MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe hosted semifinalist interviews on April 30 as part of the ongoing search for its next president. The three candidates—Dr. Jonathan Ambrose, Mr. Chris Broadwater, and Dr. Carrie Castille participated in public interviews held at Bayou Pointe, where faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members had the opportunity to engage and hear directly from each candidate.
Throughout the day, the University of Louisiana Monroe Search Committee conducted interviews and gathered feedback from campus stakeholders. Following the final interview, the committee convened to deliberate and vote on which candidates would advance to the next phase.
The finalists moving forward in the ULM Presidential Search are:
· Chris Broadwater, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, CSRS, LLC
· Carrie Castille, Agriculture and Natural Resources Consultant
The semi-finalist interviews for these candidates can be viewed here.
These finalists will participate in final interviews with the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors on May 19, in Baton Rouge at the Claiborne Building.
For updates and more information about the ULM Presidential Search, visit the University of Louisiana System website.
More About the Finalists
Chris Broadwater is the Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at CSRS, LLC, a role he has held since June 2022. He previously served as the Vice President for Workforce Policy & General Counsel for the Louisiana Community & Technical College System (LCTCS) and as Interim Chancellor of Louisiana Delta Community College. Chris also served as a State Representative for District 86 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2012 to 2018, where he played an active role in key legislative committees, including Labor & Industrial Relations, Education, and Ways & Means.
In addition to his legal and legislative work, Broadwater has held roles as an attorney in private practice and as Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Louisiana Workforce Commission. He holds a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law from LSU, a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Family Life Studies from Louisiana College. Chris is also deeply engaged in community service, serving on several boards, including the North Oaks Health System Board of Directors (Vice-Chair) and the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council.
Carrie Castille currently serves as an Agriculture and Natural Resources Consultant, providing strategic advice on agricultural policy and technical assistance at the national, state, and local levels. She has held significant roles such as Senior Vice-Chancellor and Senior Vice-President at the University of Tennessee, where she led agriculture research and extension programs, and Director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, overseeing over $1.9 billion in funding for university partnerships. Additionally, she has held leadership positions in the USDA, where she contributed to policy development, crisis management, and economic recovery efforts.
Castille holds a PhD in Renewable Natural Resources from Louisiana State University, with a focus on environmental and public policy. She also holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies, with an emphasis on environmental policy and toxicology, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.