in Mississippi

the Certified Public Accountant designation. Michael also served as the Copiah County
Administrator for 10 years.
Michael Lanford is deputy attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General, specializing
in opinions, civil litigation, and criminal appeals. He holds an undergraduate degree from
Millsaps College and a law degree from the School of Law at the University of Mississippi.
Michael worked in private practice before joining the Office of the Attorney General. He serves
as an instructor for the Mississippi Judicial College and as counsel for various state agencies,
boards, and commissions. He has served as Revisor of Statutes since 1996.
Frank McCain is the former director of the Office of Property of the Mississippi Department of
Revenue. He was an employee of the Department for over 40 years, joining it in 1971 as a tax
auditor. He subsequently held positions as secretary of the Board of Review and director of
collections, director of purchasing, and deputy director and director of the Office of Revenue
before retiring as director of the Office of Property Tax in June of 2011. He has held responsible
positions for the administration of virtually all of the taxes collected by the Department of
Revenue, as well as oversight of the motor vehicle titling and tagging bureaus of the department.
After transferring to the Office of Property Tax, he received his appraiser and Mississippi
Assessment Evaluator Certifications.
Nelson McGough is a student program assistant in the Center for Government & Community
Development, where he assists with educational programs for county and municipal officials. He
is an alumni member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and is completing his bachelor’s degree in
civil engineering.
Jerry L. Mills is a partner in the law firm of Pyle, Mills, Dye, & Pittman PA and serves as city
attorney for the City of Ridgeland. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of
Southern Mississippi in 1970 and a juris doctor from the School of Law at the University of
Mississippi in 1973. Jerry was admitted to the bar in 1973 and is qualified to practice in all state
courts and U.S. District Courts in Mississippi and in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit.
Jerry has held numerous posts around the state, serving as the law clerk for the Mississippi
Supreme Court (1973–74), municipal court judge pro-tempore for the City of Clinton (1975–81),
and city attorney for the City of Clinton (1981–88). Jerry, an adjunct professor at the University
of Southern Mississippi, is also a member of the Mississippi, Hinds County, and American Bar
Associations, Municipal Attorneys Section of the Mississippi Municipal Association (vice
president, 1984–85; president 1985–86), and National Institute of Municipal Law Officers
(chairman, Annexation Committee, 1988).
Judy Mooney began working for the Mississippi Association of Supervisors (MAS) in 1985 as
the office manager and meetings coordinator. In the early 1990s, the executive committee of the
MAS developed two self-funded insurance programs, the Mississippi Public Entity Employee
Benefit Trust (MPEEBT) and the Mississippi Public Entity Workers’ Compensation Trust
(MPEWCT). Judy helped with the development and operation of both programs and, in 1993,
was promoted to assistant administrator of MPEEBT and MPEWCT. She served in this capacity
until 2000, at which time she was promoted to administrator.
Ken Murphree is a Tunica native, with degrees in political science and urban and regional
planning from the University of Mississippi. After spending more than 30 years as planning