Mississippi School Boards Association
Michael W. Waldrop, Executive Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
For more information or photos, Contact: Linda Buford-Burks, Director of Communications,
(601) 924-2001; lburks@msbaonline.org
CLINTON, MS – Jackson County School Board President Kenneth Fountain has been elected new president of the Mississippi School Boards Association. Fountain, a member of the electrical distribution team with Dupont, was elected Tuesday, November 18 by the Delegates Assembly, a body of school board member representatives from across the state who met during the Mississippi School Boards Association’s Fall Leadership Conference in Jackson.
The Delegates Assembly also elected Lygunnah Bean, South Panola school board president, as MSBA vice president and Dr. Norris Edney, president of the Natchez-Adams School District Board, as secretary-treasurer. Bean is Panola County road manager, while Edney is a retired college professor and department head. Columbus businesswoman and school board member Julie Jordan will remain on the MSBA Board of Directors as immediate past president.
School board members elected by the Delegates Assembly to serve on the MSBA Board of Directors for two-year terms are: (Congressional District 2) Tommie Cardin, Clinton School District; Dr. Harvey Jackson, Cleveland School District; Delmer Stamps, Jackson Public School District; (Congressional District 3) Sondra Odom (elected for one year, to fill an unexpired term); Pearl School District; (Congressional District 4) James Stubbs, Long Beach School District; Steve Conner, Quitman School District; Miranda Beard, Laurel School District.
Under MSBA bylaws, the association’s president is authorized to appoint four additional members to serve on the MSBA Board of Directors during his/her one-year term of office.
More information about MSBA Officers and New Board Members:
NEW OFFICERS
MSBA vice president Kenneth Fountain has been a member of the Jackson County School District Board of Trustees since 1996. He currently chairs his local board and serves as chairman of the Gulf Coast School Boards Association as well. In 2006, Fountain represented the Jackson County School District and Mississippi as a member of the panel, “Forces of Nature: Leadership Stories from the Trenches,” a NSBA Leadership Conference session focusing on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on public schools. Fountain’s school district suffered severe damage in the hurricane, prompting him as board president to take extraordinary leadership in helping his district regain some sense of normalcy during a time of limited or no electronic communication. As a member of the panel he provided insight regarding his experiences and lessons learned. He also serves as a trustee of the MSBA Workers’ Compensation Trust, chairs the MSBA Vision & Goals Committee, and is a member of MSBA’s Legislative Committee. The Jackson County School District president was first elected to the MSBA Board of Directors in November 2002. He is a professional in the electrical distribution group at Dupont Titanium Technologies, his employer for the past 10 years. Fountain graduated from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and has done further study at the University of Southern Mississippi. He and his wife Barbara have been married since 1974 and have two grown children –– Christine, a registered nurse, and Kenny, a chemical engineer at the same company where his father works.
MSBA Secretary-Treasurer Lygunnah Bean has been a member of the board of trustees of the South Panola School District since 1992, serving as its president for the past six years. He served as presidential appointee to the MSBA Board of Directors twice before being elected to the MSBA board. Prior to the start of his career, the South Panola board member studied tool and die making at Northwest Community College, later opting to pursue studies in computer programming and earned certification in the field. He used his computer knowledge to develop and install a computerized road and bridge system for Panola County, where he works as county road manager. He also owns Bean’s Computer Printing –– a computer consulting, bookkeeping and accounting business. A strong advocate for children, Bean has actively worked as a volunteer for the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Mississippi, serving as a member of the organization’s Personnel Committee. He previously served also as president of the Community Vocation Relations Committee for the Batesville Job Corps Center. Bean and his wife Deborah have been married for 30 years. They have two grown children and one grandchild.
Dr. Norris A. Edney, retired biology professor and Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at Alcorn State University, was first elected to the MSBA Board of Directors in 2005. He has served as president of the Natchez-Adams School District Board of Trustees since 2001. Also former president of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Dr. Edney has earned numerous awards for both community and professional accomplishments including Outstanding Agriculture Researcher, Research Scientist of the Year, and SWAC Hall of Fame. He has two doctorate degrees, one in conservation (mycology) from Michigan State University and the other in education administration from the University of Wisconsin. He received his undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College and M.S.T. degrees from Antioch College (biology – ecology) and from Atlanta University (biology – experimental). He was biology professor at Alcorn State University for 31 years.
Columbus businesswoman and current MSBA President, Julie Jordan has been a member of the Columbus School District Board of Trustees since March 2000, serving her local board as secretary, vice president and president. She is currently the owner of four Sylvan Learning Centers in north Mississippi. Prior to operating the Sylvan Learning Center franchises, Jordan taught at the Mississippi School of Mathematics & Science; was a part-time instructor at Mississippi State University and Mississippi University for Women; and, was a technology consultant to various entities in the Columbus area. Jordan is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a BA in industrial engineering and holds a MS degree in education technology. She and her husband Jay have three sons. Her position as Immediate Past President is automatic.
NEWLY ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS
Miranda Beard, president of the Laurel School District Board of Trustees, is assistant news director at WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg. A graduate of the University of Mississippi with a degree in broadcast journalism, she also completed Leadership Jones County and Leadership Mississippi. Former Governor Kirk Fordice appointed her as commissioner to the Mississippi Employment Security Commission, a position she held for eight years. Beard is a member of the advisory board for the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Jones County, and the advisory board for the University of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communication and Journalism. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Gulf Pines Girl Scouts and is vice president of the Mississippi Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
Tommie Cardin heads the Public Law and Finance Group for Butler Snow law firm in Jackson. His expertise includes administrative and environmental law, elections/voting rights, and, governmental litigation and relations. A graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School, Cardin was the lead attorney for the Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment from 2001 through 2005. President of the Clinton School District Board of Trustees, Cardin is a former adjunct professor at the Mississippi College School of Law. He has a number of distinctions, including being named among The Best Lawyers in America in the area of government relations law. The national Chambers U.S.A. cited him among America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of environment. In February 2008, Cardin co-authored “Election Challenges Involving Candidates for Federal Office,” featured in a publication of the American Bar Association.
Thomas Stephen Conner, president of the Quitman Board of Trustees, has served his local board for the past 13 years. This November, he was unopposed in his bid for an additional 5-year board term. A graduate of Jones County Junior College, he retired from Rowan Companies in 1990. He is captain of Carmichael Volunteer Fire Department, as well as a mentor at Quitman Junior High School.
Dr. Harvey M. Jackson, president of the Cleveland School District Board of Trustees since 2001, received his doctorate degree in behavioral psychology from California Coast University and a doctorate of Theology from United Bible College and Seminary in Orlando, FL. He also earned an Educational Specialist degree in Counseling / Psychology as well as a master of education degree from Delta State University. President of Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) National Alumni Executive Board of Directors, Dr. Jackson received his undergraduate degree in social science from MVSU. A member of the clergy for 41 years, he is pastor of Lampton Street Church of Christ in Mound Bayou. A strong community advocate, Dr. Jackson is president and founder of the Citizen Assistance Committee in Mound Bayou; president of the Mississippi State Convention for the Churches of Christ; and, president / founder of the Delta Bible Institute. Dr. Jackson and his wife Linda have three children.
James C. Stubbs, president of the Long Beach School District Board of Trustees, currently serves as director of civilian training for the Department of Navy’s Professional Development Center in Gulfport. He is certified as a Navy Alternate Dispute Resolution Specialist, facilitator and mediator mentor. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserves as a colonel after 30 years of service. His service on the MSBA Board of Directors began as a presidential appointee in November 2006. He was subsequently elected to a two-year term. Stubbs earned a M.S. degree in education administration and supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi and a B.S. degree in mathematics from Alcorn State University. He and his wife Imogene have two children.
A board member in Pearl Public School District for 16 years, Sondra Odom has served five terms as president of her local board. She is a former youth court counselor in Rankin County. Active in her community and church, Odom is a recipient of the Pearl Chamber of Commerce’s Pillar of the Community award. She and husband Steve are partners in several businesses in the Rankin County area. A 1976 graduate of Mississippi State University, Odom and her husband have two adult children.
Delmer C. Stamps, serving a second term as president of the Jackson Public Schools’ Board of Trustees, is in his 5th year of service on the Jackson School Board. Earlier this year, he was a co-presenter at the National School Boards Association’s Annual Conference in Orlando, providing insight on the district’s strategies in voter approval of a $150 million bond referendum and a separate session on the importance of customer service. Stamps also serves on the board of the Council of Great City Schools and the Council of Urban Boards of Education. A graduate of Alcorn State University, Stamps was inducted into the Alcorn State University National Hall of Honor in May of 2001. He is a deacon at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Learned and also serves on the board of trustees. Manager of Stamps Farms of Learned, the Jackson school board president also is employed as a state resource conservationist with the USDA National Resources Conservation Service. He and his wife Berncill have three children.