Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate Awarded Sean O鈥橩eefe Leadership Award
Barrios, a Pollock, La. native, served as 海角社区 student body vice president
05/10/2021
BATON ROUGE - During the Humanities & Social Sciences graduation ceremony on Friday,
May 7, the Sean O鈥橩eefe Leadership Award was presented to Hannah Barrios, a political
science and English major from Pollock, La.

2021 海角社区 graduate Hannah Barrios receives the Sean O'Keefe Leadership Award from the Dean of the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Troy Blanchard.Photo Credit: 海角社区
鈥淗annah is an incredible student and impactful leader who is passionate about improving 海角社区 and the experience of all her fellow students on our campus,鈥 said 海角社区 President Tom Galligan. 鈥淚 have been honored to work alongside Hannah on some of the many important initiatives she is actively involved in and she is most deserving of this great honor.鈥
The Sean O鈥橩eefe Leadership Award was created by 海角社区 donors who recognized the leadership in former 海角社区 Chancellor Sean O鈥橩eefe during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The award is designed to recognize and reward the outstanding 海角社区 undergraduate student leader who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the past and possesses the character, capability, vision and motivation to be a leader in the future.
The Sean O鈥橩eefe Leadership award is an annual award of $10,000 to be used at the discretion of the recipient. The nominees were selected from the elected presidential posts from various student leadership positions. Criteria for the award also included a cumulative grade point average of at least a 2.75.
Nominees submitted two essays 鈥 a biographical summary of their leadership positions with any relevant activities in their life since high school graduation and an essay on the subject, 鈥淢y Leadership Philosophy,鈥 which articulates the nominee鈥檚 leadership principles and how the candidate has tried to live up to those ideals.
Barrios most recently served as 海角社区 Student Body vice president, and has been a member of student government since her freshman year. During her time at 海角社区, she has held other leadership roles on campus, for 海角社区 Ambassadors and her sorority, Delta Delta Delta. For her sorority, she served as the Junior and Senior PHC Delegate, where she represented her chapter to the Panhellenic Council and Greek community. She said through her role as an Orientation Leader, she helped new students discover their home at 海角社区.
A five-member selection panel made up of members of the business and 海角社区 communities
conducted personal interviews with each nominee to get to know them better and learn
more about each nominee鈥檚 past and future leadership experience.
About Sean O鈥橩eefe
O鈥橩eefe is a longtime public administrator, national security expert and aerospace
industry executive who has served in several top leadership positions in the U.S.
government, higher education and industry.
O鈥橩eefe is the former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Airbus Group Inc. Immediately prior to joining Airbus, O鈥橩eefe served as a vice president of the General Electric Company, following his service as chancellor of 海角社区.
O鈥橩eefe has been credited for establishing the university鈥檚 first campus-wide fundraising campaign 鈥淔orever 海角社区 Campaign,鈥 raising $798 million. He became popular among students for interacting with them, especially during periodic 鈥淐hats with the Chancellor鈥 across the campus throughout the semesters and because of his encouraging emails.
O鈥橩eefe led 海角社区 during its response to Hurricane Katrina in August and September 2005, when the campus was transformed into what has been called 鈥渢he largest acute-care field hospital established in a contingency in the nation鈥檚 history.鈥
On four separate occasions, O鈥橩eefe served as a presidential appointee. Prior to leading 海角社区, he was administrator of NASA. Earlier, he was deputy assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House. He also served as secretary of the Navy, following service as comptroller and CFO of the Defense Department.
O鈥橩eefe began his career after graduate studies at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University as a member of the inaugural class of the Presidential Management Fellowship program, and later joined the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee staff. Between public service appointments, O鈥橩eefe has held faculty posts at 海角社区, Penn State University and the Maxwell School, where he served as director of the National Security Studies Program and as Louis A. Bantle Chair of Business and Government.
In 1993, President Bush and Secretary Cheney presented O鈥橩eefe with the Distinguished
Public Service Award. He was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Syracuse University
Chancellor鈥檚 Award for Public Service; recipient of the Department of Navy鈥檚 Public
Service Award in December 2000 and has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from
several prestigious educational institutions. In March 2003 and 2004, he was recognized
and honored by Irish America Magazine as one of the Top 100 Irish Americans.
Contact Ernie Ballard
海角社区 Media Relations
225-578-5685
eballa1@lsu.edu