Nedra Hains

DDes Grad

Nedra Hains, Doctor of Design candidate and LSU Museum of Art deputy director, is a first generation college graduate and will be the first person in her family to earn a doctorate degree.

“I thought that if I invested in myself, I would be able to invest in my future family and my community,” she said. “I had met so many educated women along the way and I am a voracious reader, so I thought, why shouldn’t I go to college?”

Though after high school she was encouraged to get married and start a family right away, Nedra “knew how the times had changed: I needed to go to college,” she said. “After high school I had to work three jobs to make ends meet! That was just for me, a single person, the math was horrifying, and the future looked terrible. I knew I would work the rest of my life, and if I was going to do that, I needed to get a degree and make real money.”

After traveling as a young adult, she enrolled at Southern University for junior division, and then transferred into LSU to finish her BA. “I proceeded on with my MA, then with a twist of fate, ended up working in the LSU Engineering Department as a researcher (RA5) for 13 years. It was very tough in the beginning. I paid for school myself and incurred student loan debt; however, I was so proud to be the first woman in my family to go to college, then on to grad school.”

Her parents were so very proud too. “I encouraged my twin sister to come back to Louisiana and go to college too after she had been out of high school for ten years, and she came back and went to LSU for her BA and PMBA, making her the second woman in my family to go to college and then on to grad school.”

She went on from LSU to work at the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, then as a private engineering consultant (project manager), which led her to be the second woman executive levee director in the State of Louisiana, in the Southwest Louisiana district (Cameron, Calcasieu, & Vermillion Parishes) in 2014-2018. She retired from engineering in 2018 when her twin sister passed from cancer.

“I know that all the work I put in during my LSU BA and LSU MA have shaped me into the person I am now. LSU has shaped my whole life.”

“Then with another twist of fate that led me back to LSU, I was asked to work at the LSU Museum of Art, after having served on their board for many years. After settling into the groove of working at the museum, I applied for graduate school to go back for my doctorate in the LSU College of Art & Design’s Doctor of Design in Cultural Preservation program.”

Nedra anticipates graduating as a Doctor of Design student in May 2024. She is now busy writing her dissertation, which is focused on historic preservation and the reutilization of ecclesiastical spaces (Architecture, Religion, Art History, & Historic Preservation).

Her research examines the revolutionary theology movements and their relationship to the evolution of contemporary Catholic material culture, including the digital technology of the Catholic Church; especially in light of Catholic traditionalist movements and attempts to recall that material and theological culture in the contemporary aftermath and the role of contemporary iconoclasts.

Professionally having been the Director of Development & External Affairs at the LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA), Nedra’s practice encompasses multi-faceted engagement of museum professionals, faculty, artists, students, alumni, state and federal agencies, cultural non-profits, granting foundations, and other friends of the university. Nedra served as the president of the Friends of the LSU MOA Board for eight years prior to taking the DoD/E position. Prior to her return to LSU, she remained actively engaged in the art community through volunteerism and financial support of artists throughout her 23+ year tenure in engineering.

Through course work and independent research, Nedra hopes to enhance her understanding of the professional art and design world, helping her better to engage the museum professionals, faculty, and students she works with and the patrons, donors, and friends of LSU that have a passion for art, LSU, and the material culture of our shared Southern experiences.

“I have mentored students frequently throughout my career, at LSU and in engineering, and now in the art world,” she said. “I say often, ‘You may find yourself at a crossroads, where asking for help may seem difficult, or you may not think you are worthy of help or cannot ever pay back those who help you. But know that you are worthy and investing in yourself now by going to college and working hard will one day put you in my position. You will be able to help others down the road, someone like you who is at a crossroads and just needs someone to believe in them. You will be able to pay it forward and do more good in the world.’”

When Nedra reflects on the long road that led to her doctoral degree, she is especially appreciative that universities took a chance on her. “I appreciate that Southern University and LSU saw the first-generation college student in me as a positive and helped me achieve my goals,” she said.

“My parents would be so proud if they could see me now.  I am proud to be an LSU Tiger and first-generation college student!”