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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Citizens for a New Louisiana
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260918T120000
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DTSTAMP:20260914T222035Z
CREATED:20260914T222035Z
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UID:12788-1789732800-1789736400@www.newlouisiana.org
SUMMARY:Secret Lunch with Charles Sharma\, James Klock and Emilia Pardo
DESCRIPTION:Please join us for lunch with Charles Sharma\, candidate for Broussard City Council\, District 2\, and James Klock and Emilia Pardo\, both candidates for Lafayette City Court Judge\, Division B. \nCharles\, James and Emilia will each have an opportunity to discuss their backgrounds\, their campaigns\, and the issues they believe are important to the communities and institutions they hope to serve. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask the candidates questions directly. \nOur Secret Lunch will be held Friday\, September 18\, 2026\, at Fezzo’s in Broussard\, beginning around noon. It is an opportunity to meet the candidates\, hear from them directly\, and visit with other engaged citizens. \nThis event is free to attend; however\, lunch is not included. Fezzo’s will provide full table service during the program\, so attendees may order from the menu while we meet. Come early\, grab a seat\, and enjoy lunch and conversation before the program begins. \nReserve your seat below. \nABOUT THE CANDIDATES:\nThe biographical information below was provided by the candidates and supplemented\, where applicable\, with publicly available information. \nCharles Sharma\nCharles Sharma has called Broussard home for approximately 45 years. His family immigrated to the United States from the Fiji Islands when he was four years old. He attended Katherine Drexel and Broussard Middle School\, graduated from St. Thomas More Catholic High School\, and earned his degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Sharma and his fiancée\, Ana\, are raising their family in Broussard. \nProfessionally\, Sharma has spent more than two decades in the oil and gas industry\, beginning in field operations and later moving into management and safety leadership. He currently works as a Gulf Coast Safety Manager. Sharma says that experience has shaped his view of leadership around listening\, responsibility\, problem-solving and accountability. \nSharma has also been involved in community activities through Krewe de Acadian and other local efforts. Public campaign information notes his involvement with blood drives\, health fairs and fundraisers benefiting the Broussard and Youngsville police and fire departments. He is also the founder of the BYOB Hamburger and Hotdog Festival and BYOB Boudin Cookoff. \nSharma says his campaign for District 2 is focused on thoughtful growth\, support for local businesses and families\, sidewalks and connectivity\, community involvement\, and making local government more transparent and accessible. He has emphasized that residents should feel their voices matter and that elected officials should listen\, ask questions and remain accountable to the people they represent. \nJames Klock\nJames Klock is an Assistant District Attorney and felony supervisor with the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He also serves as an adjunct instructor of Business Law at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. His professional background includes experience on both the prosecution and defense sides of criminal cases. \nKlock earned his law degree and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law from the LSU Law Center while also completing a master’s degree in finance. He previously earned an undergraduate degree in economics with a concentration in International Trade and Finance from LSU. During law school\, he received awards for the highest grades in Torts\, Louisiana Civil Procedure\, and Louisiana Constitutional Law. \nKlock began his legal career as a contract public defender in Lafayette City Court while operating a private practice that included criminal defense\, family law\, immigration\, and civil matters. His public-defense work later expanded to felony cases in Lafayette and Vermilion parishes before he became a full-time Assistant Federal Public Defender. In 2022\, he joined the Lafayette Parish District Attorney’s Office\, where he now prosecutes felony cases and also handles conflict cases in Lafayette City Court. \nHis civic and professional involvement has included service with the Lafayette Bar Association\, American Inns of Court of Acadiana\, Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates\, Louisiana District Attorney’s Association\, Kiwanis Club of Lafayette\, the I-49 Lafayette Connector Advisory Group\, Junior League of Lafayette’s Community Advisory Board\, and other local organizations. \nEmilia Pardo\nEmilia Pardo grew up in Lafayette’s Broadmoor neighborhood and graduated from Lafayette High School and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She initially pursued nursing and\, while in nursing school\, volunteered with the Sexual Abuse Response Center\, formerly known as Stuller Place. She says that experience working with survivors ultimately influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. \nShe has spent approximately 17 years working as a prosecutor\, experience she says has required careful evaluation of evidence\, preparation\, and an understanding of how much each case matters to the people involved. She also currently serves as a magistrate in Scott City Court\, where she hears matters\, considers the facts and applicable law\, and makes the decisions required in those cases. \nAfter law school\, she returned to Lafayette\, where she and her husband\, Anthony\, are raising their two daughters. Her husband has spent his career in law enforcement. She has also been active with Junior League of Lafayette and cites her Catholic faith\, family\, and community involvement as important influences in her life. \nShe says her decision to seek the Lafayette City Court judgeship grew from her experience as both a prosecutor and magistrate. Her campaign has emphasized accountability\, timely resolution of cases\, applying the law without political or outside influence\, and using City Court as a place where problems can be addressed before they become more serious.
URL:https://www.newlouisiana.org/event/secret-lunch-with-charles-sharma-james-klock-and-emilia-pardo/
LOCATION:Fezzo’s in Broussard\, 6701 Ambassador Caffery Pkw\, Broussard\, LA\, 70518\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lafayette,Secret Lunch
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newlouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Sharma-Klock-Pardo.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Lafayette Office":MAILTO:info@newlouisiana.org
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260925T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260925T130000
DTSTAMP:20260923T151755Z
CREATED:20260923T151755Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260923T151755Z
UID:12798-1790337600-1790341200@www.newlouisiana.org
SUMMARY:Secret Lunch with Susan Theall and Dyan Schnaars
DESCRIPTION:Join us for lunch with Susan Theall and Dyan Schnaars\, candidates for 15th Judicial District Court\, Division M – Family Court. \nSusan and Dyan will each have an opportunity to discuss their backgrounds\, their candidacies\, and the issues they believe are important to the administration of Family Court. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask the candidates questions directly. \nOur Secret Lunch will be held Friday\, September 25\, 2026\, at Fezzo’s in Broussard\, beginning around noon. It is an opportunity to meet both candidates\, hear from them directly\, and visit with other engaged citizens. \nThis event is free to attend; however\, lunch is not included. Fezzo’s will provide full table service during the program\, so attendees may order from the menu while we meet. Come early\, grab a seat\, and enjoy lunch and conversation before the program begins. \nRSVP below. \nABOUT THE CANDIDATES:\nThe biographical information below was provided by the candidates and supplemented\, where applicable\, with publicly available information. \nSusan Theall\nSusan Theall currently serves as Judge of the 15th Judicial District Court\, Division M. She previously served in Division M from 2011 through 2014 and returned to the bench following her election in 2020\, with her current term beginning January 1\, 2021. \nTheall has approximately 40 years of legal experience and was certified as a Family Law Specialist by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization in 1995. Before serving on the bench\, her legal practice focused on family law. She has also served in leadership roles within the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Family Law Section and the Paula K. Woodruff Family Law Section of the Lafayette Parish Bar Association. \nTheall has served as Chief Judge of the 15th Judicial District Court during multiple terms and participated in the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute. She has also served on Louisiana Judicial Education faculty addressing domestic violence and was involved in the development of local court rules implementing Family Court in the 15th Judicial District. \nHer community involvement has included service with Faith House and participation in local civic and business organizations. Theall also created Kid’s First\, a substance-use assessment\, monitoring\, and treatment program designed to assist parents whose substance-use issues interfere with their ability to parent. \nDyan Schnaars\nDyan Schnaars is a Louisiana native who grew up near Alexandria and moved to Lafayette in 1995. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette\, with a concentration in management\, and later earned her Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center. She has practiced law in Lafayette since 2012 and has focused exclusively on family law since 2014. \nSchnaars owns and operates Schnaars Law Firm in Lafayette\, where her practice focuses on family-law matters including divorce\, child custody\, child support\, property division\, and related issues. Before concentrating exclusively on family law\, she practiced in areas including insurance defense\, contract defense\, and personal injury. \nHer professional and community service has included leadership within the Paula K. Woodruff Family Law Section\, service with the Lafayette Bar Foundation’s pro bono programs\, and involvement with Faith House. Her law firm states that she has received multiple awards for pro bono service\, including the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award and repeated recognition from the Lafayette Bar Association. \nSchnaars says her interest in Family Court is rooted in helping families in crisis stabilize their circumstances quickly and reducing the long-term effects of family conflict on children. She has emphasized fairness in court\, timely resolution of cases\, and the use of available resources to help parents address problems that interfere with their ability to exercise parental rights.
URL:https://www.newlouisiana.org/event/secret-lunch-with-susan-theall-and-dyan-schnaars/
LOCATION:Fezzo’s in Broussard\, 6701 Ambassador Caffery Pkw\, Broussard\, LA\, 70518\, United States
CATEGORIES:Lafayette,Secret Lunch
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.newlouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/secret-lunch-with-dyan-schnaars-and-susan-theall.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Lafayette Office":MAILTO:info@newlouisiana.org
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