Two Laurel leaders have been elected to key positions on the 2025-2026 Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) Board of Directors, strengthening the city’s role in shaping the future of downtown revitalization and community development across the state.
Mandy Hegwood, Engineer Manager and Vice President of Neel-Schaffer, Inc. in Laurel, will serve as Treasurer on the MMSA Executive Committee. Hegwood brings years of engineering and project management experience to the board and has played a central role in infrastructure improvements that support Laurel’s continued downtown growth and renewal.
Caroline Burks, Director of Laurel Main Street, has been elected as the new Directors’ Representative for District 1. Burks has been instrumental in cultivating Laurel’s national reputation as a model for small-town revitalization, leading events, projects, and partnerships that have energized the city’s historic district and drawn widespread attention.
Hegwood and Burks join a slate of newly elected officers and board members who will guide MMSA's strategic direction in 2025-2026. The board is led this year by President Dr. Kelle Barfield of Vicksburg, a business owner and community advocate known for her work in downtown preservation and public service.
"As president of the Mississippi Main Street Association, I believe in the power of community. Together, we revitalize our downtowns, preserve our rich history, and create vibrant spaces that inspire community pride and progress for generations to come," Barfield said.
Additional officers include Vice President Chance McDavid, project director at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government & Community Development in Starkville, and Past President Chris Hinton of Metro Booming Training Academy, Inc. in Jackson.
New at-large board members are Beth Hamilton with Capitol Resources in Jackson and Sherri Carr Smith with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gulfport.
Burks will serve alongside continuing District Representatives Lisa Klutts (West Point Clay County Community Growth Alliance, District 2) and Billye Jean Stroud (New Albany Main Street, District 3).
They join returning state board members from across Mississippi who continue to support the mission of MMSA, including representatives from the business, municipal, energy, banking, legal, and preservation sectors.
The Mississippi Main Street Association is the catalyst for the preservation and economic revitalization of Mississippi’s historic downtowns and traditional commercial districts. Since 1993, MMSA has generated more than $7 billion in public and private reinvestment across its member communities.
Learn more at www.msmainstreet.com.
Caroline Burks, Guild & Gentry, Laurel Main Street Executive Director
Mandy Hegwood, Engineer Manager and Vice President of Neel-Schaffer, Inc.
