LaVant Wooten was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, attending multiple Elementary Schools all over the city before moving to Paramount prior to the 7th grade, where he attended Alondra Junior High and graduated from Paramount High School in 1981 with High Honors. Mr. Wooten attended UCLA, where he received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1986. While at UCLA, Mr. Wooten was a member of the UCLA Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, serving as President in 1985. He was also Treasurer of the Nu Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and was a Chancellor’s Award recipient upon graduation for distinguished service to the University.

Mr. Wooten spent the next 15 years at Rockwell International and 2 years at Boeing in their Space Programs, primary as an Engineer working on the Space Shuttle and was part of the team performing Compatibility Studies with the International Space Station while at Boeing. In 2001, Mr. Wooten left Boeing and went to work for the Federal Aviation Administration as a Project Engineer in Infrastructure, mainly on power improvements and emergency power generation for various FAA facilities. He is currently the Manager of the Infrastructure Platform for Construction Projects for the Western Service Area that includes California, Arizona, Nevada, and all the Pacific Islands.

Mr. Wooten has been married to his childhood sweetheart Bridgette for over 30 years and has two children - Jasmine, a graduate of the University of Chicago, and Jeremiah, a graduate of San Francisco St. In his volunteer time, he has served as Treasurer of the UCLA Black Alumni Association since 2008, and is on several committees, including the Legacy Scholarship Committee and is Past Master of New Hope Lodge #35, A.F & A.M, located in Long Beach, California.

Mr. Wooten enjoys skiing, basketball, and coaching youth sports, including Soccer and Basketball.