Business and Industry: Management Development Conference is geared toward chief financial officers, controllers and other executives in industry, managers, and partners in public accounting.
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Director of Accounting
Medical Management Services
Kimberly Williams serves as Vice Chairman/Chair-Elect of the Mississippi Society of CPAs. She will take the reins as Chairman on July 1.
Kimberly is the Chief Financial Officer for Medical Management Services. In her position, she oversees the accounting for MEA Medical Clinics as well as other medical practices. Kimberly is also a strategic leadership advisor with Conducere Group, helping executives cut through complexity, align their teams, and make better decisions. She brings real-world experience as both a CPA and healthcare provider. Kimberly received her Bachelor of Accountancy from Mississippi State University and MBA from Mississippi College.
Kimberly has been active in the MSCPA since she received her CPA license in 2013. She is a past President of the MSCPA Young CPA Network where under her leadership the Network received the Mississippi Food Network's Volunteer of the Year Award for statewide participation in the MSCPA Annual Day of Service. Upon completion of her year as Young CPA Network President, Kimberly served on the Board of Governors for the MSCPA as the Young CPA Network representative, joined the Young CPA Liaison Committee, and has chaired the MSCPA Industry Committee. She was also elected Treasurer of the Society. In 2018, Kimberly received the MSCPA's Rising Star Award which is the highest honor given to a young professional member.
She is also very active in the Mississippi Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and is a past President. She volunteers at local organizations and charities, always giving back to her community.
Hot off the press, Kimberly was recently announced as one of only 5 in the nation to receive the 2026 Visionary Award given by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). This prestigious honor celebrates forward-thinking emerging young professionals whose innovation and entrepreneurial spirit are shaping the future of the accounting and finance professions.
Chris Chism is a nationally recognized educational leader, speaker, and innovator with 30 years of experience in public education. As Superintendent of Pearl Public School District, he has become known for his forward-thinking leadership, strong command of data-driven decision making, and pioneering work in artificial intelligence within K-12 education. A former baseball player at the University of Florida and a graduate of Mississippi State University, Chism has built a reputation for blending practical school leadership with emerging technology in ways that directly benefit students, teachers, and school systems.
Under his leadership, Pearl Public School District has earned an “A” district rating in each of his three years as superintendent. His work has also contributed to major gains in student outcomes, including significant improvements in graduation rates and one of the highest graduation rates in the state for students with special needs. His leadership has been recognized repeatedly, including being named Administrator of the Year twice by Pearl Public School District, being honored as the Outstanding Administrator and Practitioner of Distinction by the University of Mississippi School of Education, and he was selected as a member of the 2019 East Mississippi Community College Athletics Hall of Fame. In October of 2025, Chism was selected as the 2025–2026 Mississippi Association of School Administrators State Superintendent of the Year.
Chism is widely regarded as a leading voice in the use of artificial intelligence in education. Over the last 26 months, he has delivered more than 260 presentations in 15 states on AI across education, business, and industry, and he has trained administrators and teachers in 65 school districts across Mississippi during the last 20 months. He has served as a keynote speaker across the country and has provided AI training for the Mississippi House and Senate, the Mississippi Governor’s Office, and companies in Washington D.C. and New York. He has also spoken at the Mississippi Capitol to a joint task force on AI, served on a panel in Washington, D.C., appeared on radio and television to discuss practical uses of AI, and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Education Committee in April 2025 on the use of AI in K-12 education.
Chism has not only spoken about innovation but also implemented it at the district level. Pearl Public School District has been operating its own AI server for the past 16 months and develops across 10 different language models with both administrators and teachers. The district was one of the first, if not the first, school districts in the nation to employ an on-premises AI server. More recently, Chism has worked extensively with OpenClaw, building a personal network of AI agents to create websites, applications, and design solutions for finance, business, and education.
In addition to his leadership in public education, Chism is also a founder of Ascended Intelligence, a new Florida-based AI company designed as an all-in-one solutions platform for school districts. His work continues to center on helping organizations use artificial intelligence in practical, responsible, and highly effective ways.
At the core of all his work is a deep passion for students, teachers, and the future of education. Chism believes AI should be used to expand opportunity, improve efficiency, and equip people with the tools they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Elizabeth J. Randall is the Founder and President of Randall Commercial Group, LLC, a commercial real estate investment advisory firm recently engaged with properties with over $1.3 Billion in value individual, institutional investors, and public and private companies across the country.
Randall Commercial Group was named to the INC. Magazine’s 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in US, one of only 11 total in Mississippi.
The company operates in She is a frequent speaker on real estate investment topics, leadership, and entrepreneurship. She holds a CCIM professional designation and was an adjunct Finance Professor at Ole Miss School of Business.
Grew up in MS Delta and went from Ole Miss to Wall Street where she worked in New York City as a risk analyst on a mergers & acquisitions deal team large equity funds and was previously a NASD-licensed, Bloomberg Certified stock analyst.
In 2024, she was named to the Mississippi Top CEO List by MS Business Journal, named a Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of Mississippi, and honored by Argent Trust as Outstanding Women is Business.
Of over 1 million volunteers, she was named The 2020 St Jude Children’s Hospital National Volunteer of the Year raising over $5.5 Million for St Jude spanning 18 years. She serves on the Board of Directors for Story Financial Bank, the Ole Miss Foundation Board & Executive Committee, Sullivan Foundation, AJ Brown Foundation, North MS Medical Center Hospital Foundation Board, and Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy Past Chair, and is the Chair/Co-Founder Khayat Lecture Series at Ole Miss. She volunteers as the Executive-in-Residence as Insight Park Research mentoring start-up companies.
She is a 4th generation Ole Miss graduate with a BBA and MBA cum laude and has completed Executive Education at NYU and Chicago Booth School of Economics. She and her husband reside in Oxford enjoying a very “energetic household” 5 young children 16 years to 8 year old twins who are active members of St Peters Episcopal Church.
Professor of Accountancy
Mississippi College
Trustmark National Bank (Jackson)
Drew Cleland, CMT is a Vice President and Investment Officer at Trustmark, where he serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager. With more than 17 years of investment management experience, Drew specializes in institutional and individual equity management, providing tailored portfolio strategies for individuals, trusts, foundations, and institutional clients. A Chartered Market Technician (CMT), he combines technical and quantitative research with disciplined portfolio management to help clients achieve long-term financial goals. Drew is based at Trustmark’s Colony Park office in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
Pinnacle Public Relations
Adam Horlock is the founder and CEO of Pinnacle Public Relations. Pinnacle Public Relations is a leading national strategy, public relations, and marketing firm serving clients across a wide range of sectors including healthcare, financial services, technology, nonprofits, and growing brands.
Horlock is frequently interviewed in national media outlets including FOX, Schwab Network, USA Today, Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider, and on the Nasdaq. He has been a contributing writer for Entrepreneur Magazine since 2020. In 2023, he co-launched the Bourbon and Business Podcast. He is also writing his first book, The Lies Brands Tell Themselves, and the Truths That Set Them Free©.
Jenna Hope Harris helps people break free from negative thinking so they can live with confidence, purpose, and emotional peace.
Her work is rooted in a simple belief:
When you change your thoughts, you change your life.
She blends mindset science, lived experience, and uplifting perspective to help individuals and organizations shift the way they think, and in turn, the way they lead, work, and live.
Trustmark National Bank (Jackson)
Robert H. Ruby is the Director of Enterprise Fraud at Trustmark Bank and has worked in Corporate Security at Trustmark for the previous six years. Prior to joining Trustmark, he spent 22 years as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) where he was assigned to the Chicago, New Orleans, and Jackson Field Offices. As an FBI Special Agent, he was assigned to criminal and counter-terrorism investigations including Italian organized crime, civil rights violations, white-collar crime; in addition to conducting counter-terrorism investigations in Chicago and the Iraq theater of operations post 9/11/2001. Ruby was the federal law enforcement lead for the security of Superbowl 53 and liaison to the Russian FSB during the 2018 World Cup held in Russia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Mississippi State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Brigadier General (MS-R) Jody Mike Smith serves as the Director of Preparedness and Response for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Appointed to this role in 2025, he leads the state’s efforts in coordinating comprehensive preparedness and response activities, ensuring the State Emergency Operations Center is positioned to support Mississippi citizens during all phases of disaster.
Prior to joining MEMA, Mike concluded a 34-year military career, retiring at the rank of Brigadier General within the Mississippi National Guard. His senior leadership tenures included:
• Director of Human Resources: Serving as the primary advisor to the Adjutant General on manpower and personnel management for 2,600 Army and Air Force personnel.
• Director of Military Support (State J3): Acting as the lead coordinator for all domestic National Guard responses, including hurricanes, tornadoes, and civil disturbances. Lead the Mississippi National Guard’s response to COVID-19.
• Deputy Commander, 66th Troop Command: Exercising mission command over 2,500 soldiers dedicated to domestic response and regional support.
A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Mike served with the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team from 2004–2006. He was responsible for the training and equipping of Iraqi Security Forces in "AO Biloxi," working in close coordination with the I and II Marine Expeditionary Forces.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Mississippi State University and a Master of Science in Leadership from Belhaven University. He is a graduate of the DHS Basic Emergency Management Academy and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Leadership in Homeland Security program. He and his wife, Amanda, live in Brandon with their daughter and three sons.
Trustmark National Bank (Jackson)
Randy began his career in Wealth Management at Trustmark in 1999. As President of Trustmark’s Wealth Management Division, he oversees multiple teams, including Private Banking, Private Wealth, Retirement Plan Services, Financial Planning, and Investment Management. The division collaborates closely with families and businesses to support their financial objectives with approximately $12 billion in assets under administration.
Before making the transition to management in 2018, Randy served as a Wealth Consultant, advising high-net-worth individuals, families, and successful business owners on strategies to address their concerns and achieve their goals. His areas of expertise include investment management, retirement planning, estate and trust planning, business succession planning, and retirement plans.
Randy holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance from the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as a Master of Science in Financial Services from The American College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds the Chartered Financial Consultant designation. Randy and his wife Suzanne have been married for 25 years and are the parents of one daughter, Wright (13).
After more than 20 years in leadership roles across manufacturing construction and the federal government—including seven years as a senior manager with the Social Security administration—Michael saw how many capable people struggle simply because they’ve never been taught how to lead. He and his wife, Michelle, founded M2 Leadership Consulting to help solve that problem. They help organizations by working with owners, executives, and new or emerging leaders to identify what’s limiting team effectiveness and strengthen leadership where it matters most.
Scott Simmons is the Director of External Affairs and Chief Communications Officer for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, joining the agency in April 2025.
When it comes to disasters and emergency response, Simmons brings decades of firsthand experience. After graduating from the University of Mississippi, he began a broadcast journalism career that spanned more than 30 years, placing him on the front lines of major emergency events, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, droughts, the Jackson water crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout his career, Simmons worked in television markets in Columbus, Mississippi; Lafayette, Louisiana; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Jackson, Mississippi. His journalism work earned numerous honors, including two Edward R. Murrow Awards, four Emmy Awards, the Louisiana Associated Press Reporter of the Year, the Mississippi Associated Press Newsperson of the Year, and the Mississippi Associated Press News Anchor of the Year.