Debra Johnson, president of the Sunflower County Consolidated School District Board of Education, has been elected to serve on the board of the Mississippi School Boards Association for the 2025–2026 term.
Johnson will represent Congressional District 2. She was elected Nov. 18 by the MSBA Delegate Assembly during the association’s Fall Leadership Conference. The assembly is made up of school board members from across the state.
Johnson will serve alongside Verna Hunter of the North Panola School District and Bernard Kines of the Clinton Public School District as District 2 representatives.
The MSBA also elected new executive officers for the 2025-26 term:
President: Sondra Odom, Pearl Public School District
Vice President: Etta Taplin, North Pike Consolidated School District
Secretary-Treasurer: Leslie King Jr., Marshall County School District
Past President: Dr. Delores McNair, Hattiesburg Public School District
The MSBA Board of Directors includes 20 members representing Mississippi’s four congressional districts, along with appointed members and officers.
Presidential appointees for one-year terms are Leroy Matthews, Quitman County School District; Evelyn Murray, Leland School District; Dr. Mohamad Schuman, Stone
County School District; and Michael Thomas, Choctaw County School District.
Other board members by district include:
Congressional District 1: Dr. Gemma Beckley, Holly Springs School District; Christie Vance, Calhoun County School District; Malinda White, Tate County School District.
Congressional District 3: Dr. James Vernell Hooker, Brookhaven School District; Harold Coburn Jr., Philadelphia School District; Charles Longmire, Forest Municipal School District.
Congressional District 4: Dr. Barbara Thomas, Harrison County School District; Jerry Frazier, Pearl River County School District; Dr. Jennifer Seal, Hancock County School District.
“The MSBA Board of Directors plays a vital role in guiding the vision and work of the association,” said Dr. Denotris R. Jackson, executive director of the Mississippi School Boards Association.
The association provides training and support to school boards across the state.
