by MBJ Staff Published: April 1,2013
Tags: bridge, executive director, highway, infrastructure, interstate, legislative, legislator, Legislature, road, roadbuilding, state agency, state government, street, transportation, travel
JACKSON — The Mississippi Senate has approved the appointment of Melinda McGrath, PE, to remain executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. McGrath’s appointment begins today and will end April 1, 2017, unless it is further extended. As executive director, McGrath, the first woman to serve as leader of MDOT, oversees MDOT’s more than [...] [...]
BILOXI — The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the search for a new agency director. The commission fired Bill Walker Jan. 15 as executive director of the Department of Marine Resources. Walker, who was appointed head of the MDMR in 2002 by Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, has come under [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: February 4,2013
Tags: community development, downtown, economic development, executive director, fire, leader, retail, search, shop, store, terminate, tourism, tourist, vacation, visitor
COLUMBUS — The group that promotes commercial development in downtown Columbus has fired it director and will launch a search for her replacement. The Commercial Dispatch reports it’s the second time in less than six months that Main Street Columbus is looking for a new director. The group’s board said in a statement that Nickie [...] [...]
BILOXI — A Jackson law firm is representing the fired executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and says he has not done anything wrong. State and federal investigators are looking at spending under Bill Walker, of Ocean Springs, who was fired Jan. 15. The state Commission on Marine Resources said the dismissal [...] [...]
BILOXI — Bill Walker has been dismissed as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. The decision came today in a unanimous vote from members of the Commission on Marine Resources. CMR vice chairman Jimmy Taylor made the motion to terminate Walker “for cause.” There was no additional discussion before the vote. [...] [...]
by MBJ Staff Published: December 14,2012
Tags: agency, community development, economic development, executive director, government, job, state, tourism, tourist, vacation, visitor, work, worker
JACKSON — Malcolm White has been named director of the Mississippi Development Authority’s Tourism Division. White, who brings to MDA more than 40 years of experience in the economic development and tourism industries, will begin his new position effective Jan. 14, 2013. “Many people in the Jackson area and around the state are familiar with [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: November 15,2012
Tags: agency, Coast, executive, executive director, government, marine, Politics, retire, retirement, senior management, state, tetiring, water
BILOXI — Mississippi Department of Marine Resources executive director Bill Walker says new deputy director Danny Guice will take over some of his responsibilities as Walker prepares to retire. Walker told the Sun Herald he plans to retire by June of 2013. Gov. Phil Bryant would name his successor. “What the governor needs is someone [...] [...]

by MBJ Staff Published: May 15,2012
Tags: appointment, Bennie Thompson, Bloomberg, Bobby Jindal, Brent Christensen, capitalism, Clay County, community development, Dave Dennis, economic development, economy, executive, executive director, Florida, Gainesville (Fla.) Area Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Haley Barbour, Gov. Phil Bryant, governor, Greenville, Institutes for Higher Learning, Mississippi, Mississippi Business Journal, Mississippi Development Authority, Nathan Deal, Pew Center on the States, Phil Bryant, politics Tags: Amazon.com, Sean Tindell, state agency, state government
JACKSON — Brent Christensen has been named the new head of the Mississippi Development Authority. Gov. Phil Bryant made the announcement during a press conference at the Marriot Hotel in downtown Jackson. Christensen, who has been the CEO of the Gainesville (Fla.) Area Chamber of Commerce the last 10 years, replaces interim director Jim Barksdale, the [...] [...]
JACKSON — Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to name a new head of the Mississippi Development Authority today. The new leader would replace interim director Jim Barksdale, the former Netscape CEO, who has served as the state’s chief economic developer since January. Bryant’s choice will likely be the first permanent MDA director since March 2011, [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 5,2012
Tags: bills, community development, compensation, economic development, executive director, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, pay, private sector, public sector, salary, state agency, state government
JACKSON — The Senate has passed a bill to allow the director of the Mississippi Development Authority to be paid with money raised from private entities. The bill does not cap the MDA director’s salary. If the salary exceeds 150 percent of the governor’s salary, only the portion below that amount would be paid with [...] [...]