Seventeen leaders in the Baton Rouge community form The LSU Libraries Deans Advisory Council, a dynamic and diverse group with a great enthusiasm for advancing the LSU Libraries and its mission. One of these members, Dr. Christel Slaughter, recently sat down with LSU Mass Communications graduate student Chelsey Hutchins, to talk about Slaughter's work, life, and hopes for the LSU Libraries.

A native of New Orleans, Slaughter graduated from LSU first with a bachelor’s in marketing, and then at 25 years of age, with a doctorate in systems management. As a graduate student, she was named to the Academy of Management Doctoral Consortium with the top 35 doctoral students in the nation. After completing her graduate studies, she taught for seven years at LSU. Now, Slaughter is a partner and co-owner of SSA Consultants, a Baton Rouge-based management consulting and organizational development firm.

Slaughter's expertise is rooted in change management, performance improvement, strategic planning, training design and delivery, facilitation services, executive coaching and counseling, and organization assessment. For years, she has been an active community partner in philanthropic and professional dimensions for Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Currently, she serves as a board member of the United States Chamber of Commerce, Our Lady of the Lake College, and the Pennington Medical Foundation. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Woman's Hospital and a past Chair of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Slaughter has always had a love for libraries, and is excited to serve on the Dean’s Advisory Council for LSU Libraries.

As a student, what did you like most about LSU?

I really loved my program of study, which was marketing in undergraduate and management in my doctoral program. The professors exposed us to material that was very relevant and I think it really prepared me for what I wanted to do.

How much time did you spend in the library, and what did you like most about it?

I lived there. I was there all the time as a graduate student. There was no internet, so there was no way of accessing materials without physically going and doing the research.

I had my favorite carrel in the library, with my own key and my own assigned place. There were no cell phones, and there was no email. So, when you went in there, people couldn’t find you unless they knew where you were. You could really get a lot done, especially with dissertation work.

What do you typically do outside of work?

I love to travel and learn about other religions, philosophies, ways of life, and economic systems. We have been to more than 60 countries and I have more to visit. Also, I love to read nonfiction books and I love to try new recipes from my collection of cookbooks.

What do you hope to bring to LSU Libraries to make a difference for students and the community?

Library staff members are wonderful resources, and having ambassadors to promote information that’s specific to what’s going on is important for the future of LSU Libraries. Our role is to talk about the wealth of services the Libraries can provide.