Tia LeBrun is the eldest of her single mother’s four children. She grew up in and around the Houma area of Terrebonne Parish. As a youth, her teachers encouraged her to pursue educational opportunities, and she became an educator in order to help young people in the same way. She is an 18 year Louisiana educator with 12 years classroom and 6 years district leadership experience. Currently, she serves as a provider of professional development for bilingual education programs. She has worked nearly 20 years in the service industry in addition to her experience in public education. As a single mother in the beginning of her professional career, she held a service industry job to supplement her teacher salary. She is a first generation high school graduate and college graduate.

Her education includes a Bachelor’s from LSU Baton Rouge in Secondary Education with concentrations in French and Social Studies, a Master’s from UNO in Special Education with concentration on Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a school leadership certification from Our Lady of Holy Cross, and an English as a Second Language certification from ULL. She is currently pursuing an EDD from the American College of Education.

Her membership in the United Houma Nation gave her an early childhood filled with Louisiana French, though she was not initially taught the language by her family due to the discrimination they suffered in their lifetime as a result of their bilingualism. Her Great Grandmother Malvina Dardar, or “Tante Mona” as the tribal members know her, was the spark that led to Tia’s drive to become French-English bilingual. Now, an Advanced French user, an Intermediate Spanish user, and Novice Mandarin user, Tia has used her passion for language learning to try and level the playing field for educated immigrants and bilingual learners in all contexts.

Tia is the wife of a career welder turned welding teacher and mother to a beautiful blended bunch of 6 children. Her 4 grandchildren, who call her Lola, are an important part of her family.