Get the Latest News from the Mississippi Department of Human Services
August 2021
Likeba Bentley
Program Specialist, Office of Compliance
State Office 

Likeba works as a program specialist for the Office of Compliance in the QC division and is better known as the LIHEAP guru. She is the ultimate example of a positive attitude, always doing more than she is asked to consistently. She loves learning new policies and procedures, which has proven valuable in her ability to examine cases accurately and efficiently. Without hesitation, she helped create a new QC review process from the ground up. She also built forms, templates, and spreadsheets to make the review process more streamlined. She is always willing to help her team out and is a vital part of the QC team. 
Missy Norwood
Case Manager, Economic Assistance
Clay County

Ms. Norwood has been serving the residents of Clay County for seven years as a case manager. Her positive and “go-get-'em” attitude makes her a key motivator for her co-workers. She is known to actively seek out other resources and information that will help her clients gain emotional and financial security. She is a very active part of the Clay County community and advocates for her clients whenever possible in her free time.
Kristi Kinnel 
Deputy Director, Economic Assistance
State Office

Kristi has always gone above and beyond here at MDHS. Whenever she is asked a question, she will do the needed research to promptly get you an accurate answer if she doesn't immediately know the answer. She always conducts herself with grace; even in situations where most people lose their cool, she remains calm and professional. Despite a busy schedule, she always prioritizes her staff by just checking in on them. Mark Williamson said of Kristi, "Some leaders are developed, some are just given a title, but Kristi was born a leader." Her ability to handle conflict and face obstacles with the maturity of someone far beyond her years is impeccable. She does a great job in making her staff feel empowered, and for that, MDHS is lucky to have her.
Dr. Traci Green 
Bureau Director, Youth Services
Oakley Youth Development Center

Dr. Green is often known to be the voice of reason when it comes to the mental health of her staff and clients. Through her positive and calm demeanor, she demonstrates a holistic approach when handling concerns from her staff and clients. She is a huge encourager and motivator and always ensures that her team has all the tools to succeed. She is always willing to jump in and provide assistance wherever needed and operates at the highest level of professionalism. Oakley Youth Development Center appreciates her ability to see the big picture first and her willingness to always look ahead. 
Employee Assistance Program
Need Help Finding Your Local Vaccination Site?
EAE State Office Training
The State Office staff of Economic Assistance Eligibility celebrated completing their team-building exercise that focused on enhancing their ability to serve the agency and each other better.

One staff member said, “ it was great to interact and engage with our team as we return to some sense of normalcy.”

“One Team-One Fight-One Mission”
Pictured above is Ms. Mattie Walker, Clerk in Lawrence County, organizing the food pantry for re-opening.
Lawrence County
MDHS Food Pantry

The Lawrence County food pantry helps to provide nutritious food to Mississippians in need. The food pantry allows families, senior citizens, and children facing food insecurity access to food where sometimes they may not know where their next meal may come from, which can be stressful and scary. This pantry is sustained throughout the year with the help of wonderful residents and a local church.
Fully Vaccinated Congregate Sites
The Philadelphia Center congregate meal site opened up sometime in late October of 1978, and for 35 of the 43 years, Ms. Arah Sneed has been meal site manager. Despite the pandemic, they are having at least 20 + participants for meal times each day. They all have been vaccinated and enjoy the company of each other.
Communications Brought Home the Award of Excellence!
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation's leading professional organization serving the communications and public relations community. The Silver Anvil Awards symbolize the forging of public opinion — they have been awarded each year to organizations that have successfully addressed challenging issues with exemplary professional skill, creativity, and resourcefulness.

This year, the MDHS Communications Division entered its submission into the Crisis Communications category: Handcuffs on the Head Honcho: Restoring Public Trust After the Largest Embezzlement Scheme in State's History and left with an Award of Excellence.
Welcome Our New Deputy Director of Finance: Wayne Carpenter
As Deputy Executive Director for Finance, Mr. Carpenter oversees the Division of Budgets and Accounting and the Division of Procurement, providing the agency with a wide range of financial support services. These services help ensure that MDHS can carry out its mission of assisting Mississippians in moving from a state of crisis to self-sufficiency through targeted state assistance programs.

Before he arrived at MDHS, Mr. Carpenter served as the Director of the Fiscal Division for the Mississippi Military Department, where he supervised Budgets and Accounting, Grants Management, Travel, Payroll, and Accounts Payable. He ensured compliance with state and federal laws and financial reporting standards. He worked closely with senior leaders, advising them on all matters related to state appropriations, bond issuances, and federal grants.
He formerly spent over 20 years on active duty with the Mississippi National Guard serving in increasing levels of responsibility, which included Strategic Plans Officer, Deputy Director of Personnel, and Battalion Commander. He mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he received the Bronze Star for service. A graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Mr. Carpenter’s military training included many traditional schools emphasizing military engineering, human capital management, leadership, and strategic planning. Mr. Carpenter culminated his military career as the Deputy Director of Human Resources with over 33 years of service.

A graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Mr. Carpenter previously worked with the CPA firm Deloitte and Touche. He managed the internal auditing department for Garan Manufacturing Incorporated.

Mr. Carpenter and his wife, Lori Ann, are long-time members of Morgan Chapel Baptist Church in Sturgis, MS, where he has served as Treasurer and deacon for nearly 20 years.
The Nutrition Program and Aging and Adult Services will host a friendly competition to distribute food to older adults throughout our Mississippi Communities. 

Bring in any non-perishable food items such as:
Canned Meats
Tuna Pouches or Cans
Individual Fruit Cups
Granola Bars
Fruit & Grain Bars
Individual Fruit Juices
Individual Graham Cracker Packets
Individual Packs of Cereal
Small Jars of Peanut Butter
Ramen Noodles and Peanut Butter Crackers will be accepted and only count as 1 item.

The department with the greatest number of donations will win a free lunch!

There will be two divisions and two winners this year
Large Divisions:
Economic Assistance Eligibility
Administrative Services
Budgets/Procurement
Compliance
Inspector General
MIS
Early Childhood Care and Development
Small Divisions:
Youth Services
Child Support Enforcement
Communications
Employee Development
Executive Floor
Human Resources
Safety & Emergency Services
Workforce Development
Please contact Benae Jackson, 
601.359.4857 or benae.jackson@mdhs.ms.gov 
with any questions or concerns. 

Each division should appoint a designee to collect items every 2 weeks.
Please check expiration dates and do not donate expired food.
Mississippi IT Symposium
The Mississippi IT Symposium is the region’s premier single-day event designed for the IT executive community. The Symposium provides the region’s executives an opportunity to gather for a day of networking, collaboration, and knowledge transfer through peer-led keynotes, breakouts, panels, and networking sessions. As technology continues to redefine business, geographic areas and create borderless digital environments, it has become essential for IT executives to stay aware of global trends in order to integrate strategies into their operations.
Mark Allen, Chief Information Officer, spoke at this year's Mississippi IT Symposium. There were 18 sessions at this symposium where he talked about Remote Work-Life Balance - Post Pandemic Changes To Your Workspace, which covered how Covid has affected scheduling, the challenges of identifying the needs of staff, and monitoring/managing remote staff work deliverables.
Congratulations, Lashantrinique!
We want to congratulate Lashantrinique on her amazing accomplishment. She is graduating from Hinds Community College practical nursing program with the help of the SNAP Employment & Training Skills2Work program. .

SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T) can help SNAP participants gain workforce skills training and other career and technical training to increase their ability to obtain regular employment, leading to economic self-sufficiency.
We Miss Seeing You!
We would love to highlight photos of the county office and shine a light on the fantastic teams throughout the state. 

Please submit your photos here 
Mary Phillips
20 Years
08/06/21
Shirley Moore
10 Years
08/01/21
Je'Kara Smith
10 Years
08/01/21
Linda Young
27 Years
08/31/21
USDA to permanently boost food stamp
benefits by 25 percent
According to leaders with the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS), Mississippians who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will see their benefits increase twenty-five percent (25%) over pre-pandemic benefit levels. Read More...
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