About the Board
Click on a name or image to read more information on each board member.
Lynn V. Hutchinson
CPA, CGMA - Board Chair
Michael D. Bergeron
CPA, CGMA, CVA
Grady Hazel
CPA, CGMA
Click on a name or image to read more information on each board member.
CPA, CGMA - Board Chair
CPA, CGMA, CVA
CPA, CGMA
Lynn Hutchinson, CPA, serves as CFO and Secretary-Treasurer of Lincoln Builders, Inc., the parent company of three commercial contracting companies with offices in Louisiana and Texas. In addition to her accounting and tax responsibilities for the construction companies, Ms. Hutchinson is responsible for all accounting and tax aspects of approximately sixty tax entities owned or operated by the original owner’s family.
Prior to joining Lincoln Builders in 1992, Lynn served as Corporate and Partnership Tax Partner with a local accounting firm in Monroe. She also served as Audit Manager for construction and real estate audit engagements.
Lynn is a 1980 graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe, (NLU), and has served on the Accounting Department Advisory Board. Lynn has been a licensed CPA in Louisiana and a member of the AICPA and LCPA since 1982.
Lynn serves as Chair of the Louisiana State Board of CPAs, a position she has held since April 2016. She has served on the Louisiana State Board of CPAs since 2008. She is an active member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and has recently completed serving as the Southwest Regional Director from 2020-2023.
Lynn is a Past Chair of the Society of Louisiana CPAs where she served in various offices and committees. Lynn received the Society’s Outstanding CPA in Business and Industry Award recognizing her contributions as a CPA to the business success of her employer and her individual contribution to the profession in 2005.
Lynn is active in the AICPA having served on the AICPA Council in 2003-2004 and from 2016-2019.
Lynn and her husband Bill reside in Ruston, Louisiana where they are active members of Temple Baptist Church. Lynn also serves as an officer of the Quota Club of Ruston.
Desireé Honoré Thomas, CPA is the associate vice president and senior administrative operations officer of the Southern University system. Ms. Thomas assists in the development and coordination of best practices of administrative matters for all campuses within the System and coordinates the administrative operations and activities of the departments of facility services, information systems, university police, and facilities operations on the Baton Rouge Campus. Additionally, Ms. Thomas coordinates with the System vice president and Baton Rouge campus vice chancellor for finance and administration, respectively, to develop and maintain a physical environment that is safe and conducive to intellectual growth and development.
Before joining the Southern University System, Ms. Thomas served as the assistant commissioner of statewide services for the Louisiana Division of Administration under Gov. John Bel Edwards. Thomas’ career in public service has spanned more than 35 years, beginning in financial management and operations as a bookkeeper to chief financial officer of a large nonprofit organization. She was then appointed by Gov. Kathleen Blanco to serve Louisiana in state government.
Thomas is a certified public accountant and certified global management accountant. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Louisiana State University and Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University at Shreveport. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Louisiana Society of CPAs.
In 2005, Thomas made history when she became the first Black woman appointed by Gov. Blanco to the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana and has been subsequently reappointed by Gov. Jindal and Gov. Edwards.
Suemarie Alizadeh is a Certified Public Accountant and currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in Harvey, Louisiana, where she oversees the agency’s fiscal operations and strategic financial planning.
In addition to her role in public service, Ms. Alizadeh has been a dedicated member of the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana since her appointment by Governor John Bel Edwards in April 2016.
Ms. Alizadeh earned her accounting degree from the University of New Orleans and brings decades of experience in governmental accounting, compliance, and fiscal leadership.
Letitia “Letti” Lowe-Ardoin, CPA is an accounting instructor at Louisiana State University’s E. J. Ourso College of Business, where she has been teaching for over two decades. She began her teaching career at LSU while in graduate school and has since dedicated her professional life to educating students in accounting and taxation.
A proud LSU alumna, Lowe-Ardoin earned both her Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Master of Science in Taxation from the university. She holds an active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and brings over 20 years of public accounting experience to her teaching. In addition to her academic role, she previously owned The Lowe Company, APAC, a public accounting firm specializing in income tax preparation and planning.
Lowe-Ardoin’s teaching interests include accounting and income tax, and she is known for incorporating service learning into her courses. Her commitment to community engagement was recognized when she was named a Service-Learning Faculty Scholar by LSU’s Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership in the 2009–2010 academic year.
Beyond the classroom, Lowe-Ardoin contributes to the accounting profession through her service on the Louisiana State Board of Certified Public Accountants, where she has been a member since January 1, 2012.
Michael is the founder of M. BERGERON + CO. Michael was born in New Orleans and raised in Houma, Louisiana. He is a graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School (1986). He graduated from LSU with a BS in Accounting in December 1990 and began his career at a local firm in Baton Rouge. He passed the uniform Certified Public Accountant Exam in 1992.
In 2008, Michael was appointed to the State Board Louisiana CPA’s by Governor Jindal. He is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Houma. He is married to Tamara Freeman of Beebe, Arkansas and they have two children, Hunter and Hayden.
Grady R. Hazel is a certified public accountant and chartered global management accountant with a distinguished career in financial leadership, public service, and nonprofit governance.
He currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he oversees the institution’s financial operations and strategic planning.
Appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards in 2016, Hazel is a member of the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana, contributing to the oversight and regulation of the CPA profession within the state.
Hazel’s commitment to the accounting profession is further demonstrated through his previous role as Executive Director of the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants (LCPA), where he played a pivotal role in advancing the organization’s mission and supporting its members.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Hazel has been actively involved in various organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors for GuideStone Funds and StoneTrust Holding Company, LLC.
A graduate of Louisiana State University, Hazel resides in Baton Rouge with his wife, Cindy.