Chairman of the Board
Mike Moore
Former Attorney General, State of Mississippi
Private Practice, Mike Moore Law Firm
Mike Moore is engaged in independent law practice based in Jackson, Mississippi. He practices in the area of dispute resolution, as well as handles select legislative and governmental relations matters. Prior to joining forming his own law firm, Mike served as general counsel with Phelps Dunbar, and served as the attorney general of the state of Mississippi from 1988-2004. He received national attention in 1994, when he filed the first suit against 13 tobacco companies, making Mississippi the first state to insist that cigarette manufacturers reimburse the State for costs it incurred treating smoking related illnesses. The suit resulted in a $4.1 billion settlement for the State of Mississippi. Moore also led the national effort, which resulted in a $246 billion recovery for all of the states, and recently helped craft the landmark settlement of the Ayers higher education desegregation lawsuit that began in 1975. Before his 16 years as Mississippi’s Attorney General, he served as District Attorney on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for two terms.
In 1992, Moore became the first resident Mississippian to be selected as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Americans by the National Jaycees. Recognized by his peers as a leader, in 1994 his fellow Attorneys General bestowed upon him the prestigious Wyman Award, naming him the most outstanding attorney general in the nation. He also served as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. In 1998 the National Law Journal named him “Lawyer of the Year,” and Governing Magazine named him “Public Official of the Year.” In May of this past year, the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids presented him with their “Champion Award” for a decade of service in protecting America’s young people from tobacco addiction and his role in protecting the nation’s health.
Vice Chairman
John McCullouch
President of BellSouth Pioneers
John M. McCullouch formerly served as President of Mississippi Operations for BellSouth, and now spearheads the efforts of the BellSouth Pioneers. McCullouch began his telecommunications career in 1979 as an attorney for South Central Bell in Jackson. He was named General Counsel for BellSouth in Mississippi in 1986.
A native of Louisville, Mississippi, McCullouch received a B.A. degree in Political Science from Mississippi State University in 1971 and a J.D. degree from the University of Mississippi in 1978.
Active in business and community affairs, McCullouch currently serves as president of the Mississippi Economic Council, immediate Past President of the Mississippi World Trade Center, and immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi. He is on the board of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development, Mississippi Technology Alliance, Jobs for Mississippi Graduates, BellSouth Foundation and Trustmark National Bank. He also serves on the Board of Governors for the University Club and the Country Club of Jackson while also serving on the Community Advisory Board of the Junior League of Jackson.
Secretary
Hursie Davis-Sullivan, MD
Hursie Davis-Sullivan, MD is currently in private practice at the Sullivan Family Medical Clinic, a position she has held since 2000. Dr. Davis-Sullivan holds a BS in Chemistry and an MS in Chemistry from Jackson State University. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Iowa in June 1993.
Upon completion of her Family Medicine Residency at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 1996, Dr. Davis-Sullivan, a Jackson native, has spent her medical career improving the lives of Mississippians.
In addition to serving as Secretary for The Partnership's Board of Directors, Dr. Davis-Sullivan is President Elect (2003-2005) for the Mississippi Medical Surgical Association. She is also a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians, American Black Cardiologists Association, and the Central Medical Society, among others. She is a Kellogg Fellow (1992-1993), an American Heart Association Fellow in Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, and Chief of Family Medicine at Central Mississippi Medical Center.
Ed Thompson, Jr., MD, MPH
Ed Thompson, M.D., MPH is Chief of Public Health Practice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
As Chief of Public Health Practice, Dr. Thompson is responsible for assuring the U.S. public health system is strengthened, and that CDC provides leadership in building and supporting public health infrastructure.
The CDC working with states and international partners provides a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks (including bioterrorism), implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. It also provides for immunization services, workplace safety, and environmental disease prevention. Working with the World Health Organization, CDC also guards against international disease transmission, with personnel stationed in more than 25 foreign countries. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) also reports to the CDC. ATSDR helps prevent exposure to hazardous substances from waste sites on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List, and develops toxicological profiles of chemicals at these sites. The CDC was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. CDC has 8,569 employees with a budget of US $7 billion in 2004.
Before coming to CDC, Dr. Thompson served for nine years as the State Health Officer of Mississippi. He holds an M.D. degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and an M.P.H. degree from John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He is board certified in Preventive Medicine.
Prior to becoming Mississippi’s State Health Officer, he served as Mississippi’s State Epidemiologist for ten years. He is past president of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).
Dr. Thompson served a four-year term on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and was a member the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Health and Human Service’s Secretary’s Council on Public Health Preparedness.
George Abraham, II MD
In addition to his private family medical practice in Vicksburg, George E. Abraham, II, MD also serves as Clinical Instructor in family medicine and as Medical Student Preceptor, Department of Family Medicine, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
A native of Vicksburg, Dr. Abraham graduated from Vicksburg public schools and went on to earn three degrees from the University of Mississippi prior to earning his medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical School in 1975. His efforts in the medical community earned him the 1989 Patient Care Award for Excellence in Patient Education.
In addition to serving on The Partnership's Board of Directors, Dr. Abraham also serves on the Board for Parkview Medical Corporation, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, I.Q.H. (Information and Quality HEALTHCARE), River Region Medical Corporation, the Mississippi State Medical Association and the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Abraham maintains memberships in many professional medical associations and has served in various Board positions throughout his distinguished career.
Sheriff George Payne
Harrison County Sheriff
George H. Payne, Jr. currently serves as Sheriff of Harrison County, a position held since January 2000. A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Sheriff Payne attended the Gulfport School system, and graduated from Gulfport High School. He holds a degree in Law Enforcement from the University of Northeast Louisiana.
Sheriff Payne joined the Gulfport Police Department as a patrolman in 1971, and was promoted to a detective in 1973, chief of detectives in 1977, assistant chief of police in 1983, and chief of police in 1989. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the Administrative Officer's Course at Southern Police Institute in Louisville, Kentucky; and the U.S. Secret Service's Dignitary Protection School, Washington, D.C.
Sheriff Payne has spent his career working with youth through a variety of civic programs. These include working with the Gulfport school system, North Gulfport Youth Challenge Program, Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts. Numerous awards for community service have been bestowed upon Sheriff Payne, including a Presidential Commendation for Community Service and Community Policing.
Wallace Conerly, MD
A native of Tylertown, Dr. Wallace Conerly is Vice Chancellor Emeritus for Health Affairs and Dean Emeritus of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
He received a BS with honors from Millsaps College and a MD from Tulane University. Conerly also received special training while in the U.S. Air Force's School of Aerospace Medicine, and later became director of the Aerospace Medicine Division.
Conerly went to the Medical Center in 1971 as a resident in medicine. He became the Mississippi Lung Association's Fellow in Pulmonary Disease in 1972 and was appointed to the faculty in 1973. He served for 13 years as assistant vice chancellor before becoming vice chancellor in 1994, a position he held until he retired on June 30, 2003.
Conerly was the chief architect of the largest expansion program in the history of higher education in Mississippi. The $335 building program includes a children's hospital, a comprehensive women's hospital, critical care hospital, a School of Nursing addition, a School of Health Related Professions building, all completed since 1997, and a 256-bed adult hospital and classroom addition now under construction.
Conerly created a campus wide Office of Research in 1998. Since then, grants and contracts awarded to Medical Center investigators have more than doubled.
Working to create a more diverse environment, he expanded the institution's efforts to recruit and retain minority students. He secured funding for 12 full-four-year scholarships, $25,000 annually, for African-American students in the School of Medicine. Conerly also sought to increase the number of minority employees on the health sciences campus, resulting in the Medical Center being recognized in 2001 as a “National Role Model Institution” by Minority Access, Inc. Conerly worked with Dr. Aaron Shirley, Reuben Anderson, and others to create the Jackson Medical Mall, now recognized nationally as a model for affordable health care and economic revitalization.
Conerly has participated in numerous medical organizations and received numerous medical honors over the years. Most recently, in 2002, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services appointed him to the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine, making Conerly the first Mississippian to serve on this prestigious body.
V.O. Smith
Mayor, City of Collins
Mayor V.O. Smith, a native of Covington County, is the current Mayor of Collins. He was elected Alderman for the city in 1977, and served in that capacity until 1981 when he was elected Mayor. He has served as Mayor since that time.
Over the years, Mayor Smith has been actively involved in not only his community, but also around Mississippi. He was the past President of the Mississippi Municipal League, and now currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Municipal League and the Executive Committee. He is past President of the Collins Rotary Club, and past President of the Collins Lions Club. He is currently President of the Covington County Economic Development Authority, Chairman of the Mississippi Municipal Services Company Board, Covington County Board Member of the United Way, Committee Member of the Who’s Who in Mississippi and he is also listed as one of the Outstanding Americans in the South. For eight years he served in the Mississippi National Guard. During this time, he received a Certificate of Application from the National Guard and Reserve Forces in 1996 for distinguished contributions to the National Defense. He is also a member of the Covington County Chamber of Commerce and past Chairman of the Covington County Adopt-A-Family program. He helped organize the Boys & Girls Club, and received a Medallion award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Smith was named Mississippi Area Council 1999 Member of the Year in recognition of his support of service to the Boys & Girls Club of Covington County, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi.
Jayne Sargent, PhD
Former Superintendent Jackson Public Schools
