NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s College of Business and Technology will honor six alumni with induction in the CoBT Hall of Fame as part Homecoming festivities. Inductees are Wes Breeden of New Orleans, Joseph “Trent” Jackson of Shreveport, Laura Terrell Lyles of Natchitoches, Leah Sherman Middlebrook of Bossier City, Terry E. Moore of Shreveport and Keith E. Poirrier of Lafayette.
The celebration will include a welcome breakfast and induction program for honorees, alumni and friends starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, in the Natchitoches Room on the second floor of Russell Hall.
Breeden has built his career and community involvement around developing people, strengthening organizations, and giving back to those who invested in him. A 2003 graduate of NSU’s School of Business, Breeden earned his MBA from the University of Illinois in 2023. He serves as executive vice president of Field Strategy and Distribution for Association Member Benefits Advisors (AMBA), where he has spent more than two decades building sales teams and developing leaders. Beginning his career in Colorado, Breeden went on to help establish and grow teams across the Pacific Northwest and Southeast. His work centers on creating opportunities for team members to build meaningful, successful careers.
Breeden’s commitment to leadership and service began during his time at NSU. As a freshman, he and two friends helped lay the groundwork for the rechartering of Pi Kappa Phi, the university’s oldest fraternity. That experience sparked a lifelong commitment to brotherhood, mentorship, and service. He has served on the NSU Foundation Board of Directors since 2016, including chairing its fundraising committee, and on the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Board since 2020. He also volunteers with college students across the country, helping them strengthen their organizational and leadership skills while recognizing their responsibility to serve others. As a keynote speaker, Breeden travels nationally, speaking on leadership, goal setting, building positive cultures, and creating organizations where people want to belong. In recognition of his contributions, Breeden has been honored as Pi Kappa Phi’s Facilitator of the Year and Alumnus of the Year. NSU recognized him as its Outstanding Young Alumnus in 2021. He is married to Camille, a fellow NSU graduate, and they have two children, Mabyn and Briton. In his professional, volunteer and family life, he remains guided by a simple conviction: honor those who helped you by investing in those who follow.
Jackson serves as Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President at Cervey, where he oversees the architecture and evolution of the company’s core technology platforms. With a background spanning pharmacy software, PBM operations and healthcare data systems, Jackson has been central to building the product portfolio that powers Cervey’s work across claims adjudication, drug pricing integrity, 340B program management and pharmacy compliance workflows. Over the course of his career, Jackson has built and led high-performing engineering and product teams responsible for creating scalable, secure, and data-driven systems used across the PBM and pharmacy ecosystem. His technical depth covers enterprise architecture, pharmacy transaction processing, 340B data reconciliation, interoperability, and regulatory compliance with a focus on designing systems that hold up under the real-world demands of healthcare operations.
Lyles has served as president and CEO of the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce for eight years. Representing approximately 450 members, the Chamber champions local businesses, connects community leaders and cultivates opportunities for economic and workforce growth throughout the region. Lyles also serves as executive director of the Natchitoches Economic Development Alliance, which works to attract investment, support existing industries and strengthen the region’s long-term economic competitiveness. Both nonprofit organizations serve Natchitoches Parish and the surrounding region through the generous financial support and collaboration of their members, donors and community partners.
Lyles is a 2005 graduate of NSU’s Hospitality Management and Tourism program and holds a Master of Business Administration from Nicholls State University. She began her career in hotel event services before moving to Oklahoma, where she joined a small aerospace engineering consulting firm and played a key role in launching and growing two spin-off businesses specializing in aerospace products and services. She is married to Dr. Chris Lyles, fellow NSU graduate and director of NSU’s School of STEM, and they have two sons, Carson, 15, and Cooper, 11.
Middlebrook is vice president of risk program management for Fidelity National Information Services, a global financial technology company. During her two decades with FIS, she has held leadership roles in transformation, mergers and acquisitions integration, business development, and international payments strategy, and now leads strategic programs. A two-time graduate of NSU (1986, 2016), she serves on the NSU Alumni Association Board of Directors, is a past president of the association and co-chair of the Alumnae Association Council of Presidents. She is a sustainer in the Junior League of Dallas and a graduate of the JLD Leadership Institute, where she later served as an advisor. She previously held volunteer leadership roles within Phi Mu Fraternity, including Area Officer positions in Panhellenic, Housing and Alumnae Engagement. She currently serves as the Phi Mu Foundation Giving Program Chair and is an NSU 100 for 100 Greek Life honoree and the university’s 2021 Volunteer of the Year.
Moore is a vice president and senior financial advisor for Merrill Lynch with experience in wealth management for individuals, small business and corporations. In addition to 14 years in wealth management and banking, he also worked for 26 years as transportation, logistics and hub management at United Parcel Service. Moore graduated from NSU in 1986 and earned a Master of Business Administration at Centenary College in 2006. Throughout his career, he has been engaged with and held leadership roles in numerous civic, economic development, healthcare and philanthropic organizations in Shreveport-Bossier and serves on the advisory board for NSU’s School of Business.
Poirrier is CEO of Poirrier Group, LLC. He earned a degree in accounting at NSU in 1992 while competing as a pole vaulter. After graduation, he founded QuickTax Financial Services and earned an MBA from UL-Lafayette. Shortly thereafter began his insurance career with Hub International, a “Top 10” national commercial insurance brokerage. Poirrier’s credentials include Certified Insurance Counselor, assigned by “The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research.” In 2012, he was appointed to the agency advisory board of Berkley Oil and Gas Insurance Company, a global leader in the energy insurance sector. In 2015, he founded Poirrier Group, LLC, a specialty, high risk, commercial insurance agency, where he serves as president and CEO.
Information on NSU’s College of Business and Technology is available at https://www.nsula.edu/academics/colleges-and-schools/college-of-business-and-technology/.