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How long has Brandon been your home?
We moved to Brandon in 2007 when I (Jennifer) was asked to serve
as the children’s minister at the Reservoir Campus of Pinelake
Church. Although my educational background is in healthcare, I had
been serving as the children’s minister at a church in Vicksburg for a
few years and accepted the offer to join Pinelake’s staff where I
served for six years.
What are some of your favorite things about Rankin
County?
We love that there is both opportunity and a small-town comfort in
Rankin County. It would be much easier to live in a town with a
major airline hub with my work travel, but we choose to continue to
make Rankin County home because of the people and relationships
we have built here. We are committed to the vision of Hartfield
Academy to see every student fulfill their God-given purpose. We
feel honored that as a family, and Bobby’s service to the school, we
have been able to play a role in seeing that be fulfilled.
I am the vice president of sales for the immersive healthcare division
of Penumbra, a medical device company based out of the bay area in
Alameda, CA. I hold my undergrad degree in occupational therapy
from the University of MS and my MBA is from LSU. I have one
brother that played football at MSU and another brother that played
baseball there. I laugh that I am the most mixed-up SEC fan with
ties to all three schools!
What drives me in my career is seeing other people be empowered to
succeed and grow. I have a life motto that “investing in others will
always pay dividends.” I have seen this be true when working at the
church and investing in small-group relationships, to working in the
corporate world and building top performing teams. It all comes
down to how well you value other people.
How do you spend your summer breaks?
We usually take a couple of trips every summer to the beach. As the
older kids have gotten into graduate school, coordinating breaks has
become a challenge, but we tend to spend the July 4th week in the
Destin area. We also take a small trip every Labor Day weekend with
my entire extended family to Gulf Shores. This past Labor Day we
had 27 people in one large beach house! My parents were able to
enjoy all the kids, spouses, grandkids and great-grandkids. Lots of
memories are made each year!
What accomplishments make you proud during your time
living in Rankin County?
I want to take the opportunity to say that I am so proud of how
much Bobby has been invested in the growth of Hartfield. He has
such a servant’s heart and would never tell you how many hours he
spends ensuring that the school is able to operate. He loves being a
part of what all the school is doing. Seeing Hayden and Kaylee
graduate from Hartfield, and both having very successful college and
graduate school careers, makes us proud of the investments we have
made in their education there.
What drives you to have the job that you have?
And what do you do for a living?
Bobby is the director of facilities for Hartfield Academy. He has
been there since the school first opened. He is driven by his heart to
work behind the scenes to allow the school to operate successfully.
He also loves that he has been able to be on campus and available to
all three of our children during their times at Hartfield.
QUESTIONS FOR THE CHILDREN
What’s your favorite thing to do as a family?
Hayden and Kaylee both say that their favorite thing to do is having
all the family over to the house to hang out by the pool and have her
dad grill burgers or steaks.
Kendall loves our annual trips to the beach with the whole family,
but she said she also loves her solo trips to different places throughout
the year with just mom and dad!
What your favorite restaurant?
Kendall loves Amerigo. And all the kids enjoy our Christmas Eve
tradition of worship together at Pinelake followed by dinner at
Table 100.
Hometown RANKIN • 21