Background and Qualifications
Johnny
Fatheree was born and reared on the southside of Monroe. He graduated from
Ouachita Parish High School in 1971, and attended Northeast Louisiana
University (now ULM) for a brief time. He joined the United States Marine Corps
where he served in Southeast Asia and Paris Island, South Carolina. After his
hitch in the USMC he went back to college where he graduated in 1976 with a BS
Degree majoring in Animal Science, with a minor in Chemistry. While at NLU he
was president of the Delta Demeter Club, and was the co-founder and President of
the NLU Collegiate Veterans Association, and the Louisiana Collegiate Veterans
Association. After college, Johnny became a 4-H Club Agent in Morehouse and in
Caddo Parish. He spent many long hours working with and teaching 4-H Club
members an array of subjects, including Record Keeping, Parliamentary Law,
Public Speaking, Livestock judging with oral reasons, Junior Leadership, etc.
In 1979,
he moved to a very high profile position with the Louisiana State Fair as the
Director of Livestock and Agriculture. In addition to his duties with the Fair
came the responsibility of the ARL-LA-TEX Agriculture Council where he served
as its Executive Director. While in those positions, Johnny was responsible for
leading an effort to secure over $5.0 million dollars for youth in Louisiana.
He continued to be involved with youth programs around the state and has been
recognized by many youth organizations, FFA Honorary Farmer, 4-H Leadership
Award, Louisiana Junior Angus Association, Louisiana Brahman Association,
Louisiana Vocational Agriculture Teachers, and a host of other youth and adult
associations. In 1981, Johnny was recognized as the “Salesman of the Year” by
the Shreveport/Bossier Convention and Tourism Bureau for his contributions to
the community’s efforts to bring tourism to Shreveport. Two of his signature
accomplishments were the establishment of the “Jess Loyd Memorial Scholarship
Fund” and the “Louisiana Tech Agriculture Scholarship Fund.”
In 1993,
Johnny moved on to a position as a Consultant with Cargill Animal Nutrition. He
soon was promoted to Equine Specialist, and later as Equine Business Development
manager for the Southwest Region. During his tenure with Cargill he was
afforded an opportunity to use his training and teaching skills while mentoring
and coaching over 500 consultants. He understands the need for Louisiana to
produce a quality student who possesses the reading and comprehension skills needed
to succeed in a competitive professional environment.
In
addition to his professional career, Johnny has continued to be involved with
youth and youth programs. He taught a 17 year-old Sunday School class for 17
years. This position allowed him to understand and connect with young people in
a variety of ways while on mission trips, choir tours, and other activities. He
also has served on the Parents Board at St. Mary’s Training School. This is a
school for mentally challenged children, and where his daughter Ginger was a
resident for twenty years. He also served on the Board of Evergreen Ministries,
and later as a board member and President of the Parents Association of
Northwest Development Center in Bossier City, Louisiana. During the past forty
years, Johnny has tutored many students in algebra and chemistry at the high
school and college level. Even today he is mentoring two high school young men
at his church. His plan is to help them find their spiritual gift and talent,
and assist them to establish long-term and short-term goals using a goal
setting program he has developed through the years.
Johnny
is the author of one published book, Plug into People. The book is about how to become a connector and leads the reader in
ways to hone their skills to develop trust, listening and finding common
ground, speaking the right language, having empathy for others, and being
humble and respectful.
FAMILY:
Johnny
is married to the former Connie Smith of West Monroe, and they will soon
celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in August, 2015. Johnny
& Connie have one daughter who is a Physician’s Assistant in Fort Worth,
Texas. Their youngest daughter passed away in 2011. This family was given two
exceptional children, one who was exceptional through her mental and physical
challenges and one who is exceptional through her high intelligence, capacity
to read, comprehend, and put into practice tremendous volumes of information
while suffering from two debilitating diseases. She is his HERO. Both of these girls experienced many health
challenges. God took one home, and has cloaked the other in shroud of love and
compassion for others.
His wife Connie
taught 1st or 2nd grade for thirty-two years, and she
retired from Louisiana after twenty years of teaching in Union, Morehouse,
Desoto, and Rapides parishes. She retired from Texas after ten years of
teaching in the Denton ISD School District and the Aubrey ISD School District.
She is currently teaching in a pre-school for the physically challenged. Connie
has been a teacher of the year, and has been recognized as a leader in
innovative reading solutions. She has been certified in both Spalding and
Project Read Certification.