Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Governor Appoints Interim MDA Director

 Governor Tate Reeves issued the following statement. 

Today I appointed Laura Hipp as Interim Executive Director of Mississippi Development Authority. Laura has served as Chief Marketing Officer and a senior adviser at MDA since I took office.  My confidence in her to execute my vision will lead to economic growth and continue Mississippi’s momentum.  #MightyMS

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Every economic developer in Mississippi is probably, and rightly, furious. What a joke.

Anonymous said...

Ok, let's see....a former newspaper reporter for the C-L is now the director of MDA????? Wow! There must be a lot of depth at that agency.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully she can serve our state honorably. Good choice by Tate to go with a woman, much less risky.

Anonymous said...

Thank god!

Just what it needs is a marketing director.

Just when you thought it was over they hire the PR crew.

That’ll fix it

Anonymous said...

More of the same. Every department in this government needs new blood.

Anonymous said...

Former clarion ledger “journalist” turned political dependent hanger on. Surely not the permanent head.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, this will continue Mississippi's momentum. Why not just close this worthless agency?

Anonymous said...

Heaven forbid they give the job to someone with actual economic development experience

Anonymous said...

Bless her heart. Clarion-Ledger on the resume?

Yeah, bless her heart.

Anonymous said...

Laura is extremely bright and solution oriented. A very good choice.

Anonymous said...

Tate increasingly is showing his ability….or lack thereof. He is beholden to his campaign advisors. Always has been. And they are lifelong parasites. He is clueless.

Anonymous said...

She's not a bad choice if the plan is to just keep on the same track until a new permanent Director can be found. There are other professionals there, so as long as that's the plan, I'm not surprised at all. Is she the first woman to lead there even on an interim basis? I haven't paid attention in the last 10 years or so, but I think so.

Anonymous said...

KF - Can any of those that comment on your site read - and understand? This was an "interim" appointment. That means, not going to be THE director, but just running the show while the search for a new director is on.

From reading the comments, evidently people read the words they want to choose to bitch about, and skip the adjectives that go along with the sentence.

Anonymous said...

5:02 pm

She is right!

My Delta flight was going terribly when both pilots died and the tower put in the head stewardess “temporarily.”

She wasn’t going to start being a pilot….nooooo!

She was only there for a while….until they could find another!

5:02 pm thank you for your real brilliance……you should be having a bud light….no….two bud lights

Anonymous said...

Glenn McCullough and John Rounsaville were the last two. Both were government suits who know how to shake hands and talk big while getting absolutely nothing done.

Joey Deason is a name to watch. He dang sure ain’t perfect but he would be much better than the last two.

Anonymous said...

This all tracks back to Haley, who also runs Tate and Butler Snow.

New Boss, Same as Old Boss said...

Can you say Quid Pro Quo? I know you can.

Anonymous said...

What is the MDA besides a giant marketing firm for the state?

Anonymous said...

Get a successful business man to do it. Gerard Gibbert

Anonymous said...

8:33 - where does that logic come from? He probably couldn’t pick this lady out of a line up, yet he’s the reason she was selected? Ok...got it

Anonymous said...

6:55 - thanks Joey. Appreciate your chiming in. Glad to know what you thought of the previous administrators. Your opinion will I'm sure be considered.

5:02 here said...

@ 5:49 - great analogy. Yes, losing two pilots while the plane is mid-air is the same situation as managing an agency (where nobody's life is endangered, but the need is to make sure that existing work in the pipeline continues, and that the folks handling them continue - while keeping the Governor informed of activities when a deal is pending).

Yes, wonderful example. You go back and get another swig of MD 20-20; better to maintain that wonderful mind than a Bud light.

Anonymous said...

Bright and solution oriented. Now there' a resume bullet point that will push a candidate to the top of the pile.

If she's so well qualified, how is it that she wound up as a beat reporter at the Ledger? Were Barbie and Lassiter not available? What about Magnolia Wade?

"Implement MY vision", Tater says.

Anonymous said...

They should have put one of the JMAA board members up for the appointment. They marketed our states airport and got so much accomplished in Paris that they will be able to walk right in and make things happen.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if she has the "BluePrint" for the "Momentum" to be "Relentless"..

5:02 you are a peach. Roundsaville was also "interim" before he was appointed and the power went to his head.

Kingfish said...

Let's get her background straight since someone said she worked for Phil in a comment I didn't approve.

She was a CL reporter and a pretty good one at that. She worked for Haley in his second term. He left office, she moves over to the Lieutenant Governor's office for the next eight years. She moved to MDA when he became Governor.

Anonymous said...

Seems qualified enough for gubment work.

Anonymous said...

Right now she has the one and only qualification she needs:

the confidence and trust of the Governor.

If this position requires confirmation, then her resume becomes more important.

Anonymous said...

If she's simply a place-holder and there are 'others there who know the work and can continue it', what's the point of even appointing her interim? Oh wait! This is exactly how Miss Fitch came on stage.

First female? Big Whup!

On another note. Yes! Appoint Gerard. He's serving on about thirteen boards (who can name any of them?) right now and chairs several (who can name them?), gives speeches around the metro, golfs with real important doctors, has a radio program to feed his ego and gets to tell us everyday how successful he used to be. He is the most arrogant man on the planet. For awhile he thought he might become the Chancellor at TSUN, until the SCB said...WHO? What he needs is a large room full of Lilliputian's he can assemble every day, call them to order, and give them marching orders.

Anonymous said...

What happened with/to Rounsaville? Don't tell me to go read a damned article.

Anonymous said...

Can she get the folks to stop leaving by creating these 10 to 50 low wage jobs every 3 to 6 months is the question. Our neighbor states are producing 100s of High paying jobs. The Tire plants under the previous governor was the last major job creators. Amazon is going to be a mandatory production sweatshop.

Anonymous said...

For those of you who are oblivious to the workings of MDA, her credentials are spot on. Executive trust, communications, thorough in bureaucracy mechanics, competent in marketing, steadfast, and no evidence of skeletons in closet. I don't know her but I can't wait to see what industries and businesses she brings to the state. GOOD LUCK! BWC

Anonymous said...

In other words, 3:22, she can produce and sign a memo for immediate release. The burning question is will she be assigned a body-guard.



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