About MCEE
The mission of the Mississippi Council on Economic Education (MCEE) is to increase economic and financial literacy in Mississippi by providing resources and training to K-12 educators, empowering students to create a more prosperous future for themselves and Mississippi.
MCEE’s purpose is to enhance the quality of instruction in economics, entrepreneurship, and personal finance to Mississippi’s K-12 students in ways that are academically sound and nonpartisan. We train educators to be proficient in teaching students a demonstrated understanding of economic and financial literacy in order to make informed financial decisions throughout their lives.
All students (K-12) need to learn grade-appropriate skills in economic and financial literacy, as well as entrepreneurial skills. One of the primary goals of MCEE is to ensure demonstrated progress in improving the competency of Mississippi’s educators and their ability to enhance their students’ understanding of financial and economic literacy.
MCEE strives to provide the best possible economics, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial education in Mississippi, working together with the national Council for Economic Education, Mississippi Department of Education, Centers on Economic Education, and its additional partners in the education and business communities throughout the state. MCEE will be guided by integrity, fiscal soundness, good stewardship of the funding, and believing in educators and students enough to achieve their optimal level of financial understanding.
Our Team
Staff
The MCEE staff consists of three full-time professionals. The team works diligently to promote economic, financial and entrepreneurial literacy throughout the state via partnerships with the education and business communities.
Please feel free to contact us if you want additional information about our organization.
Board of Directors
The MCEE Board of Directors is composed of statewide leaders representing the business, education, and government sectors. The board members are elected to a three-year term and are dedicated to promoting and supporting economic education in Mississippi.
Executive Committee
Ms. Christy Holyfield, Chair
Regional Support Officer
Citizens National Bank
Mr. Jim Perry, Chair-Elect
Managing Director/
Head of the Southern Region
for the Public Finance Department
Wells Fargo
Mr. David Johnson, Past-Chair
Senior VP, Director of Community Development
BankPlus
Dr. Sondra Collins, Secretary
Senior Economist
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
Mr. Daniel Elliott, Treasurer
Rankin County President
Cadence Bank
Ms. Natella Boulton
Assistant VP, Senior Financial Advisor
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Mr. Joe Donovan
Division Director/Bureau Manager
Mississippi Development Authority
Dr. Ricki Garrett
Alderman At Large
City of Clinton
Mr. Kyle Skene
Assurance Manager,
Public & Middle Market
Horne, LLP
Mr. Derick Vance
Vice President- Commercial Banking
Guaranty Bank
Mr. Anthony Webb
President- Jackson Metro
Southern Bancorp
Ms. Selena C. Swartzfager, MBA, MTE
President
Mississippi Council on Economic Education
Members at Large
Mr. Royal Aills
Executive Director
Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Dr. Bret Becton
Dean, College of Business
& Economic Development
University of Southern Mississippi
Mr. Danny Bolanos
VP, Commercial Banking
The First Bank
Mr. Brad Davis
Attorney
Watkins & Eager
Dr. Blakely Fender
Professor of Economics
Millsaps College
Dr. Sean Fox
Department Chair
Mississippi State University
Department of Agricultural Economics
Mr. Greg Frascogna
Senior Vice President, Investments
Raymond James
Mr. Gabe Godbold
Madison County Market President
Renasant Bank
Dr. Tomeka Harbin
Interim Dean, Associate Professor of Management
Delta State University
Mr. Jack Heidelberg
Director
Magnolia Capitol Advisors
Dr. Joshua Hendrickson
Chair, Associate Professor of Economics
University of Mississippi
Ms. Amy Hennessy
Director, Outreach and Economic Education
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Ms. Honey Holman
Senior Economist
C Spire
Ms. Aleesha Hudson
Region Analyst, IV
Enbridge
Ms. Elizabeth Johnson
Communications Manager
International Paper Company
Ms. Tami Jones
Revenue Manager
Mississippi Free Press
Mr. Alan McCormick
Partner
Ballew Wealth Management
Ms. Paula McNair
Vice President of Finance
Atmos Energy
Mr. Deonte Oscar
President, Hinds County
Community Bank
Dr. Sheila Porterfield
Associate Dean, College of Business
Jackson State University
Mr. Jason Quin
Agent
State Farm Insurance
Ms. Sherry Rainey
First VP and Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Development
Trustmark Bank
Mr. Johnny Ray
Executive VP, Jackson Regional President
Bank First
Ms. Kelly Riley
Executive Director
Mississippi Professional Educators
Mr. Josh Scott
Director, Vehicle Quality and Pre-Delivery
Nissan North America
Mr. Jackson Sharp
Wealth Management Analyst
WealthPartners
Mr. Luke Smith
Assistant Vice President
Regions Bank
Ms. Shirley Tucker
Extension Specialist
Mississippi Small Business Development Center
Dr. Steve Turner
Director Emeritus,
Southern Rural Development Center
Mississippi State University
Mr. Christopher Walters
Principal
The William Morris Group
Director Emeriti
Mr. Matt Ballew, Director Emeritus
Retired
Ballew Wealth Management
Mr. Paul Breazeale, Director Emeritus
Retired
Breazeale, Saunders & O’Neil, Ltd.
Mr. Jerome Brown, Director Emeritus
Senior Vice President,
Director of Community Development
The First Bank
Mr. Brad Maley, Director Emeritus
Division President
Cadence Bank
Mr. Brooks Mosley, Director Emeritus
President
Ballew Wealth Management
Centers & Faculty
Centers
Delta State University
Center for Economic Education
and Research
Dr. Glendscene Williams
Center Director
Jackson State University
Center for Research in Economic Education and Literacy in Finance
Millsaps College
Center for Economic Education
Ms. Selena Swartzfager, MBA, MTE
Center Director
Mississippi State University
Extension Center for Economic Education and Financial Literacy
Dr. Rebecca Campbell Smith
Center Director
University of Mississippi
Center for Economic Science
and Economic Education
Dr. Mark Van Boening
Center Director
University of Southern Mississippi
The Hatchery
Mr. James Wilcox, MED
Center Director
Faculty
Jeannette Bennett
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis,
Memphis Branch
Dr. Brandon Bolen
Mississippi College;
Assistant Professor of Economics
Theresa Conner
Northwest Rankin High School;
MTE, MTPF
Kierstan Dufour
Get2College;
Director of External Training
& Partnerships
Julie Ingram
Terry High School;
MTE, MTEnt, MTPF
Claire Loup
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta,
New Orleans Branch
Kenneth Nelson
E.P.I.C. Academy; MTE, MTEnt
Amy Rogers
Purvis Upper Elementary School
Vicki Sullivan
Olive Branch High School;
MTPF, MTEnt
Christy Walker
Germantown High School; MTE
Teacher of the Year
Annually the MCEE chooses one teacher to be the Economics Teacher of the Year.
2025 applications are due by: October 1, 2025.
Hall of Fame
Education Champions
Business Champions
Important Documents
The Mississippi Council on Economic Education is a 501(c)3 corporation; Federal Tax ID 82-0563444.
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1701 N State Street
Jackson, MS 39210
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