NEW YORK • Mortgage rates have jumped, home sales have slumped and credit cards and auto loans have gotten pricier. Savings rates are slightly juicier, though.
As the Federal Reserve has rapidly increased interest rates, many econ omists say they fear that a recession is inevitable in the coming months –and with it, job losses that could cause hardship for households already hurt worst by inflation.
This week, the Federal Reserve sharply raised its key short-term rate by three-quarters of a point for a third straight time, even as its previous rate increases are being felt by households at all income levels.
The Fed’s latest move has raised its benchmark rate to a range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest level in 14 years. Its steady rate increases have already made it increasingly costly for con sumers and businesses to borrow – for homes, autos and other purchases. And more hikes are almost surely com ing. Fed officials are expected to signal Wednesday that their benchmark rate could reach as high as 4.5% by early next year.
Here’s what to know:
If one definition of inflation is “ too much money chasing too few goods,” then by making it more expensive to borrow money, the Fed hopes to re duce the amount of money in circula tion, eventually lowering prices.
Anyone borrowing money to make a large purchase, such as a home, car, or large appliance, will take a hit, said Scott Hoyt, an analyst with Moody’s Analytics.
“The new rate pretty dramatically increases your monthly payments and your cost,” he said. “It also affects con sumers who have a lot of credit card debt – that will hit right away.”
That said, Hoyt noted that household debt payments, as a proportion of in come, remain relatively low, though they have risen lately. So even as bor rowing rates steadily rise, many house holds might not feel a much heavier debt burden immediately.
“I’m not sure interest rates are top of mind for most consumers right now,” Hoyt said. “They seem more worried
about groceries and what’s going on at the gas pump. Rates can be some thing tricky for consumers to wrap their minds around.”
Even before the Fed’s decision Wednesday, credit card borrowing rates have reached their highest level since 1996, according to Bankrate.com, and these will likely continue to rise.
And with inflation raging, there are signs that Americans are increasingly relying on credit cards to help main tain their spending. Total credit card balances have topped $900 billion, ac cording to the Federal Reserve, a record high, though that amount isn’t adjust ed for inflation.
John Leer, chief economist at Morn ing Consult, a survey research firm, said its polling suggests that more Amer icans are spending down the savings they accumulated during the pandemic and are using credit instead. Eventual ly, rising rates could make it harder for those households to pay off their debts.
Those who don’t qualify for low-rate credit cards because of weak credit scores are already paying significantly higher interest on their balances, and they’ll continue to.
As rates have risen, zero percent loans marketed as “Buy Now, Pay Later” have also become popular with consumers. Yet longer-term loans of more than four payments that these companies offer are subject to the same increased borrowing rates as credit cards.
For people who have home equity lines of credit or other variable-interest debt, rates will increase by roughly the same amount as the Fed hike, usually within one or two billing cycles. That’s because those rates are based in part on banks’ prime rate, which follows the Fed’s.
Auto loans are at their highest lev els since 2012, according to Bankrate. com’s Greg McBride. Rates on new auto loans are likely to go up by nearly as much as the Fed’s rate increase. That could knock some lower-income buy ers out of the new-vehicle market, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director at Edmunds.com.
Caldwell added that the entire in crease isn’t passed on to consumers; some automakers are subsidizing rates to attract buyers. Bankrate.com says a 60-month new vehicle loan averaged just over 5% last week, up from 3.86% in January. A 48-month used vehicle loan was 5.6%, up from 4.4% in January.
Many lower-income buyers have al ready been priced out of the new-ve hicle market, according to Caldwell. Automakers have been able to get top dollar for their vehicles because de mand is high and supply is low. For more than a year, the industry has been grappling with a shortage of computer chips that has slowed factories world wide.
Last week, the average fixed mort gage rate topped 6%, its highest point in 14 years, meaning that rates on home loans are about twice as expensive as they were a year ago.
Mortgage rates don’t always move perfectly in tandem with the Fed in crease, instead tracking the expected yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note has reached nearly 3.6%, its highest level since 2011.
Asking rents are up 11% from last year, said Daryl Fairweather, an econ omist with the brokerage Redfin. But price growth has slowed, and some renters are moving to more affordable areas.
If you’re financially able to proceed with a home purchase, you’re likely to have more options than at any time in the past year. Sales of both new and ex isting homes have dropped steadily for months.
Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have dropped in value since the Fed began raising rates. So have many previous ly high-valued technology stocks. Bit coin has plunged from a peak of about $68,000 to under $20,000.
Higher rates mean that safe assets like Treasuries have become more attractive to investors because their yields have increased. That makes risky assets like technology stocks and cryp tocurrencies less attractive, in turn.
Still, bitcoin continues to suffer from problems separate from economic pol icy. Two major crypto firms have failed, shaking the confidence of crypto inves tors.
The rising returns on high-yield sav ings accounts and certificates of de posit (CDs) have put them at levels not
seen since 2009, which means house holds may want to boost savings wher ever possible. You can also now earn more on bonds and other fixed-income investments.
Though savings, CDs, and money market accounts don’t typically track the Fed’s changes, online banks and others that offer high-yield savings ac counts can be exceptions. These insti tutions typically compete aggressively for depositors. (The catch: They some times require significantly high depos its.)
In general, banks tend to capitalize on a higher-rate environment to boost their profits by imposing higher rates on borrowers, without necessarily of fering juicer rates to savers.
The short answer: Inflation. Over the past year, inflation has clocked in at a painful 8.3%. So-called core prices, which exclude food and energy, also rose faster than expected.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned last month that, “our responsibility to de liver price stability is unconditional” – a remark widely interpreted to mean the Fed will fight inflation with rate in creases even if it leads to deep job loss es or a recession.
The goal is to slow consumer spend ing, thereby reducing demand for homes, cars and other goods and ser vices, eventually cooling the economy and lowering prices.
Powell acknowledged that aggres sively raising interest rates would “bring some pain.”
Some economists argue that wide spread layoffs will be necessary to slow rising prices. One argument is that a tight labor market is fueling wage growth and higher inflation. In Au gust, the economy gained 315,000 jobs. There are roughly two job openings ad vertised for every unemployed worker.
“Job openings continue to exceed job hires, indicating employers are still struggling to fill vacancies,” noted Ode ta Kushi, an economist with First Amer ican.
As a result, some argue higher unem ployment might cool wage pressures and tame inflation. Research published earlier this month by the Brookings Institution stated that unemployment might have to go as high as 7.5% to re duce inflation to the Fed’s 2% target.
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The Legislature will have more than $1.5 billion in extra Gen eral Fund money to spend next year, according to a report in Y’all Politics. That’s a big pot of extra money considering the total General Fund budget for the current fiscal year was $6.3 billion.
In the coming weeks leg islators on the joint Legisla tive Budget Committee will gather to work on the budget plan for the 2023 legislative session. Actually, they will come to hear what Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hose mann, the actual deciders, want them to do. Gunn rotat ed on as chairman of the committee this year.
If things go as usual, not much of the extra money will find its way into the initial budget plan. This approach would give Gunn and Hose mann the most flexibility for controlling appropriations during the session.
No doubt the beginning revenue esti mate guiding appropria tions for next year will take into account inflation.
CRAWFORDState agencies, universities, community colleges, schools and other entities that get General Fund money will be pushing for increases to cov er their escalating costs.
The extra money is socalled “one-time” money. In other words, the excess may not be recurring so it should not be spent on recurring costs, unless legislative lead ers decide otherwise as they have in the past. A short twoyear trend indicates much of the increase may last, but phased in tax cuts will damp en that some. Also much of the extra money resulted from income taxes generated by massive stimulus dollars that have now gone away.
It will be illuminating to
see how the budget com mittee manages discussions about extra money utiliza tion. Besides ever-present needs to better fund educa tion, Medicaid, and road and bridge repairs, here are some possible uses:
• Other states experiencing revenue bumps sent cash rebates to taxpayers. Georgia gave single taxpayers $250, married couples $500.
• Last week State Auditor Shad White said he favored a state earned income tax credit to benefit low income workers. Gov. Phil Bryant proposed a version of this in 2014 but the Legislature failed to approve it.
• Money is needed quickly for the state to comply with the federal court order to im prove mental health services. People jailed an average of 25 days waiting for a hospital bed is “a clearly unaccept able pattern,” wrote court appointed monitor Michael Hogan.
• Patients will have to
travel to Memphis, Mobile or Augusta, Ga., when Missis sippi’s only burn center, the JMS Burn and Reconstruc tion Center at Merit Health Central in south Jackson, closes Oct. 14th.
• Jackson wants money to help pay for fixes to its water system not covered by fed eral disaster relief or federal infrastructure money.
• The University of Mis sissippi Medical Center will likely take over operation of the failing Greenwood Leflore Hospital but suffers its own financial issues from its dispute with Blue Cross Blue Shield.
My bet is the most signifi cant use of the extra money will be to accelerate income tax cuts, even though that is not an appropriate use of one-time money.
“Help others, and you will be helped” – Proverbs 11:25.
BILL CRAWFORD is a syndicated columnist from Jackson. Readers can contact him at crawfolk@gmail.com.
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Because of more information on websites such as realtor. com, zillow.com, and similar websites, homeowners have more information than ever before about the local real estate market and real estate, in general.
Calls from brokers and investors wanting to make an offer on their homes add more impetus to consider selling one’s home without the benefit of a real estate agent. It’s a big decision and one that can be costly. To assist in making that decision, listed below are several items that may be of assistance.
You may need to list with a real estate agent if:
• You plan to list your house for ap praised value;
• Your house has been on the market
for six months for sale by owner and nobody has looked at it even though you put a sign in the front yard;
• You know you will get your asking price because it is a sellers’ market;
• You’ve heard of the term ARM, and you’re pretty sure it’s a body part;
• You only want to show your house on the weekend;
• You think that an open house is something you invite your friends to at Christmas;
• You know you really don’t need a sign in the yard because most buyers find out about houses for sale through word-of-mouth or the Internet;
• Your feelings are hurt when visitors to your home laugh at your shag carpet and swag lamp;
• You understand that you can call up the multiple listing service and put your house in the new listings;
• You think you can make more money by not having to pay a real estate commission;
• You’re certain that earnest money and down payment or one and the same thing;
• You know that the buyer will give you the best deal because you are wellliked and because the buyer wants to buy from someone just like you;
• You don’t know at least six ways to finance the purchase;
• You think that a discount point is something you get for shopping at
Walmart;
• You aren’t prepared to look at every house on the market in your price range;
• You don’t know how to determine the listing price; orYou don’t enjoy negotiating.
If you have found yourself scratching your head after reading some of the above items it might be a good idea to call an experienced real estate profes sional.
By the way, yours truly has a fair amount of experience in real estate, yet I recently sold my home and listed it with a real estate agent.
Good luck.
PHIL HARDWICK is a regular Mississippi Business Journal columnist. His email address is phil@ philhardwick.com.
BY DENNIS SEID COLUMBUS – There were plenty of doubters in early 2005, when discus sions emerged that a $650 steel mill employing 450 people might be built in Lowndes County.
Joe Max Higgins, the executive director of the Golden Triangle Develop ment Link, ignored them at the time. But defend ing his decision to bring in veteran steel industry executive John Correnti to build what was then Steel Corr became challenging when Correnti’s promises were taking time to fulfill.
“When Correnti came, he said when we get the steel mill, we’ll get these customers, these suppli ers and these processors,” he said. “We got the mill, but we didn’t get some of those things initially.”
The mill broke ground in October 2005 and opened two years later, with the promise of 450 jobs in Lowndes County paying $70,000 for pro duction workers.
The mill was financed with senior debt facilities of $345 million, a $25-mil lion USDA loan, $15 mil lion for water treatment facility financing, $18 million in vendor financ ing and a $75-million company bond issuance, necessitating the state to commit $25 million through an infrastructure grant, and a $12-million Lowndes County grant. If needed, the state would provide a $75-million con tingent loan.
SteelCorr said related industries and services would generate another 1,000 jobs in the Golden Triangle. Employment of up to 1,500 workers would be needed to build the plant over 16 to 20
months.
“Slowly but surely those jobs started coming in,” Higgins said.
Mississippi Steel Pro cessing built on-site with the mill and has expanded three times; New Process Steel has doubled its facil ity. In July, Altex Tube said it would open a $108 mil lion plant.
“When you factor in what the mill has done since 2007, what was sup posed to be originally a $650 project was already at $1 billion after the first phase,” Higgins said. “Not long after it opens, they added another melt line, taking the investment up to $1.65 billion. A few few years later they built a $110 million paint line. Last year they’d finished a $250 million expansion to the galvanizing line. So the mill itself is at $2 bil lion.”
SteelCorr became SeverCorr in October 2005 when Russian steelmaker Severstal kicked in some $260 million in financing. In early 2008, the compa ny bought out Correnti’s shares in the joint venture, along with other senior management, and the plant was renamed Sever Steel. Eight years ago, Steel Dynamics purchased the mill for $1.65 billion.
Today, the Steel Dy namics employs some 850 people in Columbus, and about the same number are employed either di rectly or indirectly by the steel industry there.
“The steel mill was al ready an exciting project, and we’re working on an other project with them on site,” Higgins said. “If we land this project, then we will fill up the entire site.”
The TVA megasite upon
which Steel Dynamics sits covers some 1,400 acres.
“It’s a good problem to have,” Higgins said.
“But we still have land out there that available. Steel Dynamics has in vested year after year, and we’ve got a project going out there all the time,” he added. “We’ve got some money from the ARC and the state legislature, about $4.2 million, to expand their rail yard ... we could assign somebody just to work with the mill and the projects they bring.”
Correnti, was a veteran steel industry executive, had been pitching his idea for a new steel mill in 2004, and Arkansas, Lou isiana and Missouri were the leading contenders. The strongest appeared to be Osceola, Arkansas, which already was home to two Nucor mills.
Correnti, a longtime Nucor exec who was CEO from 1996-1999, left the company and immedi ately sought to build his own mills. Columbus was not on anyone’s radar but Correnti apparently. The deal was all but done in Arkansas, but according to Higgins, Correnti was un able to get a competitive power rate. So he showed up in Columbus to pitch his idea to Higgins at the right time. TVA had certi fied the Columbus site as one of its first two mega bytes, and Correnti shifted his plans to Columbus.
The move has paid div idends.
Higgins said a recent analysis showed that the steel mill has provided the greatest ROI to the state so far, compared to the likes of Toyota, Yokohama Tire and Continental Tire, all billion-dollar investments or more.
The state of Mississippi has had a direct connec tion to NASA’s space ex ploration missions since Stennis Space Center was established in Hancock County at the start of the race to the moon in the 1960s.
From the Apollo lunar missions, through the Space Shuttle flights and now with NASA’s ambi tious plan to return to the moon, the nation’s space travels have had a ma jor economic impact on the state and particularly South Mississippi.
According to NASA’s latest economic study, Stennis Space Center had a global impact in 2021 of nearly $950 million. The average salary of the more than 5,000 employees at the center was $105,000 with benefits.
The space agency touts its new Artemis program is the first step in the next era of human exploration. Together with commercial and international partners, NASA will establish a sus tainable presence on the moon to prepare for mis sions to Mars. Once again, Mississippi workers and businesses are in the spot light for their contributions to NASA’s mission.
In a compilation by the Mississippi Development Authority before the first Artemis launch attempt in September, MDA cited NASA prime contractors at Stennis including Aero jet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Jacobs, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
MDA also highlighted other companies in Mis sissippi that worked on producing components for Artemis I including Doleac Electric Co. and B&B In strumentation Products,
both of Gulfport, NGIS ATK Space Systems of Iuka, Odile of Picayune as well as the University of Mississippi. Companies with a Mississippi pres ence that are involved in the Artemis project are General Dynamics, Leidos, PAE Applied Technologies and Raytheon, according to MDA.
“Mankind has always looked to the stars, and we are proud that Mississippi has played a role for over 60 years in reaching those stars,” said Laura Hipp, MDA’s deputy executive director. “This (Artemis) mission shows the deter mination and hard work of Mississippians and all those that have dedicated so much time and effort to this project. They should all be proud to have played such a monumental role in what will be a histori cal event for our nation’s space program.”
After two launch at tempts that were halted by propellant leaks, NASA is working to get back on track for the first launch of the Space Launch Sys tem, described as the most powerful rocket in histo ry. The rocket’s core stage consists of four powerful engines that were tested and approved for flight worthiness in Hancock County.
Warren Saucier, general manager of Doleac Electric Co.’s Gulfport Division, said the Hattiesburg-based company, which opened in 1947, has been working at Stennis Space Center on various projects for about 30 years. For the Artemis program, Doleac employ ees began renovating the large test stand used to hot fire the Space Launch Sys tem’s rocket back in 2013.
Besides the test stand
renovation, Doleac built and wired the engine deck’s lighting, power, communications and controls where the rocket engines are assembled by Aerojet Rocketdyne.
“It’s been a whole series of work we did on the en gine room and deck, from putting in badge readers to the high bay engine deck lights, the engine room wifi and the HVAC clean room systems,” he said.
Saucier himself has personal connections to the space center, starting from its beginnings to the present. “My dad actual ly worked on building the B-2 test stand back in the ‘60s, so for me and my son to work on renovating it 50 years later is something special,” he said. Anoth er connection is a current one: Saucier’s son-in-law is a test technician at the Aerojet Facility at SSC.
“It’s exciting to be a part of NASA’s success and it’s a good feeling to have,” Saucier said. “We take pride in our reputation as a company so whenever we are involved over and over in these things, it makes you feel good.”
Saucier said in addi tion to working directly for NASA and the Navy at Stennis, Doleac is actively involved with private com panies including RollsRoyce, Lockheed Martin and Relativity Space.
“We did some work at the Michould Assembly Facility in New Orleans as well,” he said.
Saucier keeps Doleac’s focus on Department of Defense work across the Coast, including the State Port at Gulfport, Keesler Air Force Base, the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Camp Shelby and Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Mississippi might not be the first state you think of when it comes to large scale solar ener gy production projects. But the state has plenty of sunshine, a temperate climate and utilities that have made some signifi cant investments in solar ener gy power production.
Mississippi Power Compa ny partnered with three solar energy project owners and the U.S. Navy on four utility-scale solar facilities in the compa ny’s service territory, said MPC spokeswoman Kaila Moran Griffith. Combined, they gen erate about 160 megawatts (MW) of electricity, enough to power more than 23,000 homes for a full year. The com pany serves 191,000 customer facilities.
Construction was complet ed in May for a 100-mega watt Entergy Mississippi solar power station near Ruleville in the Mississippi Delta. That is just the beginning. Entergy Mississippi’s Economic De velopment with Green Energy (EDGE) initiative calls for the company to add 500 MW of renewable power by 2025, and another 500 MW by 2027, said Entergy spokeswoman Mara M. Hartmann. Entergy serves 461,000 customers. The solar farms will replace produc tion at some aging natural gas plants.
Recurrent Energy, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar, Inc., devel oped and built the Sunflower Solar Station for Entergy Mis sissippi, which will own it for the life of the facility. Hart mann said Sunflower is one of the first utility-scale solar proj ects to be constructed under a Build Transfer Agreement in the U.S. The BTA was approved unanimously by the Mississip pi Public Service Commission
in April 2020.
Canadian Solar Chairman and Chief Executive Office Dr. Shawn Qu said in a press re lease that Sunflower was the company’s first build-owntransfer project and their first project in Mississippi.
“We look forward to sup porting the growth of solar throughout the southeast United States and repeating this model which provides ad ditional value for our custom ers,” Qu said.
MPC had three solar farms come online in 2017. Facilities include a 3.29 MW utility-scale solar energy project at the Na val Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, where the U.S. Navy and MPC partnered on the project. MPC installed a 50-MW utility-scale solar ener gy project in Hattiesburg and a 52-MW solar energy project in Sumrall. A 52.5-MW energy project in Lauderdale County opened in February 2020.
“Also, last year, the Missis sippi Public Service Commis sion unanimously approved our request to construct and operate a new solar and bat tery storage electric generating facility in Walnut Grove,” Grif fith said. “Mississippi Power receives the solar energy and renewable energy credits gen erated by these facilities, which we can use to serve our cus tomers or sell to third parties for the benefit of customers.”
The small utility scale solar and battery storage facility will be capable of producing ap proximately 1.5 MWs of clean, carbon-free solar energy. It will also provide more than 5 MWh of battery storage capacity for Mississippi Power’s custom ers. Griffith said the facility will offer the opportunity for demonstration of advanced solar photovoltaic panels and battery energy storage tech
nology concepts and assess the suitability of this arrangement to provide microgrid capabili ties for the Walnut Grove area.
“This facility will be a valu able research and demonstra tion project that will help de termine if these new concepts improve cost effectiveness for our customers, and provide knowledge that can be applied to future applications as these technologies continue to ad vance,” said MPC Renewable Energy Program Manager Alli son Little. “This solar and bat tery storage facility will expand Mississippi Power’s energy portfolio and further our com mitment to deliver safe and reliable energy to the commu
nities we serve.”
Hattiesburg-based Cooper ative Energy serves 11 electric distribution member systems in the state. The generation and transmission cooperative currently has nine small-scale solar sites across the state and one large utility-scale site, MS Solar III, in Lamar County near Sumrall. In the future, Cooper ative Energy plans to purchase all electricity produced at the 100 MW Delta’s Edge solar site when it comes online. Cooper ative Energy is also a member of the regional transmission organization, MISO, which provides access to solar ener gy produced throughout the MISO region. Collectively, Co
operative Energy’s 11 member systems serve 445,000 homes and businesses across the state.
“Our participation in these large utility-scale sites and our participation in the MISO mar ket allows us to provide rough ly one million Mississippians with one of the leading forms of environmentally-friendly energy,” said Cooperative En ergy spokeswoman Sara Pe terson. “Additionally, our nine small-scale solar sites provide us the opportunity to learn more about the reliability and affordability of solar, as well as the opportunity to compare them to the operations and economics of the larger sites.”
Tippah
Prentiss County
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Brian
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ace-power.com
662-456-3037 ntepa.com
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of
by
40,377
110 37,650
135 37,597
116 33,552
92 32,765
81 28,639
75 27,994
Brad Robison 1937 119 27,978
Kevin Bonds 1937 80 25,652
Frankie Moorman 1934 83 19,946
Eddie Howard 1934 76 18,911
Shawn Edmonson 1939 67 16,088
Tim Smith 1938 50 14,082
Robert Dodson 1935 37 13,961
Tim Wigginton 1936 56 13,767
Barry Rowland 1936 38 12,813
Tim Perkins 1938 54 12,076
Michael Neely 1937 55 10,329
Keith Hurt 1937 39 7,975
served. Direct questions to frank.brown@msbusiness.com.
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BY LISA MONTI
As the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season activity picks up after a slow start, there’s no time like the present to review plans to protect important tax-related information. But even if you haven’t put things in order, the Internal Revenue Ser vice offers information to help individuals, busi nesses and organizations deal with the aftermath of hurricanes and other disasters such as trop ical storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding.
The first step the IRS suggests is to secure key documents and make copies of them. Taxpay ers are advised to place original documents such as tax returns, birth cer tificates, deeds, titles and insurance policies inside waterproof containers and store them in a se cure space. Duplicates of these documents should be kept with a trusted person outside the area where the taxpayer is lo cated, offering extra pre cautions against loss.
Another option to make sure your docu ments are secure and easily portable is to scan them for backup storage on electronic media such as a flash drive or exter nal hard drive.
Taxpayers also should document their personal valuables and business equipment. The IRS says that current photos or videos of a home or busi ness’s contents can prove valuable in supporting claims for insurance or tax benefits after a di saster. All property, es pecially those expensive and high-value items, should be recorded.
| MORE INFORMATION |
Here are more resources from the IRS:
• IRS Business Casualty, Disaster, and Theft Loss Workbook: www.irs. gov/forms-pubs/aboutpublication-584-b
• Reconstructing Records After a Natural Disaster or Casualty Loss: www.irs.gov/newsroom/ reconstructing-recordsafter-a-natural-disaster-orcasualty-loss-irs-providestips-to-help-taxpayers
• Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief for Individuals and Businesses: www.irs. gov/businesses/smallbusinesses-self-employed/ disaster-assistance-andemergency-relief-forindividuals-and-businesses
• Choosing a payroll service provider: www.irs. gov/newsroom/irs-urgesemployers-to-choosecarefully-when-selecting-apayroll-service-provider
• Find complete disaster assistance and emergency relief details for individuals and businesses on the Around the Nation webpage on IRS.gov.
Internal Revenue Service taxes forms are seen on Feb. 13, 2019. The flagship climate change and health care bill passed by Democrats and soon to be signed by President Biden will have U.S. taxpayers one step closer to a government-operated electronic free-file tax return system.
The IRS disaster-loss workbooks in Publica tion 584 can help indi viduals and businesses compile lists of belong ings or business equip ment. Publication 584 is a workbook designed to help you figure your loss on business and in come-producing prop erty in the event of a di saster, casualty or theft. It contains schedules to help figure the loss to your office furniture and fixtures, information sys tems, motor vehicles, of fice supplies, buildings and equipment.
The IRS also advises employers who use pay
roll service providers to ask the provider if it has a fiduciary bond in place. The bond could protect the employer in the event of default by the payroll service provider.
After a disaster, you may be required to re construct your records for tax purposes, to get federal assistance or re imbursement from insur ance companies. Those who have lost some or all their records during a disaster can visit IRS’s Reconstructing Records webpage as one of their first steps.
After FEMA issues a disaster declaration, the IRS says it may post pone certain tax-filing and tax-payment dead lines for taxpayers who live or have a business
in the disaster area. The IRS automatically identi fies taxpayers located in the covered disaster area and applies filing and payment relief to them, so taxpayers are not re quired to contact the IRS.
Those impacted by a di saster who have tax-relat ed questions can contact the IRS at (866) 562-5227 to speak with a specialist trained to handle disas ter-related issues.
Taxpayers who do not
reside in a covered di saster area but suffered impact from a disaster should also call (866) 562-5227 to find out if they qualify for disaster tax relief and to discuss other available options.
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The fact that natural gas pric es are now at the highest levels in the U.S. seen in 14 years are raising concerns that consum ers could be facing significant increases in bills for heating and electricity in the coming winter.
Public Service Commis sion Chairman Dane Maxwell, Southern District of Mississip pi, said the higher natural gas prices have upended the previ ous dynamic that made natural gas electric generation cheaper than coal. He is concerned that consumers of both electricity and natural gas are in for higher bills this winter.
“As a commissioner, there is nothing I can do to control nat ural gas prices,” Maxwell said. “We are trying to educate peo ple about what power bills are going to look like in the near fu ture. There is no relief in sight for natural gas prices. This is a slow roll that is coming out national ly and in other countries. These drastic increases are expected to continue into the next year. We have been meeting with the utilities and trying to get them ahead of the curve.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to Russia curtailing nat ural gas exports to European countries because of their sup port of Ukraine. Natural gas prices have gone from about $2.57 per thousand cubic feet (MCF) of gas during the pan demic in July 2020 to $9.66 per MCF in June, according to the U.S. Energy Information Ad ministration.
“The fact is, an international conflict would not be an issue if the United States had contin ued our energy independence,” Maxwell said. “But the current administration has cancelled pipelines and we no longer de termine our fate when it comes to fuel prices, and customers are being penalized by paying more than they should.”
U.S. natural gas supplies are selling overseas in record amounts.
“They could sell that gas to us for a whole lot cheaper, but they are taking advantage of the mar ket,” Maxwell said. “Business is business. Overseas people are paying top prices, which turns
Home energy costs are expected to rise this winter.
around and hurts us. If the price globally continues to grow, it is going to cost us, unless we get domestic suppliers to slow down their overseas sales.”
Utilities are allowed by stat ute to recover all of their fuel costs. Maxwell estimated the in creased fuel costs from Entergy alone could amount to north of $400 million a year.
“Bills could go up substantial ly after they file and are allowed to recover those fuel costs,” Maxwell said. “You could see a $30 per month increase in your power bill. We just settled a lawsuit from Entergy over the Grand Gulf Nuclear Plant for $300 million, the largest settle ment in the history of the PSC. Some will go to ratepayers and some back into fuel costs to less en the blow of the increase.
“We pushed and negotiated a very good settlement for the ratepayer, but that is not going to stop the increase. It is just going to make it less this year. I worry every day about what we can do to stop this craziness, but it is very difficult when you don’t control the rates that are grant ed by the statute.”
Maxwell foresees a difficult winter especially as energy costs affect what it costs for groceries and other goods. An additional problem, he said, is that cities and counties in the state that lost sales tax revenue during the
pandemic have increased prop erty taxes for utilities.
Maxwell said while the PSC has encouraged utilities to di versify into renewable energy such as solar, he doesn’t see that as being the total solution.
“Let’s be honest,” Maxwell said. “Renewable energy is not reliable energy. I think we still have to invest in it; it is import ant to diversify. The only way to solve this is to invest in small modular reactors (SMR). It is new technology that is safer and cleaner than conventional nu clear power plants. It has a small footprint. One of those about an acre in size could power almost all of Jackson.”
While no SMRs are current ly licensed in the U.S., Maxwell said one is being used in France and they have been used for de cades to power submarines and warships.
“That is the most reliable energy and it generates very small amounts of waste over its lifetime,” Maxwell said. “We already have facilities that can handle the waste, so really no threat or danger to the state. I wouldn’t put it in the state if I thought for one second it was harmful.”
Central District Commission er Brent Bailey also supports SMRs being considered as part of the electric generation mix going forward.
tion at the drill pad continue to increase, which will result in ad ditional supplies in the market,” Bailey said. “While this is lag ging behind need, we hope by 2023 production will ramp up to meet the demand and provide some price relief going forward.
Conservation by consumers is more important than ever.
“We’re probably multiple years out from seeing broad adoption,” Bailey said. “Instead of large nuclear reactors in one location, we could see SMRs generating 100 to 300 MW in multiple locations. We are seeing some early site approvals from the Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion approving certain designs to be built as pilot projects to study their viability, reliability, safety, and affordability. “
New conventional nuclear power plants have faced major delays and cost overruns. Bai ley said the two nuclear reac tors under construction at Plant Vogtle in Georgia are many years behind schedule and many billions over budget.
“That is part of the reason next generation nuclear is going to have to look at more modular design,” Bailey said.
Bailey attributes the high nat ural gas prices to a combination of increased demand for the generation of electricity due to economic growth and weath er conditions in addition to the U.S. increasing natural gas ex ports to reduce the impact of Russia’s rationing of gas sold to Europe. Another factor, he said, has been the continued retire ments of coal-fired generation plants and subsequent replace ment with national gas-fired units.
“Now we are seeing produc
“At the direction of the PSC, our regulated utilities offer tech nical and financial incentives to help customers make their homes and buildings more en ergy efficient to decrease ener gy costs, and improve comfort, health and safety. Those mea sures can include caulking and sealing windows and doors, re ducing drafts, and making sure there is enough attic insulation. Homeowners might consider replacing single panes windows as the heat and cold just goes right through them. Addition al federal incentives for energy upgrades under the Inflation Reduction Act need to be un derstood.”
Energy audits can be quite helpful.
“You might never know what could be improved until you have an extra set of eyeballs with the technical understanding and training of what to look for that are causing energy waste,” Bailey said.
Bailey said he hopes we have a mild winter. That would mean less natural gas demand. He said a very cold winter would not be in the best interest of ratepayers in this time of high prices.
“We are also encouraging utilities to do what they can with hedging contracts and for ward contracting to offset and smooth out the increased costs to create additional pricing pre dictability for customers,” Bai ley said. “We have seen them do very well over the past few years through buying in advance that avoids the spikes that would be seen if they were buying on the spot market all the time. That is reflected in more stable rates for consumers.”
He said one thing Mississip pi is blessed with is a lot of un derground natural gas storage capacity in salt domes. It has helped but replenishing the stores is more expensive.
As more and more natural disasters strike Mississippi, how is this vulnera bility to climate change reshaping prop erty and casualty insurance? Insurers and property owners are wondering what the future holds. Two state veter ans of the insurance industry share their thoughts on this timely issue.
Amy W. Smith, executive vice presi dent/commercial lines manager with Ross Yerger, says there is no question that insurance carriers are seeing an in crease in weather-related claims such as wildfires, tornados and hurricanes.
“Climate change impacts storm fre quency, storm frequency increases claims, claims frequency and severity is going to impact carriers’ stability and their desire to write in Mississippi or any other state with increased natural disas ter activity,” she said. “With this outlook for the entire country, you might see stricter building codes such as fortified home construction.”
But stricter codes may not be the only thing increasing as higher costs lead to higher premiums.
“Not only are we seeing increased premiums now, we are also seeing high er deductibles, wind/hail deductibles
added, coverage limitations, insured to value increases along with more restric tions on roofs,“ Smith said.
“For the past few years, the insurance industry has seen a high increase in cat astrophic weather-related claims from wildfires in California, multiple hurri canes in Louisiana and tornados in the Midwest. With climate changes, those types of claims will continue to happen and probably at a higher frequency. You will continue to see carriers use pre dictability modeling for underwriting (that will continue to be updated as our climate changes), coverage changes/ limitations, and increased premiums to help alleviate the higher risk exposures.”
Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, president, SouthGroup Insurance, also predicts higher premiums.
“With the recent spike in inflation, construction costs, labor costs, lawsuits, and claims expense, we are seeing in creased pressure on insurance rates, even for those who did not file a claim,” she says. “Our Mississippi Insurance Department works well with the insur ance companies to ensure that they are being treated fairly with adequate rates, and that the companies are treat ing consumers fairly and in compliance
with their insurance contracts.
“Nothing stays the same, and prices for every industry are increasing, but through mitigation, pride of ownership, and a strong supply of insurance com panies, consumers have options for their coverage and pricing.”
Zeringue recommends shopping your insurance every three years to be sure you have the best available rate, but not to shop every year because you will lose out on loyalty credits. Bundling home and auto with the same agency may help, and there may be deductible buydowns available to assist with the higher deductibles being mandated by the in surance companies.
Smith recommends that property owners use an independent agent who can advise as well as give access to mul tiple insurance carriers.
Zeringue also points out that Missis sippi is diligently working to mitigate damage from flooding and wind expo sures.
“Our building codes are strict, and we are building stronger and smarter,” she said. “Hurricanes are a wildcard, be cause they are unpredictable, but this is nothing new for our area.”
She says insurers are providing policy
credits for homeowners adding miti gation for the protection of their prop erty, and they add credits for the use of smart-devices that provide an early warning alert for water or smoke dam age to reduce damage.
“Central alarms for fire and break-ins also receive credits,” she said. “Roofs that were promised a 30 year life when installed are failing in record numbers, and companies offer a steep discount for a new roof. Consumers need to re view their policy’s coverage level to confirm they have an adequate replace ment cost estimated for their home and that they are insured properly.”
“Companies providing the lowest rates are requiring tree limbs to be cut back at least three feet from the home, handrails on stairs, removal of liabil ity hazards from the property, repair of any existing damage, and in some cases, they are requiring an old roof to be replaced or the deductible could be five percent or higher,” Zeringue said. “Trampolines and vicious dogs are a li ability hazard and cost more to insure.
Having a good credit history and low number of claims on your record also help you get a better rate.”
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Matt Davidson took over as president of Atmos Energy’s Mississippi Division on Sept. 1, replacing retiring president Da vid Gates. Davidson previously was vice president for rates and regulatory affairs at the Flowoodbased company.
“I am honored to have been trusted to lead the men and women of the Mississippi Divi sion,” said Davidson in the com pany’s announcement. “David Gates leaves a legacy of strong leadership over his past 15 years as President, and I look forward to building on that foundation.”
Davidson said Gates set “a great example” for the 320 Atmos Energy employees in Mississippi.
“His involvement in the com munity and his relationship with employees across the state were second to none,” Davidson said.
Gates was known for his ded ication to community service, and Davidson said he expects the company and its employ ees to carry on that example set by Gates. Through the corpora tion’s Fueling Safe and Thriving
Communities pro gram, employees volunteer to help students with read ing and work in lo cal food banks.
“We want our communities to be successful, and we know our company’s success will follow,” Davidson said.
Davidson has a bachelor’s de gree in finance from the Univer sity of Alabama and a master’s in business administration from Tulane University. He, his wife, Aimee, and their three children live in Madison.
the system safety and reliability of its infrastructure.
DavidsonHe noted that Atmos Energy has a significant number of em ployees who have been with the company for decades.
“We have spent more than $500 million in Mississippi over the past five years, replacing aging infrastructure along with expanding natural gas service to under-served areas of Mississip pi.”
we do everything we can to help mitigate prices to help our cus tomers.”
He pointed out that Atmos En ergy does not make a profit from the price of natural gas and that the company can only charge what it pays for the product.
A native of Brewton, Ala., Da vidson has spent his entire ca reer with Atmos Energy, starting in 2004 as an analyst with Atmos Energy Marketing in New Orle ans. He joined the Mississippi Division in 2018 as vice president of marketing, leading the team and working with local and state economic developers. In 2019 he moved into his role as vice pres ident of rates and regulatory af fairs, responsible for communi cating the Mississippi division’s position on business and reg ulatory matters to various gov ernmental authorities. He served more than two years as chair of the Marketing Leadership Team, leading Atmos Energy’s enter prise strategic marketing efforts.
“A lot of them have had other opportunities, but they chose to stay,” he said. “That speaks to what a great company Atmos Energy is and what a great cul ture we have.”
Atmos Energy, the largest in vestor-owned gas utility in Mis sissippi, delivers natural gas to approximately 260,000 custom ers across the state. It is part of Atmos Energy Corp., an S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas. It is the country’s largest natural gas-only distributor with more than 3 million customers in eight states, mainly in the South.
Davidson said Atmos Energy is constantly investing in and mod ernizing its transmission and distribution systems to enhance
Davidson said the Mississip pi Public Service Commission, which regulates Atmos Energy, conducted a study of utility infra structure following the extreme winter conditions in February 2021.
“We performed very well in that review,” he said. “We had outages affecting less than 50 customers out of 260,000.”
Davidson said the prices of all energy sources have increased due to inflation and Russia’s war against Ukraine, but, he said, At mos Energy continually works to manage any potential price increase by buying and storing natural gas before winter.
“We did buy supply for the up coming winter in 2021 and more this spring and summer when prices were lower. As a company,
“We just get a delivery fee,” he said.
To help with increasing cost, Atmos Energy offers its custom ers options to help pay their bills. Budget Billing is a free program based on a rolling, 12-month av erage of a customer’s bill and ad justs each month to avoid large payments in winter months when natural gas usage is higher.
Atmos also will help customers who need additional assistance to pay their bills through federal, state or local energy assistance programs.
Davidson said even though natural gas is “one of the most efficient energy sources,” cus tomers can save money by con serving, using less, and utilizing energy-efficient equipment in homes and commercial devel opments.
Joey Deason, executive di rector, Madison County Eco nomic Development Authority, recently had the opportunity to visit Sunderland, UK, where Nissan Corp. has made a com mitment for its first conversion of a factory in Europe from producing gasoline to electric vehicles.
The Sunderland plant that has manufactured more than 10 million gas-powered vehicles is be ing converted to produce the EV360Zero at “a £1 billion flagship Electric Vehicle Hub creating a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem.” Nissan says the investment will supercharge the company’s drive to carbon neutrality and establish a new 360-degree solution for ze ro-emission motoring.
open your phone to look at on line news to learn about new green energy developments in the state including major solar farms being developed by Entergy, Mississippi Power Company and the Electric Co operative Associations of Mis sissippi.
all Mississippians and visitors have access to the EV charging infrastructure with a focus on the connectivity of rural and urban areas.”
Funding under this federal program is initially directed to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors for electric vehicles to build out a national net work, particularly along the in terstate highway system.
Deason Miller“They have an electrical ve hicle plant, a solar plant and EV battery facility all within an arm’s reach of each other,” Deason said. “With all the ac tivity we are seeing locally, we hope we might be able to cre ate the same type of EV manu facturing ecosphere here. We are very excited, obviously, that Nissan chose Madison County for its first large EV project in U.S. With an estimated invest ment of $500 million, the plant will produce two different elec tric vehicles. That just reinforc es what Nissan thinks about the quality of our workforce here in Mississippi.”
You only have to read a newspaper, look at Twitter or
“Everywhere you turn to the right and left, there are many places in the state where you can see solar panels on build ings and solar farms,” Deason said. “And I be lieve more are on the way. It is very exciting to see all of these working together creating a green in frastructure ecosphere. Within our municipalities in Madison County, you can see a Tesla at nearly every red light.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Teslas in Missis sippi. I saw someone come out of Barnes and Nobles the oth er day. While he was standing there, his Tesla backed out of the parking spot and pulled up in front of him so he could get in the vehicle and drive off.”
The recently passed Infla tion Reduction Act includes incentives such as tax credits for purchasing electric vehi cles and making investments in alternative energy. These can make electric cars more cost competitive with vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel, particularly when considering long-term costs for fuel and maintenance. The Mississippi Department of Transportation is developing a plan “to ensure
But the incentives aren’t ex pected to make a big impact on transitioning long-haul trucks to electric vehicles, said Hal Miller, president, Mississippi Trucking Association. Miller said the new legislation can provide a $7,500 tax credit on an electric truck under 14,000 pounds, and up to a $40,000 tax credit on bigger trucks.
“The flip side of that coin is the new electric trucks cost about twice as much as current diesel or natural gas trucks,” Miller said. “You would pay $350,000 for a Class 8 electric truck compared to $140,000 for a diesel truck. The incentive does not make up for that extra cost. You are still going to pay a good bit more than for diesel.”
Another big problem, Miller said, is that the electrical infra structure to charge big trucks isn’t available yet.
“Big trucks take massive amounts of electricity to charge them up,” Miller said. “Most areas are not capable of han dling that demand. Even if you wanted an electric truck, you might not be able to charge it.
“The infrastructure for longhaul trucks is not geared up to provide charging stations going from Jackson to Los An
Hal Miller President, Mississippi Trucking Association
geles, for example. Most of my members are long-haul truck ers. To this point, they aren’t using it because the infrastruc ture for recharging is just not there.”
What is being seen is inter est in small and medium sized electric trucks used for local and regional trips.
“That is where you see a lot of the purchases going because the truckers come home every night,” Miller said. “The small er delivery trucks also have the advantage of smaller battery packs and being able to set up their own charging stations.”
Miller finds it interesting that the State of California pro claimed recently it won’t allow the sale of any new gasoline powered cars and passenger trucks by 2035.
“Within two days, the state also came out and asked peo ple not to charge their electri cal vehicles because it was so
hot it was causing a shortage of electricity,” Miller said.
Still, Miller expects to see the country continue a trend towards electric vehicles in applications where they can be used. It is where things are headed. He sees some poten tial usage in port areas like those in Charleston and Sa vannah where there is a lot of freight coming into and going out of ports.
“There is a big push for them to go electric to reduce emis sions for people who live in the area,” Miller said. “The electric trucks are friendlier to the neighborhoods where city ports are located. When they off-load 40-foot steel contain ers from ships, they put them on a chassis to pull them to a holding yard somewhere else in the area. Then they offload it and put it on a long-haul truck that takes it to another ware house or distribution area.”
“The infrastructure for long-haul trucks is not geared up to provide charging stations going from Jackson to Los Angeles, for example. Most of my members are long-haul truckers. To this point, they aren’t using it because the infrastructure for recharging is just not there.”
BY
Olga Abramovich is the Assistant Club Manager at the Country Club of Jackson. She has been in that role for three years. Abramovich has been in the restaurant and hospitality business for 30 years. Olga and her husband owned an restaurant for 11 years. In her current role, Olga thrives on creating exceptional customer experience. She attributes her team of dedicated and passionate people in her success and the sharing of the same vision.
Olga’s role model is her mother. She instilled in her the values of hard work, caring for family, and helping others in the community. She taught her to view life with a kind heart and positive outlook and to never give up.
Olga has a Business degree from Belarus Community College in Gomel Belarus. Some of her current achievements are 2010 Face of Diversity finalist, 2010 People’s Choice award, and 2012 Take a Bite out of Crime Best Appetizer award.
Endia Banks is a licensed realtor with CPA Realty LLC. She is driven by delivering the best service and empowerment to her clients to reach their real estate needs. She also serves as a Program Assistant with the Upward Bound II and Upward Bound Math & Science programs at Tougaloo College where she supports projects designed to generate in program participants the skills and motivation necessary to complete a program of secondary education and to enter and succeed in a program of postsecondary education.
Endia received her Bachelor of Science degree from Rust College and her Master of Business Administration from Jackson State University. Endia is focus minded leader with 19 years in Customer Service; 15 years in Real Estate; 9 years in Hospitality; 4 years in Retail Sales; 2 years in Life Insurance industry and 2 years training in Counseling.
She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and serves as a mentor leader at New Hope Baptist church where she worships. Endia and her husband reside in Brandon with their daughter Ahyana.
Mea Ashley serves as the Director of Student Life at Mississippi University for Women. Mea’s duties include equipping students with skills to compete globally to create the next generation’s change agents. Mea believes cultivating leaders is most rewarding. She has recently advanced into thought-leading on diversity, equity, and inclusion work for MUW, serving on various councils and committees.
Mea received her Bachelor and Master degrees in Journalism from Jackson State University and Columbia University in New York. She is also a two-time graduate of Antioch University with a master’s and doctorate of philosophy in Leadership and Change.
Mea is a member of Columbus-Lowndes County Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is a member of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist church, where she co-founded the Youth for Christ Dance Ministry and Youth Council. She is super family-oriented and in her spare time, she enjoys watching, reading, or listening to anything about Black culture or lover and relationships.
Christina Berry is a senior planning advisor with NEOO Partners. Christina portfolio spans 15 years of experience including projects centered around urban planning, community engagement, community and economic development and real estate development. Christina is also Founder and Chief Tea Officer of ‘Sippsi Good Tea’ where is responsible for every aspect of the business including marketing, business development, sales and operations.
Christina received her Bachelor of Science degree from University of Southern Mississippi, Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University and Master of Real Estate Development from Auburn University. Christina is a Delta Leadership Institute Fellow/Delta Regional Authority, Mississippi Business Journal 2013 Top 40 Under 40 honoree, 2020 Jackson State University Best Major Gift Officer, 2020 Leadership Greater Jackson Fellow, and 2019 United Way Greater Jackson Bank One Fellow.
Christina is from Mendenhall. She loves entertaining guests at her home. She visits at least one small town across Mississippi to explore its history, its people and what makes it unique. She enjoys 5Ks, getting lost in cities, solo travel to reset and she is a bath junkie.
Kim Bohling is the Media Sales Consultant with WLBT where she is develops total marketing solutions for her current clients, and new business prospects. Kim helps businesses bring their dreams to fruition through WLBTs large footprint and numerous targeted marketing strategies. She advises businesses on the most effective and efficient ways to market, grow and prosper.
Kim received her BBA in marketing from University of Mississippi. She served on 2019-2021 Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership Ambassador Chairman’s Council, 2021 WLBT AE of the month, and Sept. 12, 2019, Gray Media Star of the week.
Kim’s considers her son (15) and daughter (11) her most significant personal accomplishment. Kim enjoys working out, bike riding, and spending time with her family.
Naaz Bruno is the Chief Operating Officer with Chawla Pointe LLC, where she oversees budgeting, planning, staffing and the day-to-day operations of the company. Naaz brings 7 years of experience from the hotel industry, and with her current position as COO she has also been able to learn the restaurant business and event planning. Naaz started as the General Manager with limited training and was able to work her way to the COO position with the company.
Naaz has a Choice Certification as General Manager, and Intercontinental Hotels Group Certification as a General Manager. In 2015 she received the Newcomer of the Year award.
Naaz accredits her leadership, communications, and problem skills in her success. Her advice to women who want to “make a difference” is to get to know who you really are, do not let your insecurities bug you, and where you are right now is not where you will end up.
Betina Brandon is the Director of Workforce Development and Talent Pipelines with Entergy. She leads a team with responsibility in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. In her role, she provides strategic director and champions the development of best practices, programs, and initiatives that foster workforce development and diversity.
Betina is a seasoned practioner with more than 20 years of experience in the field of education. She is also a course developer and facilitator for Mississippi Public Broadcastings’ initiative with Mississippi E-Learning for Educators. She has maintained this role since the onset of the program in 2008.
She received her Bachelor of Science and Master degree in Education from Alcorn State University. Betina serves on numerous boards and councils. She was the convocation speaker for the 2022 JPS-Tougaloo Early College High School inaugural graduation.
Betina considers her sons Justin and Joshua her role models whom have imparted skills such as patience, rest, trust, setting and accomplishing goals and not to ever take herself too seriously.
Angela Hood Brunini is a artist. All of her works, from watercolor portraits to landscapes, are all self-taught through personal artistic exploration and workshops. Each of her renderings brings a personal connection for her; whether capturing the joy of a newborn baby, memory of a lost loved one, or excitement of a wedding day- there is always a little “saltwater” added to each special painting.
Growing up on the beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast gave her a great love for the water and she uses water to create unique works of art. When not attending sporting events, gathered around the kitchen counter, relaxing by the pool, or enjoying time with friends, you will find her in her little home studio space painting away. Angela studied Special Education at Wake Forest University.
Angela and her husband John are parents to four beautiful children, Anna Katherine, Alex, Will and Jack.
Jamie Carr is Owner and Managing Member of J. Carr Properties LLC where she over sees all operations within multiple real estate investments and analyze and oversee all acquisitions. Jamie’s primary focus is residential multifamily investment properties, commercial office space, but she is diversified to include medical leases, agriculture land, conversation reserve program land, long term single family homes, raw land and short term vacation rental.
Jamie received her BBA in Marketing from University of Mississippi School of Business and she is a licensed real estate agent, property casualty agent and certified insurance service representative.
Jamie considers her mom as her role model as an educator she followed her passion and skill-set and was able to touch the lives of hundreds of students in so many capacities. In Jamie’s spare time, she enjoys spending time with her kids, traveling, hiking, camping, spending time at the beach, and on their farm in Mississippi Delta.
Cora Christian is the CEO of Beyond Beauty, a day spa focused on beauty and the wealth of health and wellness. Cora is proud to have started her business from scratch but dedicates her business foundation to researching, training and learning the medical spa industry. Cora financed and owns 100% of her business from the equipment to the products.
Cora received Bachelor in Elementary Education from Jackson State University. Cora has been seen on various media outlets, including a debut on Fashion Bomb Daily, one of the social media’s top fashion and beauty blogs, and also featured in Impact Magazine. In 2020, Cora penned her first book, Plan, Prepare, Execute Everything Beyond Beauty instantly became an Amazon best seller.
Cora resides in Byram with her three children and husband of 8 years, Justin Christian. She attends Black Chapel Church and is the founder of Beyond Beauty Girls’ Tour and the Beyond Beauty Scholarship fund.
Waikinya Clanton is State Office Director at Southern Poverty Law Center. One of Waikinya’s professional accomplishments is helping to direct nearly $1.5 million in funds to nonprofit organizations who were looking to help educate and strengthen engagement of communities in electoral politics to help train women to skillfully assume elected office and empower and influence them to disrupt politics on a local, state and federal level.
Waikinya received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Pre-Law, and her Master in Business Administration from University of Phoenix. Waikinya holds certification in Strategic Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University, and Women’s Leadership from The Campaign School, Yale University.
In her spare time Waikinya enjoys anything that allows her to tap into the fullness of her creativity – including writing poetry and screenplays – and she enjoys shopping and modeling.
Lauren SantaCruz MarketingManagerMandy Davis is the Deputy Commissioner with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety where she oversees the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, the Office of the State Medical Examiner, and the Facilities and Maintenance Division. In addition to her role as Deputy Commissioner, Mandy currently serves as the Chairman of the Mississippi Wireless Commission which is tasked to ensure that first responders have effective communication services available in emergency situations.
Mandy has 19 years of professional experience in state government. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History, and her Master of Public Policy and Administration degree from Mississippi State University. She is a member of Junior League, Top 10 finalist of the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 class of 2018.
Mandy is married to Richard Davis and mother to Oliver. She and her family enjoys spending time together between Jackson and Eupora and taking care of their rescue dogs.
Hancock Whitney proudly salutes our very own Lauren SantaCruz for this esteemed and well-deser ved honor. We’re delighted that you have been recognized for your hard work both professionally and in the communit y. Congratulations, Lauren!
Susan Duncan is a Dean at Mississippi School of Law. She is the first female to serve as Dean of the Law School not in an interim capacity. Susan’s teaching and research interests include lawyering skills, education law and restorative practice, and leadership. Her scholarship has focused primarily on issues surrounding children, including the need for anti-bullying laws and laws protecting children from pornography on the internet.
Susan received her B.A. from Miami University of J.D. from the University of Louisville. Susan’s work has garnered recognition by many, including such honors as the 2019 University of Louisville Commission on the Status of Women Champion Award, 2016 Kentucky Bar President Special Service Award, the 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award from Louis Brandeis School of Law, and the 2010 Louisville Bar Association Award for Distinguished Service.
In her spare time, Susan enjoys traveling, playing golf, reading and spending time with her family.
Thea Faulkner currently serves as the Director of Jackson Public School’s office Partners in Education, which manages community, parent and family engagement. She recently relaunched the District’s Watch Dads of Great Students program, which aims to increase male engagement in JPS.
Faulkner has established an excellent rapport with local and national businesses and non-profit organizations, resulting in numerous school adopters, District level partnerships, significant financial donations, grant funds and miscellaneous resources for 54 school sites. Additionally, Faulkner has also managed responses to emergency situations impacting JPS, such as the COVID pandemic, the 2021 historic ice storms and the recent citywide water crisis.
A native New Orleanian, Faulkner moved to her late husband’s hometown of Jackson in the aftermath of Hurricane Katina. A graduate of Dillard University, she completed the Business Advantage Program at Millsaps College’s Else School of Management and the W.K. Kellogg Community Leaders Network Fellowship.
Faulkner is a member of Women for Progress of MS and the Junior League of Jackson’s Community Advisory Council. She also serves as a board member of the Greater Jackson Arts Council.
Amy Fletcher is a Certified Federal Contracts Manager through the National Contract Management Association and Controller for the award-winning firm NVision Solutions Inc. She has been with NVision for 13 years and serves on NVision’s all-female board of directors. She is a co-founder and board member of Rugged Nature, LLC where she holds a provisional patent to create technology products for outdoor enthusiasts.
Since 2010, Amy has been a financial subject matter expert for the non-profit Magnolia Business Alliance where she has mentored over 75 Mississippi small businesses, churches and charities including minority, veteran, and women-owned startups on business formation, finance and contract management.
Amy and her husband Brett moved to Mississippi in 2009 for his work as a US NAVY Seabee and chose to stay in this wonderful state after his retirement. They reside in Kiln with their 8-year-old son, Jackson, and her mom, Joy Taylor, who are her biggest supporters.
Maxine Greenleaf serves as the Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communication at Alcorn State University. Greenleaf is a dynamic, thoughtful, and collaborative communications professional highly skilled at partnering with senior leaders and other partners to craft comprehensive marketing and communications initiatives to advance the Universities’ missions.
She holds a Bachelor degree in Mass Communication and Master in Public Relations from Kent State University. She is currently enrolled in the higher education doctoral program at the University of Mississippi.
She holds membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Beta Delta Omega Chapter, where she serves as a co-chair for the financial projects committee, Gamma Beta Phi, Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association, and the College Public Relations Association of Mississippi.
She is a former member of the Executive Council of the Strategic Communications Committee for the Association for Public and Land Grant Universities, United Way of Leflore County Board, and the Greenwood Leflore Chamber of Commerce.
Erin Green is the owner of Grants Ferry Family Dentistry and founder/owner of Green Wellness Spa. Alongside her passion for all things tooth related, Erin loves to design and create, whether it be through building her ”dream” office or supporting local artists and artisans.
Erin is a graduate of Louisiana Dental School. In the field of dentistry, Erin is constantly pushing the envelope, often introducing new technology, treatments, and methods to provide a more efficient and satisfying dental experience. She believes everyone deserves a chance to love their smile and aims to motivate and encourage people in an industry that can often promote fear and shame.
More than her entrepreneurial spirit or love of cutting edge technology, Erin loves the wild and crazy laughter of her four children and husband John. There is never a dull moment at the Green household, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chip Reno (601) 209-3938 chip@consultantsjxn.com consultantsjxn.com PO Box 13061, Jackson, MS 39236
Serena Rasberry Flowers (662) 582-6666 serena@consultantsjxn.com
LaJuanda Williams-Griffin is the Owner of the Williams-Griffin Law Group, PLLC, a divorce, mediation, and family law firm with offices in Jackson and Tupelo. She is also the owner of D’Cracked Egg, LLC, a dine-in breakfast and brunch restaurant in downtown Tupelo. Additionally, she is a real estate investor and landlord. She brings these personal and professional experiences while working with and advocating for her clients and customers.
She received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications from Jackson State University and a Master in Public Health and Health Policy at Mississippi College School of Law. She is a member of the Mississippi Bar Leadership Class of 2022-2023 and is a nationally published author for the GP Solo publication of the American Bar Association, through which she has written about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and its impact on matrimonial disputes.
In her spare time, LaJuanda enjoys reading, traveling, consignment shopping, trying different types of foods, creative and interpretive dance, listening to music, spending time with my kids and family, watching classic films, museums/theater, and writing.
Kimberly Griffin is the Founding Publisher and Director of Revenue of the Jackson Free Press. She is a graduate of Mississippi University for Women and the University of Southern Mississippi where she studied journalism and public relations. She served two terms on the Mississippi University for Women Alumni Board and the Mississippi Boy Choir Board Kimberly previously served as the chair of the Greater Jackson Chamber of Ambassadors and has held various leadership positions in the Junior League of Jackson. She is also a member of Rho Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and president of the Capital Care Sunset Rotary Club.
In 2021, the Institute for Nonprofit News selected Kimberly as on the eleven national emerging leaders for nonprofit media. She directs the MFP’s project for 2021 Facebook reader revenue accelerator, alongside 29 other newsrooms in North America.
In her free time Kimberly enjoys reading, traveling, working out, cooking and entertaining.
Jennifer Head has currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for the Mississippi Secretary of State. With Jennifer’s passion of our Mississippi State Parks, she spearheaded legislation for the “Support State Parks” specialty license plate. A portion of proceeds from sale of the specialty license plate will support the capital improvement fund for State Parks.
Jennifer is also an active member of Beta Sigma Phi International, a social fraternity. She has served as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer throughout her membership. Her infectious bubbly personality also makes her a very successful chairwoman of their Social Committee for many years. She received her Bachelor Degree in Accounting and Master Degree from Delta State University.
She is married to William Head, owner and president of Head Auctions & Realty. As part of the family business, she assists with serving as clerk, cashier, or bid spotter on any auction day. They reside in Madison with their three rescue pups Otis, Carson, and Bella.
being selected as a 2022 Top Distinguished Women in Mississippi
Jessica Holeman is the Controller at TempStaff where she oversees the cashflow. TempStaff is one the largest staffing agencies in Central Mississippi. As the Controller and Manager over accounting and benefits team, she sees firsthand the influence that the company has on the community by the thousands of temporary employees the company helps finds jobs each year.
Jessica helped navigate the company through COVID-19 and various financial opportunities along with helping ensure the least impact on the employees. She provides excellent and timely reporting for two financial audits each year.
Jessica received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University and is a Certified as a Staffing Professional. She has received the 5, 10 and 15 year Employment Awards with TempStaff, and she is a 2010 graduate of Rankin County Chamber of Commerce Leadership class.
In her spare time, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She also enjoys reading, pampering herself, watching college sports, and cheering on her son in his sports activities. When she’s not at work, you may also find her relaxing at the beach or cheering for the Ole Miss Rebels.
Carmen J. Walters, Ph.D
Kristal Howell is the Sales Manager at WLBT where she manages a team of account executives, recruits, coaches and train sellers. Kristal is responsible for assisting the sales team in achieving digital and broadcast sales goals and manages all sales related projects.
Kristal recently was the speaker for all 142 Gray TV stations during the pandemic on how to achieve goals and how to balance being successful while being a mom, wife and good friend. She has been awarded New Business leader at Gray TV, promoted to digital sales manager at WLBT and awarded “best sale of the week” four separate weeks during the pandemic.
While in Baton Rouge, Kristal was awarded Media Business Newcomer award, Notable Networker and President’s award for BNI, and Dale Carnegie Outstanding Public Speaker award. Kristal is connected with non profit organizations such as We Will Go Ministries to connect them to businesses that may want to do cause marketing to help cater to the needs of the less fortunate.
In her spare time, Kristal enjoys spending time with blended family and her husband of 10 years. She enjoys handgun shooting, ATV’s, hiking, and traveling.
Andrea Janoush is the VP of Human Resources at Hinds Community College where she manages all Human Resource functions for the college. She is also a member of the Executive Leadership team. Prior to current role at HCC, Andrea was the VP of Finance/Director of Benefits/HR Manager at Energy Group Consultants Inc. from 2014-2021 where she also managed finance and HR functions of the company.
Andrea’s strong interpersonal, data analytics, company funding strategy, B2B sales strategies, team management skills, recruiting and hiring skills, client relations, and regulatory compliance skills has afforded her longevity in the Human Resources industry.
Andrea received Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi. She is a of Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy graduate, a Hope Award Winner with Canopy Children’s Solutions. She is a member of Junior Auxiliary of Madison County, Junior League of Jackson, Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor society, and alumni of Delta Delta Delta Sorority, Gamma Beta Phi Society-UM Chapter, and Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Madison.
being selected as one of the 2022 Distinguished Business Women
Blair Jussely is an attorney with Butler Snow. Blair is a member of the Business Services group and focuses her practice on estate planning, estate administration, tax exempt organizations, and state and local tax. She is a Certified Public Accountant. She a member of the American Bar Association, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Estate Planning Council of Mississippi. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America.
Blair received her Bachelor of Accountancy, Master of Taxation, and Juris Doctorate from University of Mississippi. She received her Master of Law in Taxation for New York University. Blair is heavily involved in the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi where she has served as secretary and on the board of directors.
Blair lives in Brandon with her husband Aaron and their two sons James and Luke and their big German shepherd mutt names Sadie. Blair and Aaron are huge Ole Miss fans and especially love football and tailgating in the Grove with friends and family. They attend Lakeland Presbyterian Church where Aaron’s father is the pastor.
Annette Kirklin is the Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
Annette’s in-depth knowledge and expertise expands over 22 years and includes building strong relationships with the community, marketing, graphic design, show and convention management, event planning and public relations.
Annette graduated from IAVM-Venue Management School. She was awarded Vicksburg Women of the Year award in 2009 and 2020. She was co-hosted the Weekly Radio Show on News Talk, and Team Vicksburg Bi-Weekly TV show on City of Vicksburg Public Access Channel. She is a Delegate for Vicksburg-Warren County Annual Advocacy Summit and served on the Vicksburg YMCA Capital Campaign Marketing Task Force.
Annette loves sunsets in her backyard at Eagle Lake and spending time with family. Her husband, Mike, also works at ERDC as an engineer technician. They have two sons, Dustin and Blake. They are members of Christ Episcopal Church in Vicksburg.
Andrea Janoush Vice President of Human Resources
Bobbi Jo Knight is the Senior Director of Operations at Medical Management Services, where she oversees quality and patient experience initiatives across a network of primary care and specialty clinics and facilities. For over 16 years, Bobbi Jo has played multiple roles in the day-to-day operations of a network producing more than 75 million dollars of gross operating revenue annually. She is focused on improving operational excellence, quality performance, and health outcomes across Mississippi.
Knight received her Bachelor’s of Science in Health Administration from Mississippi College. She is a certified professional coder (AAPC), certified professional medical auditor (NAMAS) and a certified professional ambulatory surgery center coder (AAPC). She is yellow b belt certified from Lean Six Sigma Institute.
She considers her most significant personal accomplishment in being a great wife, mother, sister and aunt.
Ossiea Lake is owner of AC Insurance Group. Ossiea develops ongoing networking relationships with Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Lenders, Title Companies, etc. She is responsible for networking, marketing, and leading databases.
Ossiea received her Associates Degree in Accounting from Hinds Community College. She has her Real Estate Licenses, and her Insurance Producer Licenses in Property/Casualty, Life and Health. She was a 2022 100 Successful Women to Know nominee, and a 2021 100 Successful Women to Know winner. Ossiea received Multi-Million Dollar Producer (Real Estate) in 2016, and 2018-2021. Lastly she was awarded Top Partnership Company by Durrell Realty in 2022.
Ossiea prides herself on giving back to the community, during COVID-19, she began “Forgotten Angels” to give to those that couldn’t apply for instant relief due to Covid. Ossiea enjoys spending time with her sons and grandchildren. Ossiea loves vacations on the beach, visiting different cities, and hanging out with her friends in her off time.
Monica Lewis is the Director of Development for Athletics/Executive Director with Jackson State University. She has led the JSU Department of Athletics fundraising activities since 2019 and has grossed record contributions and sponsorships for the department. Since joining the Department of Athletics, she has quadrupled alumni athletic contributions. Monica has implemented a donor recognition program for the athletics department and has been instrumental in the success of the newly added all-sports package, Thee AD Club.
Monica received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Jackson State University and her Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Management from Belhaven University. She received her Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University.
Monica has a strong passion for philanthropy. She volunteers and financially supports various causes throughout the state and nation such as, American Cancer Society, Lupus Foundation, McClean Fletcher Grief Center, Jackson Public Schools and Catholic Charities.
In her spare time, Monica enjoys traveling, golfing, and spending time with family. She is an avid reader and spends a lot of time gardening and enjoying outdoors.
Candace Mayes is the president and owner of The Mayes Group LLC, a minority and woman owned full-service accounting business located in Jackson, Mississippi. She provides assistance with tax, financial and business affairs--assistance that will improve the total financial well-being of her clients. Candace offers a wide range of financial knowledge to her clients.
Candace prides herself on honesty, professionalism, and integrity. She is also the founder and executive director of the W.H.Y Initiative Inc., a non-profit mentoring organization in Jackson. The WHY Initiative Inc. was founded in 2017 in response to a need to improve the quality of life for low-income, undeserved, disadvantaged and at-risk children, youth and families in the Jackson metropolitan area.
She holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Delta State University and a Master Degree in Business Administration with emphasize on accounting from Belhaven College.
Candace is the mother of two, Brittany and Cameron. She is an active member of the Pilgrim Rest M.B. Church in Madison and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Love, Bradford, Mary Alyce, and all the folks at Barnes, Bailey & Janoush, P.A.
Monique Montgomery is Partner at Gibbs Travis PLLC where she handles legal matters in the both Chancery and Circuit Court. She prepares court pleadings, and also analyze legal issues for clients. She handles family law matters, and constructs contracts and licensing agreements for business clients.
Monique received her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from University of Southern Mississippi. She received her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from Mississippi College School of Law. She is licensed with Ms State Bar and is a MS Certified Public Manager which is a certification and designation by the Ms State Workforce Development to be a qualified and trained Public Service Manager.
Monique hosts several political forums and served as lead host of the weekly podcast “Legally Speaking” with a mission of sharing, informing and educating listeners on legal issues sponsored by Women For Progress of MS. Monique also serves as a trustee member of the Mississippi Museum of Art through working with board members, participatory activities, serving on focus groups, helping increase visitors, and financial donations.
Monique enjoys reading, teaching bible study classes, traveling cooking and singing with Sister First Ladies, Delta Sigma Theta and Greater St. James Missionary Baptist Church.
Erica Palmer is the owner of Queens Royal House an affordable and fashionable pieces for the curvier women where they carry everything from casual to date night attire. She has jumped into her passion full force, and is quickly becoming one of the premier stylists and boutique owners in the Jackson Metro area.
Erica’s love for style and fashion was born at an early age ironically by watching her father dress. She became drawn to bold colors, beautiful patterns, big chunky jewels and statement pieces.
Erica is the mother of 6 children, 5 daughters and 1 son. She serves on the Leadership Team at Gods Haven Ministries where she heads up the Women’s Ministry.
Danelle Nunaley is owner of Nurse Danny Review Services (Nurse Danny LLC) and owns Nurse Danny Youth Outreach. Danelle has helped over 1,500 nursing graduates pass their NCLEX licensure exam. The company proves NCLEX one on one tutoring, NCLEX refresher courses, and Nursing Faculty Consulting in Curriculum Design for Next Generation NCLEX, Accreditation, Nursing faculty support, etc. globally.
Danelle received a Bachelor Degree in Nursing and a Master in Nursing, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree in Nursing Education and Administration from Samford University where she earned a 4.0 GPA in her class of doctoral colleagues and was awarded the Top of the class award.
Danelle’s favorite quote is “Your Future Depends On What You Do Today”. She loves this quote because it means start today! All you have to do is start today! That one thing you do today will make your future better. Today is the first day of your future. Danelle is mother to Logan and EllaGrace.
Tianna H. Raby joined Entergy in October 2014 as senior counsel in the legal department. She was named managing counsel, working in litigation, in 2017, and then advanced to serve in her current role of managing counsel in legal regulatory in 2019. Prior to her career at Entergy Mississippi, Tianna was a partner in the Jackson office of a civil litigation defense firm where she defended clients in a wide spectrum of claims including product liability, personal injury, professional liability, toxic tort and various commercial disputes. She also served on the firm’s recruiting committee and was a founding co-chair of the firm’s diversity committee.
Raby earned her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and her Bachelor degree in Human Communications studies from Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 2014, she was recognized in Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40.
Active in her community, Tianna volunteers with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer Program and the Magnolia Bar Foundation’s annual law camp. She is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., and the Junior League of Jackson.
A native of Meridian, Raby has lived across the U.S. and abroad.
Jamie Rasberry is the Policy Coordinator for the Mississippi Alliance of Nonprofits and Philanthropy. Jamie manages the Education, Health, and Workforce Development affinity/policy groups that focus on increased learning, collaboration, and funding around critical policy issues. These affinity groups engage both non-profit and philanthropic partners to develop and implement strategies and public policies that produce positive impacts for children, families, and communities in Mississippi.
Jamie received her Bachelor of Science in Management from Belhaven University and a Master in Public Health from Mississippi State University. She is a W.K. Kellogg Foundation/ Community Leadership Network alumni, a graduate of Leadership Greater Jackson class of 20102011, and currently in the 2022 class of Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi.
Jamie is the mom to a beautiful little girl. You can find them all over Jackson exploring parks, attending events, eating at local restaurants, and looking for opportunities to serve their city.
Lauren Santa Cruz is the Assistant Vice President of Community and Client Engagement for Hancock Whitney. Lauren has worked in various industries along the Gulf Coast including state government, gaming, nonprofits, healthcare and banking/finance.
Lauren received a double graduate from William Carey University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master Degree in Business Administration. Lauren is a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast’s Class of 2015. She was recognized in 2022 for the Top 10 Under 40 One Coast Awards, and she was named a STAR employee in 2019 at Memorial Hospital for her outstanding leadership, attitude, and respect for others.
Lauren is very involved in the community. A member of St. James Catholic Church in Gulfport, she holds leadership roles on several local nonprofit boards including, not limited to, the Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce-Gulfport Chamber and Leadership Gulf Coast, Christmas on the Bayou, and Lynn Meadows Discovery Center. Lauren volunteers with the American Red Cross, American Heart Association-Heart Walk, Extra Table, as well as St. James Elementary School Fall Festival.
Lauren resides in Gulfport with her daughter and 2 dogs.
Meshelle Rawls is the Director of Administration and Special Projects with the Foundation for the MidSouth. She has provided programmatic support to various initiatives and oversees day-to-day operations. In her role, she finds joy in developing and implementing HR personnel systems, practices, and processes tailored to meet the needs of the staff.
Rawls serves in many capacities and is incredibly involved in community activities as a member of Women for Progress (CoDirector of Lunch and Learn), Capital Area Human Resource Association, American Heart Association Board of Directors, VIPink (American Cancer Society), and Junior Auxiliary of Madison County. She is also the President of Jackson State University Alumni Association for Madison County.
Rawls has been honored as a member of Leadership Greater Jackson, Southeastern Council on Foundation Hull Fellow, and JSU Alumni Association Commitment and Service award.
Rawls earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from JSU as well as a Master of Science in Management from Belhaven. In her free time, she enjoys reading, participating in marathons, and occasionally playing the flute. Rawls resides in Madison and is married to Dwight W. Rawls.
Sara Schmidt is an account executive with LHC Group/ Baptist Hospice. LHC Group is a national provider of in-home healthcare services and innovations for communities around the nation, offering quality, value-based healthcare to patients primarily within the comfort and privacy of their home or place of residence.
Sara helps coordinate long-term and end-of-life care as for LHC Group. Sara coordinates the patient’s care; she ensures that the contracts are in place for LHC Group to take care of them. She provides nurses, CNAs, chaplains, and social workers with everything they need to ensure the best quality of care of the patient.
Sara’s parents influenced her to get into the healthcare field. Her father and mother were both extreme caretakers, and her sister was a nurse. Sara says getting call to go to work with LCH Group was like an answered prayer, as she gets great satisfaction from helping others.
Sara is a graduate of Hinds Community College and Jones College. She has two sons, Jackson and Carter.
Raegan Smith is the Owner/Esthetician of The Lash and Brow Gal Studio. As the lead esthetician, she specializes in lash and brow services, provides hundreds of hours of hands on training to employees, order products and researches new services that she can bring to the studio. As the business owner, she is responsible for all hiring and training of receptionists, marketing, all social media, payroll, bookkeeping, ordering retail products, and client relations.
Raegan received her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Business Communication from Mississippi State University. She is a licensed Esthetician and is licensed in tattooing to perform permanent cosmetics.
Raegan heads the Stewpot Household Items Drive, where she is responsible for creating a list of needs, receiving donations, organizing bags for over 50 families each year and delivering the items to be dispersed to each family.
Raegan is married to Cory and mother to sons Swade and Scout. She enjoys playing tennis, where she has met some her best friends.
Heather Sudduth is Coordinator of Neuroscience Programs at Singing River Health System. Heather was instrumental in the development of their stroke program. She has over 15 years of experience in stroke program development, mentorship, and created the first Joint Commission Primary Stroke Center in Mississippi. She has received over $1 million in grant funding for community and healthcare providers’ education. She is a national speaker on stroke and brain and spinal cord injury prevention. She is involved in numerous state and national organizations and enjoys volunteering in her community.
Heather was awarded MS Gulf Coast Top Influencer, Success Women’s Conference in 2019, 2016 Chapter of the Year Award by ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation, 2009 MBJ Top 40 Under 40, and 2007 South Mississippi’s top 10 Business Leaders Under 40 presented by Sun Herald and Journal of South Mississippi Business.
Heather received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has received specialty certifications as a Certified Case Manager and Certified Ergonomic Assessment Specialist.
Heather enjoys travel, watching her daughter cheer, and walking her dog.
Brandi Stodard is the Marketing and Community Relations Manager with Mangia Bene Restaurant Group. She creates, plan and execute company promotions and special events through social media, email marketing, as well as printed promotional materials. She assists with the menu updates and printing. She handles donation requests, and works with local charities to promote the company’s community program Heart of Jackson.
Brandi has her Associate Degree and is a licensed producer for life, health and property and casualty lines. While attending Hinds Community College and Holmes Community College she was on the Dean’s list. She was awarded the Community Outreach Leader by the Jackson Free Press in 2014/2015 and nominated Madison Rising Star in 2015 by the Madison County Chamber.
Brandi foster and volunteers at the Rescue Revolution Mississippi where she helps out with different events in the community, and serve as a foster home to rescue animals before they are adopted. Brandi also enjoys hiking and traveling.
Sherry Surrett is the Center Head for Mississippi State University- Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center. She supervises the Center’s administrative operations, and three Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Stations in central Mississippi. She is responsible for supervising twenty faculty and staff to conduct research and provide educational programming to MS’s agriculture industry.
Sherry received her Bachelor of Science in Agronomy for University of Tennessee at Martin, her Master of Science in Agronomy from Mississippi State University, and her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Mississippi. She is a graduate of Lead21 Leadership Program, 2007 Soil and Water Conservation Commission State Photo Contest awardee, and 2006 University of Mississippi Dissertation Fellowship awardee.
Sherry serves as Board Secretary for Research Center Administration Society, and members of Clinton Rotary and Clinton Nature Center where she volunteers, host meetings and provide presentations.
Sherry is mother to Leah Belle, and has a mini zoo consisting of two dogs, two cats, one rabbit and a hamster.
Kim Sykes is Director, Independent Performance Assurance at Ingalls Shipbuilding, a division of HII. In this role, Kim and her team are responsible for integrating efforts across environmental, social and governance elements of corporate responsibility.
Joining Ingalls in 2004, Kim has worked in production planning and control, material management, and program and risk management. Kim most recently served as Manager of Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management, where she led efforts across the entire portfolio of ships to identify risk and opportunity, develop mitigation and cultivate plans and execute critical strategies aimed at controlling cost and enabling financial commitments.
Kim received a Bachelor of Science degree in management and leadership from Warren National University. Kim served on the board for American Red Cross, and fundraisers for Susan G. Koman Foundation.
She is a mother of three and a grandmother of two. Kim enjoys arts and crafts, wood turning, baking and fishing.
Regina Todd serves as Assistant Director for Rankin First Economic Development Authority. Her responsibilities include business and industry recruitment and expansion activities in Rankin County. She also maintains close working relationships with organizations involved in business and economic development including the Rankin County Board of Supervisors, the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), site selection consultants, real estate developers and electric utilities.
Prior to MDA, she served as an international trade specialist with the Mississippi World Trade Center. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Regina has advanced Korean language skills and has traveled extensively throughout Asia.
Regina is a member of the Mississippi Economic Development Council, Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association, Junior Auxiliary of Rankin County and is a Life Member of the Southern Miss Alumni Association. She has served as President of the Junior Auxiliary of Rankin County, Rankin County Rotary Club and Jackson Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Association.
Regina and her husband Joe reside in Brandon with their daughter and two dogs.
Alethia Thomas is a partner in government services at HORNE. She is responsible for developing intake and eligibility policies and procedures, providing quality assurance and quality control, as well as providing technical support to staff members. Alethia also serves as Chair of the Belonging at HORNE Steering Committee.
Alethia joined HORNE in 2011. She has more than five years of experience in disaster recovery on the federal, state, and local levels. She has experience in project oversight, policy and procedure development and Community Development Block Grant compliance.
Alethia attended Southern University A&M College where she studied electrical engineering and is a Coast Young Professional.
We are ver y proud of you!
Chasity Torrence currently serves both administrative and clinical roles as Service Chief and psychiatrist of Male Receiving Services at the Mississippi State Hospital, a division of the Department of Mental Health. In addition, she is the Medical Director of 3 psychiatric intensive outpatient programs through Rush Hospital Systems. She serves educational roles including Associate Program Director and Medical Student Clerkship Director of the Mississippi State Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program, adjunct professor at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, lecturer in the speaker’s bureau of Neurocrine Biosciences, and educator in multiple continuing education programs.
Chasity is well known for her advocacy efforts, including multiple appearances as Doctor of the Day at the state Capitol. Recently, she co-founded the Mississippi State Hospital Psychiatry Residency Program, which increased the number of psychiatric physicians in the state.
Chasity received her Bachelor of Science from Mississippi College, and her Doctor of Medicine from University of Mississippi.
Chasity is married to Dr. Jon Corey Jackson. She is an avid cycler and has participated in 4 triathlons, winning her division twice.
She also co-owns Oak Arbor LLC with her husband.
Patrice Wallace serves as Senior Director, Contracts for the Aerospace & Defense Services (ADS) division of The Vertex Company. In this key role, Wallace is the division’s senior negotiator and leader of personnel responsible for complex, high value business arrangements and strategic agreements.
Patrice inspires others to pursue a higher standard and makes a positive impact on personnel she leads. She is a mentor to employees outside her direct supervision, as well as the small businesses that participate in Vertex’s ADS Mentor Protégé Program. A favorite part of her job is working alongside active and retired military leaders who epitomize loyalty and honor but also have the best stories to share.
Patrice earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Mississippi. Honors include the Vertex President’s Award, Recognition for Excellence in Ethical Behavior Award, and Leadership Madison County. Wallace is a member of the National Contract Management Association, Women in Aviation International, and the Pi Beta Phi Jackson Metro Alumni.
Wallace and her husband Gary reside in Canton with their beloved cat Ella.
