Board Member Biographies
Sean Blondell - Secretary - sblondell@bfhsla.org
Sean Blondell is the managing member and lead attorney at Sean Blondell Law Firm LLC in New Orleans. Mr. Blondell is a graduate of Howard University’s School of Business in Washington, D.C., and received a B.B.A. in International Business and Marketing. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge where he was vice president of the Sports Law Association, treasurer of Black Law Students Association, and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Team and the Recruitment Committee. In addition to his work with AAEE, he regularly volunteers his personal time serving as the president of the board for the New Orleans Hoopz; on the board for College Beyond, an educational nonprofit; and a sponsor to many organizations and initiatives in the Greater New Orleans community. He and his wife, Laci, are the proud parents of four children, two of which are Franklin students.
Jill E. Condon - Treasurer - jcondon@bfhsla.org
Jill Condon is a certified public accountant with over 25 years of experience in public accounting and CFO roles in the New Orleans area. She is currently VP of Accounting at Ochsner Health System and oversees the finances in the areas of pharmacy, information systems, and other retail-related areas. She holds a B.S.M. from Tulane University. Ms. Condon serves as the chair of the Finance Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee at Ben Franklin. She is the mother of three girls, two Franklin graduates and one current Franklin student.
Alea M. Cot - President - acot@bfhsla.org
Alea M. Cot, Board President, recently retired as the assistant provost for international education at the University of New Orleans after 34 years of service. In this role she was responsible for study abroad and exchange programs, international student support and the Intensive English Language Program. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from Tulane University. Ms. Cot is a 2020 New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year Honoree as well as a graduate of the Charter Board Leadership Academy of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools. Ms. Cot is the parent of a Franklin graduate.
Shaneika Dabney-Henderson ' 96 - sdabney-henderson@bfhsla.org
Shaneika Dabney-Henderson is a four-time Emmy nominee from New Orleans. She graduated from Loyola University with a B.A. in Mass Communications and worked in television news for 15 years at both the local and network levels before transitioning to sports journalism in 2015. She was the first Black female Coordinating Producer at the NFL Network before taking the role as VP of production for the Saints and Pelicans, becoming the first black woman to join the VP ranks in Saints franchise history. Ms. Dabney-Henderson is currently the Chairperson of the HBCU Legacy Bowl’s planning committee and serves on the boards for both YouthForce NOLA, LEDE NOLA, and the New Orleans Urban League.
Tim Duncan - tduncan@bfhsla.org
Tim Duncan currently serves as the Vice President of Athletics and Recreation at the University of New Orleans. He joined the UNO Privateers after a year as the deputy athletic director for external affairs at Northeastern University in Boston. Prior to his time at Northeastern, he worked exclusively in the South, as an athletics director in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as the executive director of the M Club, an athletic alumni organization at the University of Memphis. After earning a B.B.A. from Memphis State (now Memphis) and a M.A. in sports administration from Grambling State, he spent 11 years as a marketing professional. He is a highly sought-after panelist and speaker for topics including coaching searches, career advancement, social justice in athletics, and driving revenue increases. He is a proud parent of a current Franklin junior.
Charmaine Cooper Hussain - chussain@bfhsla.org
Charmaine Cooper Hussain, is the owner of Apostrophe Catastrophe, LLC. Ms. Cooper Hussain specializes in the application of Associated Press style in technical and corporate communications for clients such as Texas Instruments and ExxonMobil. She is the mother of a Franklin graduate.
Jenny Kottler '79 - jkottler@bfhsla.org
Jenny Kottler '79 is the Ben Franklin Alumni Association representative to the AAEE board. After earning an M.B.A. from Tulane University, she worked in the banking industry for six years before becoming an independent conference planner, project manager, and association executive working with corporate and educational clients. Since 2010 she has devoted her energy to serving the community through nonprofit organizations. She serves on the Tulane University Board of Trustees and as Treasurer for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Foundation. She has also delighted in leading the BFHS Class of 1979 reunions since 1989.
Jonathan L. Levy '03 - jlevy@bfhsla.org
Jonathan Levy '03 is the Managing Member of JLN Properties, a local real estate management and development company. In addition to real estate, he also has extensive experience in consulting, partnership development, and building new business lines across the various business units of American Express and also working with a number of startups. He holds a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and is a proud Franklin graduate.
Dolly Malik - dmalik@bfhsla.org
Dolly Malik is the Ben Franklin Athletic Association representative to the AAEE board. She worked with New Orleans Public Schools for nearly 30 years, first as a special education teacher, and later as an administrator. She earned a B.S. in Education with a minor in Special Education from State University College at Buffalo, New York and Master’s degrees in both Early Childhood Education and Educational Administration from the University of New Orleans. She is the Past President of the Ben Franklin Athletic Association the mother of two Franklin graduates.
Dr. Alexis Parent-Ferrouillet '96 - aferrouillet@bfhsla.org
Todd Ragusa - tragusa@bfhsla.org
Mitchell Turnbough - mturnbough@bfhsla.org
Dr. Alexis Parent-Ferrouillet '96 works in higher education at Delgado Community College. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Howard University, an MPH from Tulane University, and an Ed.L.D. from Xavier University. She is active in educational outreach and reform. Dr. Parent-Ferrouillet is also a Franklin graduate.
Todd Ragusa is the founder of Ragusa Consulting, a public relations firm specializing in senior-level counsel for clients facing dynamic issues pertaining to their public images. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans and an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Denver. He is a fellow of the Loyola University Institute of Politics in New Orleans. Mr. Ragusa is married to a Franklin alumna.
Mark Rubin '86 - mrubin@bfhsla.org
Mark Rubin is the Ben Franklin Parents' Association representative on the AAEE board. He is an alumnus of the class of 1986 and currently serves as the Executive Director of Jewish Children’s Regional Service, a seven-state regional Jewish social service agency. He has extensive experience in all aspects of not-for-profit management, development, corporate and foundation relations, endowment building, major gifts, and relationship management. Mr. Rubin has previously worked for Tulane University, the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation. Mr. Rubin holds an MA in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans and a BA in Liberal Arts from New York University. He is the parent of both a current Franklin student and a Franklin alumnus.
Jeffrey Seymour - jseymour@bfhsla.org
Jeffrey Seymour has a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from Amherst College, an MBA from The Wharton School, and a master’s in religion from Columbia University. He has extensive experience in investment banking and also serves on the boards of the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association and Roots of Music.
Mitchell Turnbough has over 30 years experience in the industry designing homes across the United States and in the Caribbean. Mr. Turnbough studied at Ringling College of Art and Design mentoring under Benjamin Baldwin (the man whom architect Louis Kahn called "The Dean of American Interior Design"). His work has been published in Architectural Digest and he has been inducted into Architectural Digest's "AD 100 Top Designers". Mr. Turnbough's work has also been published in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, Vogue, House & Garden, Coastal Living, and Departures. Mr. Turnbough was born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, then worked and lived in the metropolitan NYC area before relocating to New Orleans in 2018. His daughter is a current student at Ben Franklin High School.
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