The Mississippi Senate has confirmed Governor Tate Reeves' appointments to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. Donald Brown of Vicksburg was reappointed to serve as an at-large member for a five-year term effective July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2030. Hollis “Ray” Smith of Tupelo was appointed to serve an unexpired term through June 30, 2026, and has been reappointed to serve a subsequent five-year term through June 30, 2031. Smith will represent the Third Supreme Court District on the Board.
Brown was originally appointed to the Board by Governor Haley Barbour in 2005 and has served as both chairman and vice chairman. He is the deputy executive director of River Ridge Behavioral Health and has worked with the Mississippi Employment Security Commission, the Department of Human Services, and the Vicksburg Early Education Center. Brown also serves as the chairman of the State Rehabilitation Council for the Department of Rehabilitation Services. He is a member of the College Savings Board and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee. Active in the community, Brown was recently named “Volunteer of the Year” by the United Way of West Central Mississippi. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and also serves as president of the Rotary Club of Vicksburg. He and his family attend Mt. Zion No. 1 M. B. Church of Vicksburg.
Smith retired from Renasant Bank in 2021 after serving in human resources leadership, including as human resources director, since 1998. His prior experience includes serving as a human resources executive and division manager at Allstate and as a district executive with the Boy Scouts of America. Smith holds a bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Human Resources Management at Indiana University Indianapolis. He previously served on the Barret School of Banking Board of Regents in Memphis and the American Bankers Insurance Association Board of Directors.