LCTCS President Monty Sullivan, Brett Mellington, and SLCC Chancellor Dr. Vincent June
Last week, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) held their Annual Conference, bringing leaders in higher education together to learn best practices that improve the lives and education of Louisiana’s residents. During the opening night of the conference, the LCTCS Foundation held their fifth annual Impact Awards Gala sponsored by Dow Chemical and Ochsner Health. There, they recognized 20 individuals and businesses that have made important contributions to higher education in our state, including Lafayette’s own Brett Mellington.
Dr. Vincent June, SLCC Chancellor had this to say about Mellington’s inclusion.
“He has been extremely instrumental in supporting the mission of education across the board, and he has given tirelessly in transforming the lives of citizens throughout Acadiana,” commented June.
The purpose of the LCTCS Foundation’s Impact Awards Gala is to celebrate extraordinary leadership efforts which have been notably effective in advancing the education and workforce needs of students, businesses, and communities across Louisiana. By recognizing Mellington this year, the Woody Oge’ Excellence in Advocacy Award celebrates “the gold standard for supporting community and technical colleges in the state,” according to SLCC Foundation Executive Director Lana Fontenot.
Mellington was first recommended by the Louisiana Association for Business and Industry (LABI) as then-Governor Foster’s appointment to the founding board of LCTCS. There he served 14 years during which he supported millions of dollars in investments for community and technical college facilities, including the successful advocacy of Act 391 and $175 million for campuses across the state – one of the largest investments in two-year institutions. He was also instrumental in building key bridges across higher education. He worked to make sure course credits transferred between LCTCS colleges and collaborated with his university counterparts to build relationships that would ultimately allow 2-year to 4-year college articulation to be possible.
After his retirement from the system board, Mellington was recruited to the SLCC Foundation where he served from 2015 to 2022 in increasingly responsible roles on the Executive Committee. During the first five years of his tenure, the SLCC Foundation surpassed their goals and assets, growing by a whopping 478%. Now, the Foundation has $7.2 million in assets, and has grown its endowment from $250,000 to $4 million. Mellington’s legacy is honored with the Mellington Family Scholarship, which annually disburses scholarship funds to a returning student, and in 2017, the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) honored Mellington’s contributions to SLCC by securing naming rights to the “Brett J. Mellington Student Commons” on SLCC’s Lafayette Campus.
“I have known Brett for over 25 years, and I don’t know a finer person in Lafayette,” adds G. Jeffrey Jones, SLCC Foundation President, “I don’t know anyone who’s done more for education in our state than Brett.”
SLCC extends its sincere gratitude to Brett Mellington for his years of service and a warm congratulations to all of this year’s winners.