

Deana MeredithDeana Losavio Meredith, MS, Program Manager

deana@lsu.edu

Deana Meredith has a background in project management, leadership and human resource development, client relationship management and business development. 

Deana is an alumna of LSU with an undergraduate degree in Communication Studies. She also received her masters degree in Leadership and Human Resource Development at LSU.

She currently serves as the Program Manager for the Leadership Development Institute where she manages large-scale programming and administrative oversight that includes everything from collaborating with the LDI team on program and content creation to implementation of systems and processes that ensure clients have the best possible experience and that LDI projects and programs are carried out and completed with fidelity. In addition to her role as Program Manager, Deana is a certified LDI leadership coach and works with clients in various sectors with a focus on student and youth development. 

Deana was born and reared in Baton Rouge and has a passion to serve the community where she grew up, the state she calls home and beyond. She is proud to be a part of an organization that allows her to hit that mark while developing her personal and professional goals at the same time. Deana is humbled to be one of the first followers of the transformative work happening at LDI.

Lee NapierLee Napier, Administrative Assistant

lnapier@lsu.edu

Lee has been an administrative assistant and related positions at four universities over the past 20-plus years, as he has followed his wife through graduate school and her career.  Most recently he was Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Education at Mississippi State University.

In his current position, Lee assists the Director of the Leadership Development Institute with travel, purchasing, scheduling, and other related functions. Lee's extensive background and experience in administration makes him a jack of all trades as he keeps the LDI team on track by managing resources, schedules and tasks. 

Lee married his wife in the highlands of Scotland and is father to two kids, two dogs, and a rabbit.