Baton Rouge, Louisiana, February 7, 2023- The Louisiana High School Officials Association (LHSOA)
is pleased to announce the election of Ruthie Dugal as its next President.
A native of Lafayette, LA, Dugal brings over 30 years of experience as a multi-sport high school official,
collegiate referee, and Regional Coordinator of Officials. She is a former LHSAA basketball, softball, and
volleyball coach and has served on the LHSOA leadership team since 2010.
Dugal becomes the third president of the LHSOA since its founding in 2008. She is the organization’s
first female president and takes over from Paul LaRosa who served for seven years and led the LHSOA to
historic achievements overseeing Louisiana Officials Day in 2018 (the largest gathering of HS officials in
US history) and the 2022 fee agreement with the LHSAA.
“Ruthie is an excellent choice to lead the LHSOA and our 4000+ officials in the years to come,” said Paul
LaRosa, Past President. “Her variety of experiences as a multi-sport official, assigner, state championship
coordinator, coach, and administrator put her in a unique position to work with all stakeholders and
advance high school officiating in our state.”
The LHSOA also elected Executive Committee members: Vice President, John Fletcher; Secretary,
James Landry; and Treasurer, Chuck Horne.
“Our office is excited to work with Ruthie and the LHSOA leadership team to recruit, train, and retain
officials,” said Lee Sanders, LHSAA Director of Officials. “We look forward to our continued
collaboration as we strive to best serve our student-athletes and member schools.”