"A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats"
Leadership
Leadership
John G. Daniel is the Founder, President & CEO of Southern States Scholars (S3) and Scholars La-boratory (SL). S3 is a talent development pipeline that is an “economy of scale”. It serves those who serve underserved youth using the collective impact model. SL is a residential pre-college preparatory program that teaches underserved youth how to “Live, Learn, and Change the World!” Under Mr. Dan-iel’s servant leadership, both organizations have nurtured a 2018 Louisiana Young Hero and have been honored by the My Brother’s Keeper’s White House Showcase on What Works.
John’s former career includes vast experience in corporate, non-profit, and government servant lead-ership as the: Director of Economic Development of PECO Energy Company, Vice President, and As-sociate Executive Director, of Father Flanagan’s Boys Town, CEO & Deputy Executive Director of Lou-isiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery (Katrina and Gustav) and Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope of Baton Rouge.
John also founded a notable non-profit organization called Unity Day Youth and Family Zone/Daniel Karate Group, that teaches holistic education utilizing traditional martial arts. As a 7th Degree Black Belt, world class competitor, former coach of the United States Karate Team, and proponent of “what works” to empower underserved youth, John has been a resource for major media outlets, star ath-letes, notable celebrities, and community organizations across the country.
Mr. Daniel’s strengths lie in his ability to articulate relevant messages that engage people in collabora-tive efforts. He has the ability to bring out the best of human hopes and aspirations in those from di-verse cultures and agencies.
Mr. Daniel’s additional notable community service achievements include being:
• Champion of cross sector collaboration that helped attract and establish the first IBM P-Tech Pro-gram in Louisiana
• Creator of “Kitchen Table Talk Louisiana”, an intergenerational dialogue between community cham-pions and underserved youth. The program has been showcased by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
• Rotary Club of Baton Rouge Member and Louisiana Young Heroes Committee Volunteer
• Champion for Children, Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana
• Outstanding Community Partner, Volunteers in Public Schools, EBPRSS
• Edison Electric Institute Awardee, 1st Urban Commercial Geothermal Application at the original loca-tion of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Arnold Schwarzenegger Inner-City Games, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Producer of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana landmark event, "Opening a Black History Time Capsule" with Tony Brown, who was the producer and host of the Emmy Award winning PBS television series, “Tony Brown’s Journal”
John earned a double Bachelor’s degree in Government and Psychology, from Cornell University in 1979. In 2009, John was named “Distinguished Classmate” by the Cornell University Class of 1979 Alumni. Mr. Daniel is married to Nita Dupas Daniel and they have seven children and six grand children.
Audra Collett is the Chairperson, Treasurer, and Vice President of Scholars Laboratory. She began her involvement with Scholars Laboratory, formerly Boys Hope Girls Hope of Baton Rouge, in October of 2016 as the treasurer of the organization. In a few short months, Audra became the chairperson. She has spearheaded the transition of Scholars Laboratory enabling the non-profit organization to increase its outreach and broaden its mission to better serve the unmet needs of underserved youth in Baton Rouge and beyond.
Audra is also the Vice President of Southern States Scholars (S3). She and her partner, John Daniel, established S3 believing that the key to success in creating substantial and lasting change in Baton Rouge is through collaboration and utilization of the collective impact model.
Active in her community, Audra has spent many years in leadership as an active and sustaining member of the Junior League of Baton Rouge. While serving as an active member, she was the Chairman of Family Road Kids Korner, Treasurer of River Road Recipes, Financial Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Provisional Advisor, and Annual Planning Chairman. As a sustaining member she has been the advisor to the following committees: Kids in the Kitchen, Endowment, Financial Council, Research and Development, and Getting Ahead and Going Beyond. She was appointed to the Audit and Investment Committee where she served three years. For two years, Audra was selected and worked as a mentor to active members. She has served as the treasurer of her homeowner’s organization, president of her children’s parents organization, coordinator of the DARE program, and Girl Scout leader. Bishop Ott Shelter is frequented by her and her family where they have prepared and served many meals.
A Louisiana native, Audra received her Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business with a Minor in Economics from Centenary College of Louisiana. In 1996, she became a Certified Financial Planner. She owns a small business consulting firm and is a coach at Orangetheory Fitness Longfarm.
