People shaping the future of Lake Area business

Dilks named

to Hall of Fame

Tari Dilks, professor of nursing at McNeese State University, will be inducted into the Louisiana State Nurses Association Hall of Fame at the 19th annual Nightingale Awards & Gala in July.

Inductees are chosen for this honor for their significant accomplishments and contributions to the nursing profession. Dilks is the first faculty member of the McNeese College of Nursing and Health Professions to earn a place in the LSNA Hall of Fame.

This isn’t the first time Dilks has been recognized for her achievements and leadership in the nursing field. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners presented her with the Louisiana Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence and inducted her into the association as a Fellow.

At McNeese, she is a recipient of the Emily Stokes Professorship in Nursing, Fred and Ruth B. Zigler Foundation Professorship in Nursing and the Fannie Edith Winn Educational Trust Professorship in Nursing as well as a Pinnacle Excellence Award for the College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Dilks began her national leadership role as president of APNA in October 2019 where she continues her advocacy for awareness of psychiatric mental health issues.

She previously served as president of the APNA Louisiana Chapter and is the AANP representative for the state of Louisiana.

Dilks, who joined the Mc-Neese College of Nursing and Health Professions in 2003, is co-coordinator of McNeese’s Master of Science in Nursing programs and director of the psychiatric/mental health track for the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing partnership involving McNeese, Nicholls State University, Southeastern Louisiana University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

With more than 40 years of nursing experience. Dilks has served as a family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and a licensed professional counselor in Louisiana. She obtained her Doctorate in Psychiatric Nursing Practice from the University of Tennessee, her Master of Science in Nursing degree and her Master of Arts degree in psychology both from McNeese and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from West Texas State University.

Bourriaque, Romero

named to caucus

BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Rep. Ryan Bourriaque of Cameron Parish and Rep. Troy Romero of Jennings have been selected to serve on the Rural Caucus Executive Committee.

Bourriaque holds the District 47 seat; Romero, District

37.

Joining Bourriaque and Romero on the executive committee are Rep. Travis Johnson of Vidalia, Rep. Dustin Miller of Opelousas, Rep. Buddy Mincey of Denham Springs, Sen. Fred Mills of Parks and Sen. Rogers Pope of Denham Springs.