Although she doesn’t have a college degree, Ann Duplessis, newly elected chairwoman of the LSU Board of Supervisors, said she brings diversity to the board with her degree in life. 
Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed Duplessis, a former state senator, in 2012 after the Louisiana Senate rejected his first attempt to place Duplessis on the board in 2011. 
She is the only female member of the Board, the only African-American and the only member who did not financially  contribute to the governor’s campaign.  
However, Duplessis said the diversity she offers to the Board doesn’t come from her race or gender, but from her perspective outside the realm of academia. 
Duplessis is the senior vice president for retail banking, marketing, private banking and sales and insurance at Liberty Bank and Trust Company, the president of the Louisiana Federation for Children and represented La. District 2 from 2002 to 2010.  
“I don’t want to eliminate the importance of having a college degree,” Duplessis said. “I believe that the more you can learn the better, but a degree doesn’t guarantee success.”  
Duplessis cites many well-known people, including Henry Ford and Madam C.J. Walker, who did not have college degrees. She said God positioned her to be successful on the Board, and she has chaired every board she has served on. 
The 14 other members appointed by Jindal to the Board include CEOs of various companies, attorneys and politicians. There are two from each congressional district and one student. 
Duplessis said she takes the Board’s diversity as a compliment, and she has always had a good relationship with Jindal, contrary to popular belief. 
She said the honor of being selected by Jindal to the Board and elected by the other members as chair is a testament to the idea the government does not make decisions based on financial support.
She said she is most proud of the increase in diversity of students at the University and would like to see the University positioned as the school of choice and strengthen its brand.
Duplessis said she also supports the growth of online degree programs because they can make the University experience more well-rounded. She doesn’t believe online learning will replace traditional learning in the next few years, but believes it can make going to college more accessible
for students.
LSU President F. King Alexander said at September’s Board meeting that the University is one of the best compared to its peer in cost for value, an area in which Duplessis said she also wants to see the University grow. 
She wants to make earning a college degree less of a strain for students because when Duplessis started school, she had to work and was not able to
finish. 
Duplessis said her involvement with the Louisiana Federation for Children allows her to see the connection between education at the elementary, middle and high school levels and the University. 
The children that the Federation seeks to help obtain better education are the same student the University will see in its classrooms years from now, Duplessis said.
She is committed to ensuring University students come first in every decision the Board makes and Alexander agreed.
Duplessis said she has some learning to do, but her errors will be few and her successes will be many.