Chapter Leaders

 

Officer Name Affiliation Biography

President R. George Rey
R. George Rey, Sr.
Lieutenant Commander, USN (Retired)
President, COTS Technology, LLC
Lieutenant Commander Rey retired from the U.S. Navy in 1997 after completing 33 years of active duty in the submarine service. During this period he served on five submarines, three major staffs, and during two tours in the Pentagon. He started COTS Technology, a consulting company, supporting industry, academic, and government entities in operational and research endeavors with a focus on robotic systems.
 
Lieutenant Commander Rey was a key member that developed and implemented Tulane University’s Long-term Estuary Assessment Group (LEAG) developing biosensors for autonomous underwater vehicles. His most recent activities supported the development of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program at Nicholls State University. The Geomatics’ program was the first in Louisiana to receive an FAA approved Certificate of Authorization (COA) waiver to fly in the National Air Space (NAS).
 
He established a Special Interest Group (SIG) for the FBI’s INFRAGARD Louisiana chapter and leads this group as the UAS SIG Sector Chief and most recently established the Louisiana Pelican Chapter of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle International (AUVSI).
 
He continues to consult with small, medium, and large corporations in the area of robotic systems business development and to collaborate with several academic and industry partners in the development of UAS technology, techniques, and procedures (TTP) to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure.

Vice-President Dr. Balaji Ramachandran
Dr. Balaji Ramachandran
Nicholls State University Dr. Ramachandran is directing the Geospatial Technology Center at Department of Applied Sciences, Nicholls State University. He is currently managing several projects on Geographic Information System (GIS) applications, data warehousing of regional GIS datasets, monitoring coastal erosion and subsidence using Global Positioning System (GPS), and Internet-based GIS applications.
 
He is also working on emerging sensor technology Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the State of Louisiana and their application to Geomatics. He is celebrating his tenth year in working with UAS and was the first institution to receive an FAA Certificate Of waiver and Authorization (COA) in Louisiana. The UAS is a complement to his Laser Scanning Laboratory.
 
Dr. Ramachandran is currently funded (or has received funding) by Homeland Security Department of Defense, Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Nicholls Research Council, Center for Advanced Transportation Systems Simulation, School of Forest Resources and Conservation University of Florida, Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Highway Patrol, Suwannee River Water Management District, Florida Division of Forestry, and Microsoft Corporation.

Secretary Jennifer Lee
Jennifer Lee
Chehardy Sherman Williams Jennifer Lee was born in Hammond, Louisiana, where she currently resides and practices law at Chehardy Sherman Williams. Before earning her Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2001, Jennifer graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Education from Southeastern Louisiana University. She returned to Louisiana State University’s E.J. Ourso College of Business in 2008 and received a Master of Business Administration degree.
 
Lee joined her last firm, Seale & Ross, after 12 years working as in-house counsel at Neill Corporation, a national company based in Hammond, Louisiana. Neill Corporation and its affiliated companies operate multiple businesses focusing on product distribution, furniture and fixture manufacture, professional service and retail sales, technical education and business events, technology and computer software, real estate, and non-profit activities. In her position as General Counsel, Lee provided counsel in a variety of areas, including project finance, tax incentives, real estate and construction, acquisitions and business start-ups, litigation management, intellectual property, human resources, international expansion and non-profit organization. At Seale & Ross, Lee’s practice has an emphasis in the areas of business and commercial law, including assisting both start-up and established businesses with various needs. Some common issues involve acquisitions; business succession planning; employment discrimination, employment agreements, non-compete agreements, and other human resources matters; contracts; compliance; real estate usage and zoning; collections; trademark and other intellectual property issues; and associated commercial litigation. Representative clients range from small or start-up businesses such as a photography business, environmental consulting firm, retail store, and real estate business to larger regional and national companies like a marketing firm, education business, and distribution company. A growing area of practice focuses on woman-owned and small businesses, especially in connection with governmental contracts and set-asides.
 
Lee currently serves as a member of the Leadership Council for United Way for Southeast Louisiana, which works to meet the ever-changes needs of the local community through contributions to 15 partner agencies such as Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, TARC and Our Daily Bread. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Child Advocacy Services, an organization that seeks to give voice, healing, and security to children through its advocacy, clinical services, and prevention education. She is a past board member of the Hammond Chamber of Commerce and American Cancer Society for Tangipahoa Parish and past President of the Hammond Ponchatoula Sunrisers Rotary Club.

Treasurer Joelle McGehee
Joelle McGehee
Alliance Safety Council Joelle McGehee is a Special Projects Team Leader for Alliance Safety Council in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management from Louisiana State University.

Membership Chair C. Michael Hart
C. Michael Hart
Taylor Porter Practicing law since 1984, Taylor Porter Partner Mike Hart focuses on civil and appellate litigation with an emphasis on products liability and commercial litigation involving product performance, casualty litigation, and insurance coverage. Because of his engineering background, he has been called on by the firm’s clients on numerous occasions to defend serious vehicular accident cases that involve not only serious injuries or multiple fatalities, but also those that include product defect issues in causing either the accident or the enhanced injuries suffered by passengers.
 
Mike is a licensed pilot, and has served as a Mission Pilot and Wing Leader for Angel Flight. Through that hobby and passion, Mike has also developed a niche legal practice of working with agricultural agencies, law enforcement agencies, and manufacturers on advising them on commercial drone use and the latest state and federal regulations that have affected the industry.
 
Mike earned his J.D. from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center. He received his Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy in 1975 with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering. Mike is a member of the Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar Associations, and the Defense Research Institute, where he previously served as the Chair of the Agricultural, Construction, Mining and Industrial Equipment (ACMIE) Subcommittee of the Products Liability Committee. He has served as an Assistant Examiner for the Louisiana State Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions. Mike is ranked among his peers among Louisiana Super Lawyers in Products Liability Law, including Personal Injury - Products: Defense, Insurance Coverage, and Aerospace/Aviation.
 
In the community, Mike has actively supported the Istrouma Council of the Boy Scouts of America and served in leadership positions ranging from Den Leader to Council Vice-President, and as Chairman of the Camping Committee at the Council level. He served Louisiana as the state’s West Point Admissions Representative for more than 15 years and helped more than 30 young men and women from Baton Rouge and southeastern Louisiana gain admission to West Point. In his spare time, Mike enjoys playing golf, traveling, reading, and hunting.

Advocacy Chair Cary Koch
Cary Koch
Roedel, Parsons, Koch, Blache, Balhoff, & McCollister Cary recently joined the Roedel Parsons governmental relations team. He received his Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Virginia. He retired from the Canadian Football League in 2015 after five seasons. Cary serves on the Board of Directors for the Baton Rouge Arts Council and lives in Baton Rouge with his wife Tyler and their two kids, Isabel and Noah.