The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association recognized Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, ’71, with its 2016 Outstanding Alumni Award.
The Outstanding Alumni Award is the highest honor UL Lafayette gives to a former student. It is presented for professional and personal achievements that have brought honor and distinction to the University. Graduates and former students who attended no less than 10 years ago are eligible to receive this award.
Schedler received the award during a reception that was held Friday at the UL Lafayette Alumni Center. He was also honored at halftime of the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Homecoming game vs. the Idaho Vandals on Saturday at Cajun Field.
The Alumni Association presented its Honorary Alumni Award to Yvonne Nassar Saloom. The award, which is rarely given, was last presented in 2007. It recognizes someone who is not an alumnus, yet who has shown loyalty and service to the University.
Schedler earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University in 1971. He is a licensed real estate broker, former bank president and board member, and trustee for a 156-bed regional hospital and medical center.
He served three terms in the Louisiana Senate, and was twice elected by fellow senators to serve as chairman of the Republican delegation.
Schedler was appointed Louisiana secretary of state in 2010 after serving as first assistant for three years. He was elected to a four-year term in 2011 and reelected to a second full term in 2015.
As secretary of state, Schedler has worked to streamline and update processes within the office to improve efficiency for the benefit of taxpayers. His leadership priorities include protecting the integrity and nonpartisanship of elections, honoring and preserving state history and traditions, and assisting small businesses with filing registration forms.
Accomplishments during Schedler’s tenure include reducing the number of special elections in Louisiana to save money.
He has improved voter registration and participation through technology. The GeauxVote Mobile app for smartphones, for example, enables citizens to check their registration status or register to vote, review election ballots and locate voting precincts.
He is also working to expand the site, which enables businesses to file corporate forms electronically, and to launch an online portal for all statewide corporate transactions.
Schedler was elected to a two-year term as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State in 2015.
He received the Monte M. Lemann Award from the Louisiana Civil Service League in 1997 and was named Legislator of the Year by the Alliance for Good Government in 2002. He was recognized as Republican of the Year in 2006 and received the East Baton Rouge Parish Republican Women’s Red Pelican Award in 2014.
His participation in civic organizations includes serving as president of the Slidell Rotary Club. He is a Paul Harris Fellow for that group. Schedler is also a trained Court Appointed Special Advocates volunteer. The national association promotes court-appointed advocates for abused or neglected children.
A New Orleans native, Schedler lives in Mandeville, La.
Saloom, a longtime member of the Alumni Association, has supported the University in many ways.
She collaborated with the late Dr. Bruce Turner, the University’s former assistant dean for Special Collections, to write an article titled “Roots of the Cedar: The Lebanese Heritage in Louisiana.” The Louisiana Library Association published the article.
Saloom has also been active in the community. She cofounded the South Louisiana Multicultural Alliance. The nonprofit organization is devoted to recognizing cultures in south Louisiana other than Cajun and Creole cultures. She is also a founding member of the Lafayette Bar Association Auxiliary.
Saloom earned an undergraduate degree in French from Newcomb College in 1957.
She and her husband, retired Lafayette Judge Kaliste J. Saloom Jr., live in Lafayette.
Photo: Jennifer LeMeunier, director of the UL Lafayette Alumni Association presented Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, ’71, with its 2016 Outstanding Alumni Award. Credit: University of Louisiana at Lafayette/Doug Dugas