Jamie Schexnayder, Co-founder of 10/31 Consortium, CFO/Treasurer, inaugural member
Jamie was raised in Gonzales, LA, and is thankful and blessed for having the most amazing childhood with her two wonderful parents, Camile and Evelyn Schexnayder, and her extraordinary brother, Chad, who she looks up to still to this day. Jamie now resides in Prairieville, just one mile away from her parents and childhood home.
Her educational background includes a Master of Science in Forestry, a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries with a concentration in Wildlife Management, a Bachelor of Science in Forestry with a concentration in Ecosystem Management, and a minor in Zoology from Louisiana State University.
Jamie has worked in disaster recovery for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for over 10 years. She is a Qualified Environmental and Historic Preservation Manager and has been a Certified Floodplain Manager for over 17 years. With a team of Environmental Protection Specialists, she assesses environmental and historic impacts and reviews potential federally funded projects and actions for environmental compliance for 18 presidentially declared disasters throughout Louisiana. Her specialties include complex drainage projects, floodplain management, wetlands, and threatened and endangered species.
Fall is Jamie’s favorite time of year. Her favorite color is black, followed by light black, dark black…ok, gray. Her parents did not allow her to watch R-rated movies growing up, but she remembers as a little girl begging her dad to let her watch An American Werewolf in London when it aired on TV. Then followed The Shining, Poltergeist, Fright Night, Nightmare on Elm Street, and many more. A scary movie fan had been born!
She isn’t sure when the number 13 became her lucky number, but it seemed to follow her everywhere. Her mother, Evelyn, was the 2nd child born out of 13 children. Her father, Camile, was born on the 13th. Jamie also played various sports growing up and lucked out a few times when she would receive the jersey number, 13.
She was a dancer for 26 years (13+13) and she recently played roller derby for 6 years for Red Stick Roller Derby, where she served as the organization’s Vice-President and Captain of the Capital Defenders team. However, her jersey number was well away from her favorite number 13. It was 666, enough to scare other players. Her derby name was The Schexorcist, a combination of her last name and her favorite movie, The Exorcist.
Jamie loves all things spooky but now considers herself just about immune to anything scary. She has the haunt industry to thank for that. Jamie worked at The 13th Gate Haunted House for 18 years where she was the Stage Manager and was the General Manager at 13th Gate Escape. During that time, every single day was Halloween! She hopes one day to have her own haunted house, even if it means having it in her backyard.
She met her husband, Travis Euggino, on the river thanks to his broken-down jet ski. And after exactly 9 years and one day of dating, she married him on her lucky day, Friday the 13th. Her first son, Timber, was born on Friday the 13th and her second son, Blaze, was born on Tuesday…… the 13th.
Jamie is a lover of animals. She can thank her dad for her love of cats. He brought home her first cat when she was 2 years old and for 44 years straight, she always had a cat, mostly black cats. Jamie grew up in an extremely large family with a ton of aunts, uncles, and cousins. She loved joking with her aunts as they often did with her. You see, Jamie didn’t get married until she was 36.5 years old. Her and Travis just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary last year. But all through her 20s and into her 30s her aunts would walk up to her at family weddings and say, “You’re Next.” Jamie would just laugh it off and roll her eyes. So, to get back at them she walked up to them at funerals and said, “You’re Next.”
Her hobbies include watching the Hallmark Channel, working out, and playing slot machines. She recently exceeded 770 workouts at Regymen Fitness Ascension where she enjoys challenges with the members and being pushed to the limits by her coaches. They really are like family.
As a child, Jamie remembers dressing up in costume and trick-or-treating in her neighborhood. An elderly man about 4 houses down used to give out pennies to all the boys and girls and another would give fruit. That may not seem like a lot to a child, but it meant a lot to her. It taught her that happiness is not dependent on our possessions or circumstances. Every Halloween she would also patiently wait for Mom and Dad to check through all the candy to make sure it was safe to eat so she could begin her sugar coma.
Many people enjoy Jamie and Travis’s decorating efforts for the various holidays, especially Halloween. She often must hide new decorations from Travis. Her goal is for her decorated home to one day mimic the Griswolds. People pass by and honk, get out of their cars to come take pictures, and many just roll down the window and say thank you for doing this each year.
Although she works in a politically charged and controversial environment, her passion remains behind the scenes, rather than in the spotlight. (Behind the Scenes Award namesake/first recipient)
Her work in disaster recovery teaches her meaningful lessons. Jamie chooses to show up in the world each day despite obstacles or challenges. She chooses to achieve happiness from within through her self-worth and self-value. Her life motto is Kill Them with Kindness, which she learned from her magnificent mother. Now she is thankful she gets to enjoy Halloween with her two young boys. What Jamie loves most about life is family. What she loves most about Halloween is that it brings families together.
