Fellow Profiles

The 2009 cohort of Louisiana Teaching Fellows started teaching in Shreveport in August 2009. In 2010, Fellows will teach in both Shreveport and Greater Baton Rouge, expanding LTF’s network of educators dedicated to closing the achievement gap.

Gregory Hudson is a well-known local pastor at New Hope Methodist Church and Sunday columnist for The Shreveport Times. He holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Wiley College in East Texas and has worked in both the hotel industry and in hospice-care services. Greg frequently provides political commentary and analysis for local television stations, and writes on a variety of issues for the Sunday newspaper. Recently, he wrote a column, “Teaching is more than a job” (August 2nd), which highlighted his experience as a Fellow this year and his thoughts on teacher quality as the key lever to education reform. He teaches middle grade English Language Arts at Linear Leadership Academy in Shreveport.

Steve Chachula holds his M.B.A. from the University of North Florida and most recently worked as a management coach and trainer for Starbucks, where he taught over 50 classes and trained/certified over 100 employees in a 5-year period. A husband and father of three, he served on the Board of Trustees at the Grace Episcopal Day School in Orange Park, FL from 2003-2005. Relocating to Shreveport from Jacksonville, Steve teaches middle school math at Newton Smith in Caddo Parish. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, where he began his career in public service prior to answering this calling to become a teacher.

Amelia Colomb is a recent graduate of Georgetown University, where she earned her Bachelors of Arts in English. While at Georgetown, Amelia was President of the Black Student Alliance and interned with Senator Mary Landrieu. She also served as a tutor and mentor at Duke Ellington Senior High School in Washington, DC. Amelia also taught a seminar in civic engagement at Ballou Senior High School, designing a weekend conference for parents and students to attend. Originally from Shreveport, Amelia teaches 5th grade at Northside Elementary School.

Neill Minish served in AmeriCorps in 2007-2008, building homes along the Gulf Coast as part of the hurricane recovery efforts there. He has spent much of the last five years of his life involved in community service projects, including summer camp counseling with the YMCA and after-school tutoring with the Boys & Girls Club. In 2008 he was a recipient of the Congressional Service Award. Originally from Georgia, he teaches English at Linear Leadership Academy in Shreveport, where he has also started a campus beautification project.

Nicolette Doughty worked at C.H. Robinson Worldwide in sales and logistics for five years before applying to Louisiana Teaching Fellows. As a Logistics Sales Representative, she worked in a high-pressure atmosphere and was responsible for budget projections and sales goals in a data-driven environment. Originally from NW Louisiana, Nikki earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. She graduated cum laude with a minor in International Studies and a 3.56 GPA. She is beginning her career as an English teacher at the Linwood Public Charter School in Shreveport, where she founded and now coaches the soccer team as well.