Dr. Joni Stuart Cazeau is a double board-certified physician with specialties in Family Medicine and Health Care Quality and Management. Her medical career has been filled with great variety including military service with deployment to Afghanistan, during which time she served as the department head of the largest combined aid station in the Helmand Province. During her time in Afghanistan, she also held multiple leadership positions including serving on the Joint Theater Executive Medical Board, Base Emergency Management Team, Rabies Advisory Board, Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Committee, and Sexual Assault Committee. After returning from deployment, Joni continued to wear multiple hats, holding multiple leadership positions including Research Integrity Officer, Litigation Review officer, and Sexual Assault Program Manager. Following her career as a military physician, she has continued to serve the nation’s veterans as a physician at the Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Joni has also served as a telemedicine physician for Doctor on Demand, serving in an emerging area of medicine becoming ever more important during the COVID pandemic.
Joni has recently embarked on the new endeavor of children’s book author. With her children and husband, she published the first three books of their new series, “Learning With Gabriel and Ellise” in 2021. The family plans on publishing many more books in this series as well as releasing their premier book of a second series in January of 2022.
When not practicing medicine or writing books, Joni loves giving back to the community in any way possible, whether serving at the local homeless shelter, organizing cancer walks, giving educational health care talks, organizing health seminars, or serving in her local church, she just wants to always be a positive light and source of encouragement to others. Her last mission trip was in 2015, just prior to the delivery of her first child. With a 5-year-old son, 3-year-old daughter, and 1-year-old son, Joni is looking forward to resuming one of her passions, mission trips, and incorporating her children in these service opportunities. Haiti is at the top of their list.
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Cal LaRoche, a brilliant and dedicated advisor and champion of the Ron Brown Scholar Program, who left us on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.
Born in New York in January 1946, Cal graduated from Central State University in Ohio, where he joined the Eta Gamma Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. His career spanned decades of leadership and innovation, beginning at the National Security Agency and continuing through key roles at IBM, SkyTel Communications, and The Orkand Corporation.
A visionary entrepreneur, Cal later co-founded DC Ventures and Associates.
His commitment to service was unwavering. Cal chaired the Boards of Trustees at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda and Norwood School and served with distinction for 15 years on the Advisory Board of the Ron Brown Scholar Program. His leadership extended to the Beta Mu, Boulé Foundation Board, where he served as Chair, and to Patients For Affordable Drugs, where he was a founding board member and Treasurer.
An avid golfer and advocate for equity in the sport, Cal co-founded the Pro-Duffer/Carter Foundation Scholarship to promote diversity in golf. A long-time member of TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, he was as passionate about creating opportunity as he was about the game itself.
Cal’s legacy is carried on by his beloved family: his mother, Lucille “Gloria” David; his wife, Esperanza, and their sons, CJ and Ethan; his former wife, Cheryl LaRoche; their daughters, Gina LaRoche, Renee LaRoche-Morris, and Danielle LaRoche; six grandchildren; and his siblings. His wisdom, warmth, and unwavering belief in the potential of young people will remain an enduring part of the Ron Brown Scholar community.
We are forever grateful for Cal’s enduring support, leadership, and love. He leaves behind a legacy of excellence, generosity, and deep humanity. He will be deeply missed.
