Louisiana Tech University alumnus Billy McConnell, whose diverse and successful corporate and entrepreneurial career has spanned more than five decades, will serve as keynote speaker for Tech’s Spring Commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 23 at the Thomas Assembly Center on the Ruston campus.
A Tech Class of 1970 graduate in Chemical Engineering, McConnell will address the College of Applied and Natural Sciences, the College of Business, and the College of Education and Human Sciences at their commencement at 9:30 a.m. and the College of Engineering and Science and the College of Liberal Arts at their 2:30 p.m. ceremony.
McConnell, who industriously earned his degree in law while attending night school and working full time for Exxon after earning his Tech diploma, co-founded LaSalle Correctional in 1997 and oversaw all aspects of the company’s operations. Today, he is a self-proclaimed “mentor and cheerleader” for the local family business that includes, among other relatives, his sons Clay and Wes.
After graduation from Tech, the Rayville native lived and worked in both Baytown, Texas and Jackson, Mississippi before moving to Ruston in 1988. Before co-founding LaSalle, he worked in an array of industries, including energy, construction, real estate, healthcare, and logistics.
Today he serves in various executive management and ownership roles in an assortment of enterprises but maintains a passion and purpose for providing effective re-entry programs that change the lives of inmates.
Billy and his wife Millicent have been married for 55 years and are members of Ruston’s Trinity Methodist Church, where Billy serves in a variety of leadership roles. Billy and Millicent are members of Tech’s Aillet Society and passionate supporters of all things Bulldogs and Lady Techsters.