MPA/MPS Summer Convention

Gov. Haley Barbour will meet the press and take questions from delegates at the 143rd annual convention of the Mississippi Press Association June 19 in Biloxi at the Beau Rivage Resort.

In his second term as Mississippi’s chief executive, Barbour has become a regular guest at the convention, appearing before publishers, editors and reporters to discuss issues on his agenda and the correspondents’ minds. His general session address will begin at 9:45 a.m. in Magnolia A on the convention floor of the Beau Rivage.

The governor will be introduced by Ricky Mathews, president and publisher of Sun Herald Multimedia. Mathews developed strong ties with the governor and First Lady Marsha Barbour, serving on the coast recovery panel formed by the governor in 2005, following Hurricane Katrina. Both Mathews and Mrs. Barbour appeared on a panel together at the 2006 convention and again for a 2008 MPA Foundation roast of Mississippi Power Co. CEO Anthony Topazi.

Design expert Ed Henninger is encouraging members who will attend his workshop next month at the MPA Convention in Biloxi to send him samples of their work. Specifically, Henninger is encouraging attendees to email two PDF page samples: One of design you liked; the other of a design you didn’t. Send the PDFs to edh@henningerconsulting.com. Please include in the subject line: “PDFs for MPA Workshop.”

If you’re on Facebook, keep track of what’s going on with MPA and the 143rd Annual Convention by becoming a fan of the Association. Find MPA’s page by clicking here and then RSVP for the convention, June 18-20 in Biloxi.

If you’re a full registrant for convention, save yourself some time by signing up online. Transactions by credit or debit are secure and fast through PayPal. You’ll receive confirmation of your registraiton via email. If you’re not attending the full convention or prefer to sign up the old-fashioned way, simply download the registration form. For more information, contact Kimberly Haydu. See you on the coast!

State Auditor Stacey Pickering will address delegates during a general session the morning of June 19 at the 143rd Annual Convention of the Mississippi Press Association.

A native of Jones County and a seventh-generation Mississippian, Pickering was elected as auditor in 2007 after serving a term in the State Senate representing District 42.

He earned his BA from Samford University and his Master’s from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1993.

Prior to serving in the Senate, Pickering was director of government affairs and inside sales manager for Howard Technology Solutions in Laurel.

He is a member of the National State Auditors Association, National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers and the Association of Governmental Accountants.

Stacey and his wife, Whitney, live in Laurel with their four children.

The State Auditor is responsible for auditing all state agencies, county governments, school districts, junior colleges and universities; conducting investigations into abuse of public funds and violations of law; providing best practices for all public offices of regional and local subdivisions of the state, systems of accounting, budgeting and reporting financial facts relating to said offices in conformity with legal requirements and with generally accepted accounting principles; conducting inventory audits of all state property; and validating average daily attendance (ADA) counts in the state’s public schools.