Who was Dr. Cherie Labat? Tributes pour in as CEO of Arkansas' eStem Charter Schools passes away

Former Columbus Municipal School District Superintendent and Little Rock, Arkansas, eStem Public Charter Schools chief executive officer, Cherie Labat, passed away on Tuesday, January 9. Her passing was confirmed by school system leaders, who claimed that she died due to an illness. The exact nature of the illness and her ultimate cause of death were not disclosed.

The educator, who was 48 years old, became the eStem chief executive officer in May of last year. Following her demise, the organization named their retired founding CFO, Mark Milhollen, as Cherie Labat's replacement on Wednesday. A plethora of tributes poured in from family, friends, and the many organizations and people that Cherie had worked with.

Jess Askew, president of the eStem Public Charter School board of directors, released a statement saying:

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the untimely passing of our CEO, Dr. Cherie Labat."

Jess added:

"Our thoughts are with her family, friends, students, and colleagues in this difficult time. Dr. Labat won over everyone at eStem immediately upon her arrival. She was a shining star during her brief time with us at eStem."

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Cherie Labat's distinguished professional journey

Cherie Labat's LinkedIn profile revealed that the educator received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Jackson State University and her Masters in Arts from the University of Mississippi. Additionally, she holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership and administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

According to Arkansas Online, before her stint as the eStem Public Charter Schools chief executive officer, Dr. Cherie Antoniette Labat had already accumulated a wealth of experience working with multiple reputable organizations. Right before her eStem gig, she served as the Mississippi Cyber Defense Initiative cybersecurity coordinator at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Before her cybersecurity job, Cherie Labat served as the Columbus Municipal School District superintendent from 2018 to 2022. From 2006 to her entry at the Columbus School District, Labat worked at the Bay Waveland School District, working her way up from assistant superintendent to principal.

She has also worked at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College as the institution's career and technical director and assistant dean, along with being an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State University.

Labat assumed the role of CEO at eStem Public Charter Schools in central Arkansas in May 2023, a position that she held until her untimely death on Tuesday. She served as the head of the 3,000-student, five-campus charter school system after replacing the system's previous CEO, John Bacon.

According to Arkansas Online, one of the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education's many achievements was the elective credit offering of the Advanced Placement African American Studies course. However, the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education removed the course from its course catalog only last year.

The removal resulted in the denial of state funds and graduate credits for anyone who took the course. According to parents' testimony in a letter, the charter schools continued the course. A letter from high school parents, cited by Arkansas Online, mentioned individuals who completed the aforementioned course receiving a medal, described as a "student's regalia."

She had even attended a Little Rock's Rotary Club 99 panel discussion on artificial intelligence in August, where she called AI a "skill set." She was quoted by Arkansas Online as saying:

"As our students become college- and career-ready, they will be asked by industries how to use artificial intelligence. So it's important that we embrace it."

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Family, friends, and acquaintances pay tribute to Cherie Labat

A plethora of tributes poured in for Cherie Labat as family friends, and many organizations that she has worked with or had an association with shared their condolences. Here are a few Facebook tributes dedicated to Cherie Labat, including multiple posts from her sisters, Kanika and Rhonda:

As mentioned earlier, the exact reason for the passing of 48-year-old educator Cherie Labat has not yet been disclosed.