Meet the Team
For more than 11 years, Mighty Moms has served the residents of Livingston Parish. Mighty Moms began with a vision to see all children graduate with full minds and full tummies.
Board Members
Meet our amazing team of talented people who are passionate about ending childhood hunger in Livingston Parish.
Dawn Birdsong
Executive Director
Dawn handles the day-to-day operations of Mighty Moms.
Dawn is graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy and Southern Medical School of Ultrasound. She is married to Ben, and they have four children and 3 grand babies .
Dawn is passionate about family bonding over meals together. She believes in the importance of fueling our brains and body with the nutrition necessary for healthy growth and development. In her opinion, it is the absolute way to demonstrate LOVE.
Dawn received Livingston Parish’s Women’s Leadership Award in 2018.
Patrick Bedwell
President
Patrick Bedwell is a lifelong resident of Livingston Parish. He currently resides in Walker and has three children.
Bedwell has worked for the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Department for over 20 years. He is a graduate of LSU Basic Police Academy. A former DARE instructor, Bedwell started the LPSO Explorer Program in 2007 and graduated from the Texas DPS Polygraph Examiner School in 2018.
He is community-minded and enjoys his leadership responsibilities.
Jan Benton
Vice-President
Jan Benton is a retired educator of LPPSS where she was a teacher, principal, and central office administrator for 36 years.
Benton is a lifelong resident of Denham Springs and a member of the 1973 graduating class at Denham Springs High School. She is married to James ‘Jim’ Benton and has two children, Hillary and Brian. They have four grandchildren.
Benton serves as a member of the Livingston
Parish School Board representing District 3. She is also a conference coordinator for the Louisiana Association of School Executives, a
member of the Alpha Delta Kappa teacher sorority and an active member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.
Jeanette Clark
Board Member
Jeanette Clark is a graduate of Denham Springs High School. She worked for the City of Denham Springs for 13 years. She was involved with long-term recovery efforts after the 2016 flooding event inundated 80% of the structures in Denham Springs. She currently works for Coactint, LLC as their business development manager.
Clark has 2 children, Gaige and Raelee. She attends Live Oak Church where she is involved in Women’s Ministry coordination and serves on the Board of Trustees. She loves to give back to the community and help others get involved.
Ian Burks
Board Member
A native of Denham Springs
A husband and father to three young children.
I work as a financial adviser for Edward Jones to the community.
I am an avid outdoorsman, enjoy friendly competition, and watching college football.
Graduate of Denham Spring High School
Graduate of the University of Louisiana – Lafayette “Go Cajuns!”
Member of Grace Covenant Church
Jessica Hood
Board Member
Jessica Hood is a graduate of Live Oak High School and a lifelong resident of Livingston Parish. She has a bachelor’s degree in Family Studies, which has led her to serve as the Preschool & Daycare Director at Amite Christian Academy since 2015.
Jessica and her husband, Brennan, have three children. She has a passion for the Lord, children, families, and her community.
Travis Cronan
Board Member
Travis is a native of Wakulla County, Florida, but has resided in Denham Springs since 2022 when he became the senior pastor at Hebron Baptist Church. Travis and his wife, Meagan, have three children. Travis has a Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Ministry from Spurgeon College. He is passionate about serving in this community and sharing the Gospel with others.
Kimberly McDonald
Board Member
Kimberly McDonald is a 1990 graduate of Zachary High School and a 2021 graduate of
Christian Brothers University -School of Banking, and alumni of 2022 Leadership Livingston.
Kim has worked in the banking and credit union industries for over 30 years, and currently employed for 16 years with Bank of Zachary as VP- Mortgage Lender at the
Watson Branch location.
Kim has 2 children: Mason Castello of Hammond, LA who is a Wildlife & Fisheries
Agent, and Draven McDonald of Denham Springs, LA who is a BR Firefighter. Her
husband, Billy McDonald, is Chief Information Officer at EFCU Financial, and they have
been married 21 years and are residents of Denham Springs, LA, and enjoy music concerts in their spare time.
Kim is member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Denham Springs, LA and
passionate about helping others, her faith, our country, and her family & friends. We are all called by our Father to be good & faithful stewards… to “Go and Do” …. using all the
blessings God has given us to help those in need.
Ronyell Dodson
Board Member
Ronyell Dodson is a lifelong resident of Central, LA, has been married to Brandon Dodson for 20 years and has 4 children.
Dodson went to St. Alphonsus Catholic School, St. Joseph’s Academy and LSU where she graduated with a bachelors in Business Management. She has been a lifelong parishioner of St. Alphonsus Church and is dedicated to her faith.
She worked with her husband in his construction business, A. P. Dodson, for 15 years. Currently, Ronyell spends her time being a mom and volunteering at her kids’ school. She coaches volleyball, is active in the athletics department and is usually around the school helping out where needed.
Ronyell loves her family, friends, outdoors, gardening, her chickens, her bees and being on the water!
Food is also a passion of Ronyell’s and she is frequently showing people she loves them through cooking for them.
Amber Morain
Board Member
Bio Coming Soon.