“Tamiko Francis Garrison is the Manager of Medicare Advantage Compliance at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. Additionally, she serves as a part-time Justice of the Peace and is very active in the Donaldsonville community, where she and her extended family have lived and served in a number of civic capacities for decades.

As a mother, Tamiko thoughtfully considered what skills her own daughter would need in life to advocate for herself as she became an adult — not just communication skills, but also knowledge of civic processes and how communities function.

This inspired Tamiko to create the Donaldsonville Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, which familiarizes young people with community activism, business leaders, and community leaders at a local, state, and national level. She has been the sole volunteer and coordinator engaging with students, teachers, and administrators at Donaldsonville and Ascension Catholic High Schools.

In addition to training students to be leaders, Tamiko organizes field trips where students can put their skills to use meeting and discussing issues with their own elected leaders — ranging from their school board and city government to national representatives in Washington, D.C.

Tamiko is passionate and seeks to change the world one youth at a time. She is training a generation of empowered, civically engaged young adults who are positioned to make positive changes in their communities, their state, and their world.”