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Welcome to the first edition of the Else News Flash! Look for the Flash in your inbox every quarter to keep you up to date on Else School happenings. Feel free to pass this e-newsletter on to other alumni or friends who might be interested. And we want to hear from you, too. Please forward alumni news, comments, or ideas to elsenews@millsaps.edu.

• McMillan Named New Else Dean

• Else School Forum to Highlight Downtown Revitalization

• Else School Grads Named to "Top 40 Under 40"

Howard L. McMillan Jr. of Jackson has been named dean of the Else School of Management at Millsaps College. Widely recognized as a significant business leader in Jackson, in Mississippi and throughout the United States, McMillan has been involved with the Else School of Management since 2002, when he was named executive-in-residence. He will replace Dr. Ken Harmon, who has accepted a position at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.

“We are absolutely delighted that Howard McMillan has accepted the position of dean of the Else School of Management at Millsaps College,” said Dr. Frances Lucas, president of Millsaps College. “His expertise in business, leadership and community support will enrich the education of hundreds of future leaders.”
A native of Jackson, McMillan is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, and he attended the Harvard School of Business Administration and the School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University. In May 2005, he was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Millsaps College. A former president of Deposit Guaranty National Bank and Deposit Guaranty Corporation in Jackson, McMillan is a former adviser in Morgan Stanley’s Wealth Management area. McMillan is currently working with the Mississippi Development Authority in Katrina relief efforts, particularly the administration of the state’s large housing grant. He also serves on the board of directors of First Commercial Bank.

McMillan is a former director of the Federal Reserve Bank (Atlanta) and a past president of the American Bankers Association. Locally, he has served as president of the United Way, the Country Club of Jackson and Century Club Charities, and as chairman of the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra Association, the board of trustees of Mississippi Baptist Health Systems and the Metropolitan Jackson Crime Commission.

“As a member of Mississippi’s business community, I have long been aware of the outstanding contributions that Millsaps College has made to the education of future business leaders for the state,” said McMillan. “Having worked closely with the Else School for the last few years, I have become even more aware of what a great resource Millsaps is, and I am looking forward to enhancing our position as the leading business school in the region.”

Millsaps is one of a small group of national liberal arts colleges with both a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and accreditation at the graduate and undergraduate level by AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). The college’s placement in the top tier of liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2006 makes Millsaps the top-ranked liberal arts college in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama and among the top five in the Deep South. Millsaps is listed in U.S. News under “Programs to Look For” with 16 other colleges that make writing a priority, including Amherst, Harvard and Duke.

McMillan is married to the former Mary Eliza Love, a native of Jackson and a direct descendent of Reuben Webster Millsaps, for whom Millsaps College is named. The McMillans have two children, Mrs. F. W. Garraway Jr. and Howard L. McMillan III, and four grandchildren.

"Prospects, Pitfalls, and Progress: Revitalizing Downtown Jackson" will be the topic of the Spring 2006 Else School of Management Business Forum to be held Wednesday, April 19 on the Millsaps College campus. A panel of individuals experienced in redevelopment will provide insight on the future of the capitol city's downtown area. Panelists are Duane O'Neill, President and CEO of the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce; Henry Turley, founder of the Henry Turley Company; and W. David Watkins, President and CEO of Watkins Partners. The panel will be moderated by Phil Hardwick, coordinator of Capacity Development at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government, Mississippi State University. The forum is sponsored by The Clarion Ledger, Entergy Mississippi, and St. Dominic Health Services.
O'Neill has been President of the MetroJackson Chamber of Commerce since 1993. He has previously served as Regional Director of the Southern Economic Development Council. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Economic Development Council and the Mississippi Association of Chamber Executives.

Henry Turley founded the Henry Turley Company in 1977. The company's focus is community development. Two examples of its work are the Harbor Town and South Bluffs communities in Memphis. The Henry Turley Company also works in urban redevelopment, and has developed a number of properties in downtown Memphis.

W. David Watkins is one of the founders and principals in Watkins and Young PLLC, a law firm with an emphasis on public finance and municipal bond law. He is also President and CEO of Watkins Partners, a governmental relations firm with client matters in Mississippi and in Washington, D.C. Mr. Watkins is also involved with various urban development projects, including the rehabilitation of the long-abandoned King Edward Hotel in Jackson.

Prior to joining the Stennis Institute in August of 2003, Phil Hardwick was Vice President of Community and Economic Development at Mississippi Valley Gas Company. He is the immediate Past-President of the Mississippi Main Street Association and a Past-President of the Mississippi Economic Development Council.

The forum will be held in the Leggett Special Events Center on the Millsaps College campus. Doors open at 3 p.m., and the program begins at 3:30 p.m., followed by a reception at 5:15. Tickets are $10 per person. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. For reservations or more information, contact Martha Lee at 601-974-1250.

Four of the Mississippi Business Journal's 2006 "Top 40 under 40" are Else School alumni. Congratulations to Allison Lesley Graves, Entergy Mississippi, MBA'96; Ray Harrigill, the SunRay Companies, BBA '90, MBA'91; Mark McCreery, MJM Consulting Group Inc., BBA'88, MBA'90; and Elisa Phillips, Regions Financial Corp., MBA'92.

The Else School honorees, from L to R: Graves, Harrigill, McCreery, and Phillips.