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Eric Alai, a native of Peoria, Illinois, earned a BA in English from Illinois State University in 2000, where he won the prestigious “Anne Keaton Award for Promising Writers. He earned an MA in Language and Literature from Western Illinois University in 2003 and was employed at Carl Sandburg College from 2004-11 as an English instructor, teaching composition, creative writing, and literature. In 2016, he moved to Louisiana and began his position at LSUA as an English Instructor. Alai’s writing credits are many: in 1999, he published a chapbook of poetry titled Northland. He won First Place in the Poetry Category and Third Place in the Adult Short Story Category of “Galesburg Public Library’s Annual Creative Writing Contest 2016” sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. He was published in The Bluffs Literary Journal in 2016. In 2021, he received an Honorable Mention in the 2021 “Flash Fiction Contest” held by the LSUA Department of English and Humanities; and he won 1st Place in the 2022 “Flash Fiction Contest.” In 2021, Alai was awarded the “Mark Eugene Howard Endowed Professorship in Liberal Arts” for work on LSUA’s literary and art journal, the Jongleur, for which he has been Editor-in Chief since 2016. Currently, Alai is working on publishing a completed biography on his parents, writing a fantasy novel, and also writing a television series.

Dr. Beverly Alwell has excelled in diverse fields, leaving an indelible mark in each domain. After owning a successful hair salon for fourteen years, she embarked on a remarkable career in the Credit Union industry, rapidly ascending the ranks. Alongside her managerial roles, she mentored and trained new credit union managers and hosted training sessions for the Louisiana Credit League for Non-Profits. With a commitment to personal growth, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and an MBA in Accounting. Recently, she achieved a significant milestone by completing her Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) from Liberty University in Accounting. Dr. Alwell's multifaceted journey and dedication to education make her a true inspiration in her field.

Book an appointment: http://lsua.it/balwell 

Elizabeth Milton Beard is Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at LSUA. A proud central Louisiana native, Dr. Beard has been on the English faculty at LSUA since 2005. She graduated from Rapides High School (class of ’92); earned her BA in English, Secondary Education from Spring Hill College; and completed her MA and PhD in English at LSU Baton Rouge. Dr. Beard was the founding coordinator of the LSUA Writing Center, a Louisiana Writing Project teacher consultant, and is the current holder of the Richard Bryan Gwartney Endowed Professorship in the Liberal Arts. Her areas of research and teaching include writing pedagogy and regional literature. Dr. Beard serves on the Alexandria Museum of Art Board of Directors and the Generals Athletic Association Board.