President Obama to appoint JSU President Ronald Mason Jr. to HBCU board of advisors

(JACKSON, Miss.) – President Barack Obama announced his intent on February 26 to appoint Jackson State University President Ronald Mason Jr. to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Mason will be one of 11 members to serve on the board.

The Board of Advisors, created in 1981 by Executive Order, is tasked with advising the President and the Secretary of Education on methods, programs, and strategies to strengthen HBCUs. President Obama signed a new Executive Order on February 26 to re-establish the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the President’s Board of Advisors. According to the White House, the action signals the Administration’s commitment to assure increased access to federally-sponsored programs and opportunities for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It will also contribute to the Administration’s efforts to increase the number and percentage of college-trained Americans by the year 2020.

President Obama said, “I am pleased to announce the appointments of these talented, diverse and accomplished individuals to the Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, all of whom have shown a deep commitment to the mission of these institutions, which are as relevant and necessary to our society today as they were when first established.”

Mason has served as President of Jackson State University since 2000. He was previously the Founder and Executive Director for Tulane and Xavier Universities’ National Center for the Urban Community. During his 18-year tenure at Tulane, Mason also held appointments as Senior Vice President and General Counsel and as Vice President for Finance and Operations. He began his career as a lawyer with the Southern Cooperative Development Fund, Inc. Mason has served on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, and the American Council on Education Board of Directors. He received his B.A. and J.D. from Columbia University.

Mason will serve on President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities along with William R. Harvey of Hampton University, Lawrence S. Bacow of Tufts University, Evelynn M. Hammonds of Harvard University, Beverly Wade Hogan of Tougaloo College, Edward Lewis of Essence magazine, Valerie Mosley of Wellington Management Company, LLP, Willie Pearson Jr. of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Beverly Daniel Tatum of Spelman College, Kenneth Tolson of the Emerging Technology Consortium and David Wilson, who was recently named as the next President of Morgan State University.

Madison County Supervisor's lobbying adds to county's woes

Like those of us wondering when this long winter will end and the spring begin, Madison County Supervisor Tim Johnson must be wondering if the storm clouds will ever pass. In a span of less than two weeks the District 2 Supervisor and Board President has been hit with an increasingly widening fracture in the county's populace. The unrest has the residents of the southeastern and more populated region pitted against the rest of the county.

Since mid February, Johnson has faced allegations of wasteful spending and mismanagement of county money. Persistent questions remain over fees paid to engineer Rudy Warnock and $4.7 million the county spent on Reunion Parkway interchange, which is no longer going to be built. This week, a resolution from one of the largest muncipalities in the county was passed calling for Johnson to resign.

Back in January, allegations of private deals and "quid pro quo's" arose from a meeting that resulted in Northern District Transportation Commissioner Bill Minor and Southern District Transportation Commissioner Wayne Brown being found guilty of violating the Open Meetings Act. That meeting between the two Commisioners with Johnson at a Jackson restaurant to discuss funding for the Reunion interchange also included Warnock.

Now comes a ruling that Johnson accepted illegal payment from a charity for lobbying efforts.

It's been a tough few months for the part-time Elvis impersonator. And, he may be looking for an entourage to help him get out of the building. At the very least, he should resign his leadership position and let another Supervisor step in to try to bring peace to the county's proceedings.

New leadership could start fresh with everyone involved and maybe, just maybe, facilitate a "coming together" to get Madison County refocused.

The sooner Johnson's "long cold winter" of leadership is over, the better. Only then can Madison County residents look forward to some much needed "sunshine."

Entergy VP of Regulatory Affairs issues response to AG Hood

In the most recent in a continuing series of public statements, Mississippi’s attorney general questioned on Friday Entergy Corporation's recent transfer of $1.3 billion from its parent company to its nuclear division. The attorney general claims that Entergy Corp. has wrongfully transferred money from its regulated utilities to its nuclear businesses.

“This is just another in a long line of press releases issued by the attorney general making an attempt to tie unrelated items together in order to confuse Mississippi customers,“ said Bob Grenfell, vice president of regulatory affairs at Entergy Mississippi, Inc. “Our actions have been proper and in compliance with applicable federal income tax law. We are confident that had the attorney general contacted Entergy directly, we would have been able to answer his questions.”

Entergy officials encourage Attorney General Hood to closely review the company’s financial disclosures that are filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as legally required of publicly traded companies.

“As always, Entergy Mississippi works hard to deliver the most reliable, affordable power possible to its customers,” added Grenfell.