GOVERNOR-ELECT PHIL BRYANT APPOINTS DIRECTORS AT MULTIPLE STATE AGENCIES

JACKSON – Governor-elect Phil Bryant today named directors for most state agencies at a 3:30 p.m. press conference in Jackson.

“Effective leaders surround themselves with exceptional people, and today’s announcement will introduce you to some talented individuals who I am happy to have on my team,” Bryant said. “These individuals have the skills, talent and experience needed to help me move Mississippi forward.”

Bryant appointed new directors to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) and Mississippi Division of Medicaid (MDOM).

Bryant reappointed the agency heads already in place at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration (MDFA), Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) and Mississippi Department of Public Safety (MDPS).

“Among the newly appointed directors are several familiar faces that have served Mississippi well. All of these individuals are well-qualified and will provide ample strategic support and a clear vision to the agencies they’ll serve,” Bryant said.

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Bryant made appointments to the following agencies:

• MBN: Marshall L Fisher, Executive Director
• MDOC: Chris Epps, Commissioner
• MEMA: Robert Latham, Executive Director
• MDES: Mark Henry, Executive Director
• MDEQ: Trudy Fisher, Executive Director
• MDFA: Kevin Upchurch, Executive Director
• MDHS: Rickey Berry, Executive Director
• MDOM: Dr. David Dzielak, Executive Director
• MDMR: Dr. Bill Walker, Executive Director
• MDPS: Albert Santa Cruz, Commissioner

Existing directors will continue their duties and new appointees will assume responsibilities after Bryant is sworn is as Mississippi’s 64th governor.

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Phil Bryant was elected Governor of Mississippi with 62 percent of the vote in November 2011 and will be sworn-in as the state’s 64th Governor on January 10, 2012. He was sworn-in as Mississippi’s 37th Lieutenant Governor on January 10, 2008 after capturing 59% of the vote in the November election. He started his career in public service as a Hinds County Deputy Sheriff and was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives from District 59 in Rankin County in 1992 and re-elected in 1995. Bryant was appointed State Auditor by the late Governor Kirk Fordice and re-elected overwhelmingly in 1999 and without opposition in 2003.