The Mississippi State Personnel Board is pleased to announce the selection of the inaugural class of Mississippi LEAD. Being the first new training program launched by the agency in nearly a decade, Mississippi LEAD is a new leadership program for executive leaders in state government. Unlike other programs, the curriculum is designed to fit into an executive leader’s busy schedule with monthly webinars and quarterly meetings during the course of two years.

We are pleased to announce that the following candidates have been selected for the inaugural class:

Bridgette Bell, Department of Child Protective Services

Tracy Buchanan, Division of Medicaid

Brian Daniel, Mississippi Development Authority

Michael Dehaan, Department of Revenue

Veronica Dunning, Mississippi Community College Board

Cindy Gardner, Department of Archives and History

Tylvester Goss, Department of Human Services

James “Caleb” Hammons, Office of State Aid Road Construction

Kameron Harris, Department of Human Services

Joe Hawkins, Board of Contractors

Jennifer Head, Department of Banking and Consumer Finance

Stephanie Hedgepeth, Department of Information Technology Services

Daniel Jordan, Office of the Secretary of State

Jennifer Lena, Mississippi Library Commission

Patrick Levine, Department of Marine Resources

Dr. Jo Ann Malone, Department of Education

Erin Meyer, Department of Education

Douglas Miracle, Office of the Attorney General

Samandra Murphy, Department of Rehabilitation Services

Brian Perry, Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Kellye Rhodes, Department of Revenue

Patrick Roberts, Mississippi Development Authority

Melvin Robinson, Department of Rehabilitation Services

Nirmala Sahoo, Department of Environmental Quality

Crystal Secoy, Office of the Attorney General

Bobby Sterling, Jr., Ellisville State School

Crystal Thompson, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency

Jason Thompson, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks

Elisa Wells, Department of Revenue

Jaricus Whitlock, Department of Environmental Quality

Alon Wood, Mississippi State Personnel Board

Nominations for the 2025 Mississippi LEAD class will open in November 2024.