2009 DR. RUTH RAY 

YOUNG PROFESSIONAL

(Archives 2009)

Dr. Ruth Ray walked onto the stage at the Horseshoe Riverdome Dec. 4 as Young Professional of the Year in the annual 40 Under 40 event presented by CityLife. The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce honored young professionals in the area by selecting a class of 40 people under 40 years old. They are recognized for professional and social contributions to the community. They were entrepreneurs, executives, managers, lawyers, health-care workers and fi lmmakers from the public, private and nonprofi t sectors. Winners are based on achievement, experience, innovation, vision, leadership and community involvement.

Ray (in 2009) is an associate professor and chair of the department of education at LSUS. She is a former teacher, assistant principal and high school principal. Ray is a member of Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, the Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Louisiana Council of Professors of Educational Administration and the National Alliance of Black School Educators. (2016: Ray is currently at LSU Health Sciences Center.)

She calls herself a lifelong learner. “Doing this keeps me from becoming stagnant and complacent with past achievements,” Ray said.

A cocktail hour where a balloon pop opportunity provided prizes kicked off the evening. There were commemorative glasses that could be purchased for endless wine. Blake Burris, formerly of Shreveport, gave the keynote address on CoHabitat of North Louisiana, a workspace alternative to the local coffee shop. He is the founder of a similar venue in Dallas.

CoHabitat is a co-working space, a professional shared workspace with a cafélike atmosphere that is designed to be a welcoming business environment for microbusiness owners such as freelance professionals, home offi ce workers, entrepreneurs, graduate students, graphic designers and writers, among others. It is located in the Red River District in downtown Shreveport.

– Mary Ann Van Osdell, 2009

Pictured on the November 2009 CityLife cover: Taylor Robertson, Vince Lentini, Crystal Brown-Tatum, Andrew Mulford and Jacques Couvillon.