Elizabeth Crisler
Elizabeth Crisler, president and founder of Jackson advertising agency Liquid Creative, will celebrate the company's 10-year anniversary tonight. Crisler opened the agency in 1999 as a branch of Dallas-based Squires & Company, and she bought the company in 2003. Since then, Liquid Creative has doubled in size and tripled its client base.
Joel Bomgar
When Joel Bomgar developed a new type of software at age 23, he had no idea that in a few years, he would be running one of the fastest growing technology companies in the country. He was simply trying to save time.
Roger Wicker
Passed by a 68-to-30 Senate vote, an amendment authored by Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, mandates that Amtrak allow passengers to carry handguns in their checked baggage. The amendment is an addition to a $122 billion housing and transportation bill, of which $1.2 billion is for Amtrak, and would deny funding for the carrier if it doesn't comply by March 2010.
Rwth Ashton
The unusual spelling of her first name is not the only thing compelling about the new Millsaps College chaplain, who comes to Jackson by way of Belzoni and Boston, among other places. Ashton, a United Methodist minister for the past 12 years, was most recently the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Belzoni, Miss. Before that, she served as associate pastor of Crossgates United Methodist Church in Brandon.
Robert Langford
Jackson's Operation Shoestring on Bailey Avenue represents the opportunity for the city's children and families to break out of cycles of poverty through education. The organization's mission is about empowerment and making a difference, and Executive Director Robert Langford is dedicated to providing quality programs to enrich and broaden the perspectives of the kids Operation Shoestring touches.
Whitney Grant
Whitney Grant, 24, lives and works in a think tank. She is an intern architect at the Jackson Community Design Center, a research laboratory that analyzes urban design and provides feedback for future development in the city.
Daniel McMullen
Eighteen-year FBI veteran Daniel McMullen is the new special agent in charge (SAC) of the FBI's Jackson Division, moving from his most recent position in Los Angeles where he was SAC for criminal matters. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller appointed McMullen to replace SAC Frederick T. Brink, who recently retired.
Paul E. Winfield
Vicksburg Mayor Paul E. Winfield was one of 18 mayors in the country to participate in the Cities of Service Inaugural Summit last week in an effort to engage citizens in community service initiatives and to provide a platform to address community challenges.
Les Range
With the state unemployment rate at 10.5 percent, Les Range, newly appointed executive director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, has his work cut out for him.
Marcy Nessel
Fischer Galleries on North State Street in Fondren has a steady, knowledgeable hand at the helm in art enthusiast Marcy Fischer Nessel. The gallery opened last November, after Nessel's former partner, James Patterson, returned to photography full time, but she's been part of the Jackson art scene for about 12 years, representing artists and helping get them established. Tonight, the gallery features art from the HeARTworks program at Stewpot Community Services.
Jarvis Dortch
Since 2006, Jarvis Dortch has worked as a communications coordinator for the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, which aims to improve health care for all Mississippians, "especially those whose health is threatened by poverty, racism, malnutrition and violence."
Dr. Aaron Shirley
Dr. Aaron Shirley is challenging those opposed to a government-run public health plan to put their convictions where their mouths are. Shirley says that if they believe what they're saying, they should burn their Medicare cards. "I want to have a demonstrationBoston Tea Party-likeand burn those cards," Shirley told The Washington Times.
Rick Klein
An employee of Mississippi Public Broadcasting for 28 years, Rick Klein got his first taste of Los Angeles glitz at last month's Daytime Emmy Awards. "Between the Lions," the educational show that Klein helps produce, won three awards, including Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series. Klein and his co-producer, Scott Colwell, received the Emmy for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series, while writer Keri Horn won for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series.
Earnestine Bowden
Earnestine Bowden remembers the golden old days of Lynch Street. A Jackson native and a graduate of Lanier High School and Jackson State University, Bowden, 60, used to eat breakfast at the Penguin Restaurant and go out at the Red Carpet Club, when the historic area was bustling.
Richard McKey
Richard McKey didn't know he was destined to be an artist. On a path similar to Van Gogh's, McKey first studied pre-ministry at Belhaven College.