BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

• Educational Attainment in Mississippi
  • Jean Massey, Executive Director, Ascent to 55%
    • Ms. Massey has over 40 years of public education experience. In August 2022, she was selected as the Executive Director for the Ascent to 55% initiative at the Mississippi Public Education Forum and the Mississippi Economic Council. Immediately prior to her new role, Ms. Massey served as a school improvement leadership coach for the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Beginning in 2009 and leading up to her time with SREB, she served in a variety of capacities at the Mississippi Department of Education, including Associate State Superintendent for Career and Technical Education and as the executive director for the Office of Secondary Education.  There she was responsible for planning, developing, and implementing education initiatives at the school, district, and state level for public education in Mississippi to improve student achievement, with one of her most recent contributions being the early exploration of the now-required College and Career Readiness Course.  Her early career as a classroom teacher and elementary and high school principal has informed her understanding of the opportunities and barriers that students have in successfully completing their K-12 education. Ms. Massey holds a Master’s in Education (with a concentration in Administrative Leadership) from Mississippi College, a Master’s in Elementary Education from Jackson State University, and a Bachelor of Science from Belhaven University.  Ms. Massey is also a graduate of Hinds Community College and a member of the Hinds Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
  • Dr. Casey Prestwood, Associate Commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs, MS IHL
    • Dr. Prestwood is the Assistant Commissioner for Policy & Strategic Initiatives for the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in Mississippi. She works closely with K-12, community colleges, and universities to support a seamless educational system and a more educated workforce in Mississippi. Some of the initiatives that Dr. Prestwood has overseen or developed at IHL are the revision of the IHL college preparatory curriculum to align with high school graduation options, statewide dual enrollment and AP guidelines, College Countdown which encourages high school students to complete the FAFSA and apply to college and then celebrate their acceptance to college, the reverse transfer associate agreement and the statewide articulation agreement between the community colleges and public universities, and Complete 2 Compete - the statewide program to re-engage adults with some college but no degree. Prior to IHL, Dr. Prestwood worked at the University of Southern Mississippi as the Associate Registrar and then as Director for Teacher Education Accreditation.  Dr. Prestwood received an associate’s degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and was named Alumna of the Year in 2017.  She received three degrees culminating with a doctorate in higher education administration from The University of Southern Mississippi.
  • Dr. Jay Allen, President, ICC
    • Dr. Allen became the seventh president of Itawamba Community College in 2017 after serving as president and chief executive officer of Hopkinsville Community College in Kentucky. A native Mississippian, Dr. Allen has served in several leadership positions at Hinds Community College and as a senior-level administrator for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Perkinston and the George County Center – for a combined total of 25 years. He earned the Associate of Arts degree from Hinds; the Bachelor of Science degree and the master’s degree, both from Mississippi State University; and the doctorate in higher education administration, from the University of Mississippi. His experience includes both academic and career and technical education, student services, institutional development, information technology, business services, athletics, workforce and other non-credit areas. He currently serves on numerous local, state and national boards. He serves as Chair of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges State Workforce Education Committee, President of the Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities, Chair of the Mississippi Community College Foundation, Chair of the Mississippi Education Achievement Council responsible for the new statewide educational attainment goal, Co-Chair of the HERDI South Executive Board, Mississippi representative on the Community Colleges of Appalachia Board of Directors and most recently named as a member of the American Association of Community Colleges Board of Directors. Dr. Allen and his wife, Belinda, have two daughters, Emma Grace, 19; and Mollianne, 14.
• Building a Digital Legacy: Advancing a Brand on Social Media
  • Emma Gaddy, Digital Content Specialist, University of Mississippi
    • Emma is originally from Moulton, Alabama but has been in Oxford since 2015. She earned both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss in Integrated Marketing and Communications, and has since worked for University MarComm as the digital content specialist. Emma handles the day-to-day social media content for the university and also heads up the Social Media Ambassador program. As an undergraduate, she was a member of the Ole Miss Rebelette dance team and a Social Media Ambassador and while earning her graduate degree, she worked as the graduate assistant for University MarComm. This summer, Emma had the opportunity to cover the College World Series and watch as the Rebels won their national title! Hotty Toddy!​
  • Ryan Whittington, Marketing and Brand Strategy Director, University of Mississippi
    • ​Ryan received a B.A. and M.A. in Journalism from the University of Mississippi and has worked in University Marketing & Communications since 2012. He currently serves as the Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy at his alma mater and he leads a team of photographers, videographers, and traditional and digital marketing strategists charged with developing and executing institutional marketing and brand campaigns. While at the University of Mississippi, he has presented at local, statewide and regional public relations and marketing conferences on social media’s role in higher education including the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Southern Public Relations Federation. A former president of the local chapter of the Public Relations Association of Mississippi, he was recently named to the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Under 40 Class of 2020.
• Words Have Power: Deepening Our Understanding of Social Diversity
  • Delaney Foster, Associate Director for Planning & Assessment Initiatives, MSU
    • Delaney Vampran-Foster (she/hers pronouns) is the Associate Director for Planning & Assessment for the Division of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion. Delaney works to identify and secure funding opportunities that create access for people from historically under-served groups, particularly around graduation, entry into graduate education, and recruiting a broad group of employees. Her area of research is in the social sciences around the intersection between race, gender, and self-identity. Delaney is a Jackson, MS native.​
• Higher Education in Prisons
  • Dr. William Sansing, Owner and Operator, Resilient Life Counseling Services, LLC
    • Dr. Sansing, LPC-S, retired in 2020 from East Mississippi Community College where he was an Associate Dean of Instruction and District Director of Student Counseling, Advising, and Dual Enrollment Services. Previously he worked at Mississippi State University as a disability policy researcher and program evaluator. He now owns and operates Resilient Life Counseling Services, LLC and works for American Addiction Centers and Health Connect America as an addiction, emotional health, and relationship therapist and supervisor. In addition, he is actively involved with multiple criminal justice advocacy efforts, including Just Leadership USA, The Mississippi Bail Fund Collective, The Mississippi Prison Reform Coalition, and Higher Education in Prison. Dr. Sansing has recently authored a book titled, “Beyond Prison: Finding Second Chances Through Grace, Resilience, and Community” that is scheduled to be released in early 2023. He wrote this book due to his lived experience in prison life and its associated setbacks. His post-incarceration time as an educator, researcher, and therapist gave him a unique ability to speak on these life issues in a communicable way. Outside writing, Dr. Sansing loves spending time with his grandchildren and family, reading, cycling, playing tennis, woodworking, traveling, and watching most college sports. His idea of decorating is building more bookcases. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education/School Counseling & Guidance Services and Sociology from Mississippi State University.
  • Dr. Ladd Taylor, VP of the Perkinston Campus and George County Center, MGCCC
    • ​Dr. Ladd Taylor is the Vice President of the Perkinston Campus and George County Center at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Dr. Taylor began his career at MGCCC in 2002, and served in various roles within student services through 2008, when he began serving as the college’s Dean of Athletics.  He has been in his current role since 2014. Dr. Taylor holds degrees in Business Administration (B.A.) and Adult Education (M.A.) from the University of Southern Mississippi.  He also holds a degree in Higher Education Administration (Ph.D.) from William Carey University. Dr. Taylor is a current member and Past Chairman of the Stone County Economic Development Partnership Board and is actively involved in community events that support students and education. He is a past participant of the American Association of Community College (AACC) Future President’s Institute, AACC Commission on Student Success, Leadership Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Education Fellowship Program, and Charter Member and Past President of the Stone County Kiwanis Club. He and his wife Robin reside in Perkinston, Mississippi, and they have two daughters, RiAnne (age 24) and Sayla (age 20).
  • Dr. Ben Cloyd, VP of Effectiveness and Enrollment, MDCC
    • Dr. Ben Cloyd is in his nineteenth year in the Mississippi Community College system.  He has worked in a variety of roles, including History Instructor, Honors Program Director, Academic Dean, SACSCOC Institutional Accreditation Liaison, and Special Assistant to the President.  Cloyd currently serves Mississippi Delta Community College as the Vice President of Effectiveness & Enrollment.  He is also part of the MDCC team that is fully committed to growing instruction at Parchman, an experience which has been collaborative and transformative both for our students and ourselves.​
• A New Era of Mental Health
  • Russell Chumley, Counselor, North Mississippi Health Services
    • Russell Chumley, LPC, LMFT, has worked in the mental health field for almost 30 years.  He is a licensed professional counselor and licensed marriage and family therapist who serves as the psych-assessment coordinator at the North Mississippi Medical Center Behavioral Health Center.