Campaign Phone
6019667722
Qualifications & Education
Committed community activist and advocate; Educational product of Meridian Public Schools, Rust College (B.S., Mass Communication/Political Science) and the University of Mississippi Schools of Education and Law (M.Ed., J.D.); Retired from Mississippi Valley State University as Chair, Department of Business, after 24 years at MVSU and more than 30 years in higher education (Rust College, East Central Community College, MVSU)
Two of my priority issues for the 2026 legislative session are healthcare and education.
Without access to basic healthcare, lives will be lost and so will our economies as medical workers lose their jobs and businesses continue their exodus. When hospitals close, physician practices also leave. For the aging, our District’s most vulnerable population, the departure of doctors they know and trust is a crisis in itself – adding stress that can be as debilitating as their underlying conditions. In the past 10 years, 3,200 babies did not live until age one. Disproportionately, these babies are black and brown and born to mothers living in health deserts.
I will propose or support the expansion of Medicaid as one of the avenues to increase and ensure access to healthcare.
I support public education that effectively and appropriately equips students to compete in a global society, including full funding for our public schools and equitable (fair) funding for universities.
I envision a Mississippi characterized by safe, thriving communities that are equipped with the resources required for every citizen with a desire to succeed to achieve the success desired. Those resources include access to excellent academic preparation, access to appropriate healthcare, opportunities to thrive in the workforce and in entrepreneurial spaces, freedom to fully and freely exercise the rights guaranteed by law, freedom to enjoy the privileges and benefits earned as Veterans and retirees, and confidence that all of these resources are available without regard to race, creed, color, gender, socioeconomic status or zip code.
To that end, I will "speak truth to power and to the people." I will respect my seat in the Senate as a mandate from my constituents in District 24 (Leflore, Tallahatchie and Panola Counties) and a mandate from the citizens of this state to advocate for what is right, just and appropriate. I will accept the responsibility of accountability.
As a higher education administrator, I spent nearly three decades working with students attending Mississippi community colleges, public and private colleges and universities. A resounding theme for those who made the decision to leave Mississippi was the lack of opportunity in their own communities. Notably, some of these students were not interested in exploring other regions; They simply left the state altogether.
To encourage college graduates to stay in Mississippi, I would not only support internships and apprenticeships, scholarship/grant programs, and financial incentives, I would be very intentional in addressing economic development in our most under-resourced regions. As an example, legislation to support broadband access in rural areas would also support the ability of graduates to work remotely - satisfying their desire to be intelligent, responsible, participating, tax-paying citizens at home (wherever home may be).
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