Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler Lecture
University of Louisiana at Lafayette students are invited to attend a special lecture by Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler Friday, Nov 4 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Schedler is being honored with the UL Lafayette Outstanding Alumni award - please see details below.
As seating is limited, an RSVP is strongly encouraged on the webform below.
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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association will recognize Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, ’71, with its 2016 Outstanding Alumni Award.
He will receive the award during a reception to be held from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3, at the UL Lafayette Alumni Center.
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 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. He was elected 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. After discovering Louisiana had twice as many elections as some neighboring states, Schedler sought new laws to decrease the number of scheduled elections.
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.
Schedler has implemented the Honor Vets…Vote program. It encourages participants to honor military veterans by “dedicating” their votes to one or more servicemen. Voters fill out an online form to participate, and receive a pin and bumper sticker that can be displayed to show their support for veterans.
He is also working to expand the www.GeauxBiz.com 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 is a member of the national Election Assistance Commission’s board of advisers in Washington, D.C.
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. He has been married to the former Stephanie Gele’ of Lafayette for more than 40 years. They have three married daughters and four grandchildren.