NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Career Center has added an office manager, two new faculty members to its healthcare academy, and a new advisor to assist in its high school program. Yvette Christianson joined the organization as office manager. LaPorshia Hadnot and Tammelle Wells-Derbigny will teach high school trainees in the medical assistant and pre-nursing programs, respectively. Lovetta Jones has been hired as high school transition coordinator.
Christianson holds a degree in communications and has worked in high school, university, and career and technical education settings. Prior to joining NOCC, she held similar managerial roles in three different departments at Loyola University New Orleans. In her new role, Christianson will ensure all the necessary office functions at the Career Center run smoothly and efficiently.
Hadnot, a certified medical assistant, brings more than 10 years of experience in multi-physician family medical practices, in both hospital-based and private practice clinical settings. At NOCC, she will instruct students in the medical assisting program, ensuring students master all the skills required for certification. Prior to NOCC, she worked in a pediatric neurosurgery clinic at Ochsner.
Jones, who joins NOCC from Xavier University of Louisiana where she was an admissions counselor and recruiter, will work with high school students and their families to make the transition to college and career successful. At NOCC, she’ll also be tasked with identifying resources and options to help students thrive after graduation.
Wells-Derbigny, who had been teaching in the Adult Rapid Re-skill program since 2020, has now been hired full-time as a pre-nursing instructor to teach high school students the fundamentals of patient care. Wells-Derbigny holds a master’s degree in education and is currently working on a doctorate in educational leadership. She has been a health careers instructor at both high school and adult levels in previous roles.
The New Orleans Career Center works to connect Orleans Parish high school students and adults with “clear pathways to high-demand, high-wage careers in healthcare, hospitality, and engineering/manufacturing.” For more information, visit nolacc.org.
