Twana Y. Hilton-Pitre
Bachelor's Degree(s): Elementary Education, Southern University, 1998
Master's Degree: Education Administration & Supervision, 2000
PhD: Educational Leadership & Human Resource Studies, Advanced Studies in Counseling, Colorado
State University, 2007
Phone: (225) 578-2600
Office: 221M Peabody Hall
Biography
Dr. Hilton-Pitre’s experiences span the range of Pre-K-12 and higher education. She has been an associate professor, assistant professor, teacher, school counselor, assistant principal, principal, and district administrator. Dr. Hilton-Pitre has worked as an assistant professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver teaching undergraduate students in the field of elementary education and as an associate professor at Grambling State University teaching graduate students in the Educational Leadership program. She has previously taught courses in the Pre-K-12 Educational Leadership PhD department and worked as a university supervisor for the teacher preparation program at Louisiana State University (LSU).
In addition to making a positive impact in higher education, Dr. Hilton-Pitre has made a significant difference in the Pre-K-12 sector. During her tenure as principal in a school district in Louisiana, she developed a strong leadership team and transformed the school performance score (SPS) from a 79 “C” to an SPS of 100.1 “A”. From 2018-2021, Dr. Hilton-Pitre served as an executive director for school leadership over select elementary, middle, and high school principals in a school district in Louisiana. As an executive director, she supported the district’s low-performing high-poverty schools by increasing student achievement while enhancing leadership development. It was at that moment God called her to shift back to higher education to tell her stories and experiences through research and professional development to make an even greater impact on educators and leaders.
Dr. Hilton-Pitre’s shift back to higher education began with serving as the assistant director for leadership development at LSU. She was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of the Leadership Development Institute’s programming with Pre-K-12 at every level, as well as the facilitation of presentations in various departments across the campus. Currently, Dr. Hilton-Pitre is the associate director of the Office of Educational Research for the College of Human Sciences and Education at LSU. She leads research efforts, facilitates presentations for academic and professional conferences, and school districts. Additionally, she engages and establishes partnerships with external agencies.
Publications & Presentations
Publishing and facilitating presentations on the following issues are an important component of Twana Hilton-Pitre, PhD’s research. She continues to explore the following three research strands: (1) Leadership Development, (2) Wellness for Leaders, and (3) Prioritizing Health & Well-being for Educators & Leaders. The forementioned current research will have implications for leaders at all levels, educators, and students.
Past research has included data that involved the emotional, social, academic, and career aspects of student success using the Empowerment Groups for Academic Success (EGAS) model which focused on: Counseling Minority Adolescent Girls in a Predominately White Middle School Setting: Perceptions of the Empowerment Groups for Academic Success (EGAS) Model. The data collected has implications for teachers, counselors, and administrators regarding group counseling techniques to meet the needs of all students. Additionally, Dr. Hilton-Pitre has co-authored a book entitled: Issues in Educating African American Students: Foundations, Curriculum and Experiences. She also co-authored a book chapter entitled, Counseling African American Girls in a White School Setting: Implications for teachers, counselors, and administrators and co-authored The Overrepresentation of African American Males in Special Education: A Qualitative Analysis of the Student Perspective which was published in the Journal of the Alliance of Black School Educators, (2007).
Dr. Hilton-Pitre has facilitated numerous presentations such as Wellness for Leaders, Educators Self-Care & Wellness, Preparation for Student Success in Higher Education, Promoting a Positive Student Culture, Highly Effective Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and Highly Effective Leadership Teams just to name a few. She has written successful proposals for the Teacher Leader Summit and previously conducted presentations at the Louisiana State Association of School Personnel Administrators. Dr. Twana Hilton-Pitre’s diverse experience in education and management has provided her with invaluable insight in the areas of professional development, district consulting, student achievement, wellness, counseling, education, and leadership.