UL Vice President for Research Robert Twilley is the new interim CEO of Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. UL Vice President for Research Robert Twilley is the new interim CEO of Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise. At its meeting yesterday, LITE's board of commissioners made the appointment and also voted to give Commission Chairman Bobby Veazey and Twilley the authority to hire a search firm to assist with the search for a permanent replacement for departed CEO Henry Florsheim. Florsheim announced last month he was leaving LITE to take a position as president of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce in Arkansas and to be closer to his north Louisiana family.
Twilley, a distinguished coastal scientist, re-joined UL in August, moving over from his previous position as director of the LSU Wetland Biogeochemistry Institute and Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences to become the latest VP at UL. Twilley began his career at UL in 1986 as an assistant professor in the biology department. Upon his hire, UL President Joseph Savoie wrote that Twilley "is a respected scholar and scientist who also has extensive administrative experience. I'm confident that Dr. Twilley will be a strong leader who will help UL Lafayette continue its development as one of the Top 100 public research universities in the nation."
LITE Commissioner Bradd Clark, dean of sciences at UL, says Twilley is dedicated to helping LITE reach its full potential. "As UL's new VP of research, Dr. Twilley has told me that he sees LITE as a critical resource for both the University and the Community," Clark writes in an email to The Ind. "He has made it crystal clear that he wants LITE to be successful. So it doesn't surprise me that this man of high energy wants to shepherd LITE for the next few months until we obtain a new and permanent CEO for LITE."
Twilley is currently out of the country, having joined a congressional delegation to the Netherlands examining coastal restoration efforts. He is scheduled to return and meet with LITE officials on Monday.