Leadership

Lieutenant Colonel (R) Stephen C. McCraney was appointed as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency by Governor Tate Reeves on January 28, 2021. Before assuming the role of Executive Director, Mr. McCraney served as the agency's Deputy Director and Chief of Staff since February 2016. During his tenure, he has led 18 federally declared disasters, eight emergency measures declarations, and numerous state emergencies—those disasters ranging from Hurricane Ida, the Jackson Water Crisis, and the March 24th tornadoes.

Mr. McCraney has extensive experience in responding to natural and man-made disasters in Mississippi. While serving 28 years as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Mississippi Army and Air National Guard, McCraney responded to Hurricane Katrina, the Smithville Tornado, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and the Mississippi River Flooding of 2011.

Mr. McCraney is a former Commander of the 47th Civil Support Team (WMD), Community Corrections Associate Director-Probation and Parole (MDOC), and a certified police officer who has worked in higher education, city, and state-level law enforcement positions. He brings to his position as an executive director over 38 years of experience in the Criminal Justice System, Mississippi Army and Air National Guard, first responder and disaster response. He received his Bachelor's and Master of Social Science in Administration of Justice from Mississippi College.

He has been married to Sandra Kaye Champion for 37 years, and they have two children.

Clayton French is the Deputy Director for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Serving MEMA since 2010, he is also the current Chief Recovery Officer, leading all recovery activities supporting the Agency’s mission to safeguard Mississippi and her citizens by fostering a culture of preparedness, executing timely responses during disaster, and restoring quality of life post-event.

Beginning as a Public Assistance Project Officer, he worked exclusively with Hancock County, managing their Hurricane Katrina Public Assistance Grant worth $96M. Later that year, he was promoted to Branch Director, managing the Katrina projects for Jackson County’s 18 applicants worth over $235M. In 2015, he advanced to the position of Public Assistance Bureau Director at the State Emergency Operations Center, managing 11 open Public Assistance Grants. Promoted to Office Director in 2017, he oversaw 22 open federal Public Assistance Grants worth over $3.3B. As the State Public Assistance Officer and Alternate Governor’s Authorized Representative, he managed all Public Assistance Grants and was the state official who executed compliance reports and reviews. As Office Director, he was responsible for reducing open Public Assistance Grants from 22 down to 10 within a 2-year period. Since joining MEMA, he has worked on 41 federally declared disasters.

Before coming to MEMA, Clayton was an active-duty United States Air Force member. He served 28 years at six bases, including a three-year tour in Panama and a one-year tour in Ecuador and Qatar. Beginning as an aircraft mechanic, he deployed to multiple theaters worldwide, supporting peacekeeping, counternarcotics, and warfighting missions.

Clayton has four associate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from the University of Arkansas, and a Master of Education from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife Sheryl have been married for 42 years and have three children and seven grandchildren.

Matthew Hewings is the Chief Operating Officer for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Serving MEMA since 2016, he leads and coordinates all Preparedness and Response activities supporting MEMA’s mission. By promoting a comprehensive preparedness process and timely response coordination, Hewings leads an experienced team focused on safeguarding Mississippi and its citizens prior to and during natural and manmade disasters. As the state’s established leader in emergency management innovation, MEMA has established a preparedness and operational standard of excellence second to none. The increasing frequency and severity of unexpected events led to developing new and forward-leaning processes and systems for MEMA and the State Emergency Operations Center. These initiatives have positioned the Agency to provide unprecedented service to the State of Mississippi.

Before being appointed Chief Operating Officer, Hewings held several positions at MEMA, including Operations Section Chief, Office of Response Director, and Strategic Advisor. During the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center, Hewings serves as the MEMA Incident Commander. Before joining the MEMA team, Hewings spent 28 years with the United States Army, 24 years on active duty, and four years as a traditional National Guardsman. Significant duty assignments included Infantryman, Special Forces Engineer Sergeant, Special Forces Assistant Operations and Intelligence Sergeant, Special Forces Senior Sergeant, and Brigade Operations Sergeant Major. Hewings’ military service included seven overseas deployments that included tours in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

In addition to her role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Crystal Thompson was appointed Chief Administrative Officer in 2023. She’s led the Agency’s Support Services and Finance Administration since 2017. As the CFO and CAO, she has grown the Agency’s human resources and accounting divisions.

Ms. Thompson led the state’s first ever response to a water crisis during the Emergency Declaration for the City of Jackson Water Crisis in 2022, where she served as the State Coordinating Officer. She was responsible for coordination of all federal, state and local entities in their response to the crisis getting the water restored and safe to drink. In 2021 she oversaw the State’s medical staffing response for the COVID 19 medical staffing crisis bringing over 400 additional health care workers to the state to assist the hospitals in caring for COVID 19 patients. In 2022 she received a proclamation for her efforts in the medical staffing mission from Governor Reeves.

During and after natural or man-made disasters, Ms. Thompson’s teams are responsible for managing the funding, reimbursements, contracts and purchasing for all disasters. During an activation, she is responsible for overseeing the state’s expenses for the activation and reporting to state officials where needs and shortfalls may lie. Under her leadership, the Agency manages over $600 million in state and federal funding.

Before serving the State, Crystal worked in the banking and finance industry for over 20 years. She held positions with both Regions Bank and Trustmark Bank as Vice President and Trust Officer. She has served her community as a board member of the Junior League of Jackson, the Jackson Academy Association and served on the Vestry for St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

Crystal has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Economics from Mississippi State University. She is from the Jackson area and currently lives in Madison with her husband Zach. They have twin daughters, Emily and Natalie, in college.

Morgan Middleton was appointed as the General Counsel for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in June 2023. Her practice is very broad and includes: labor and employment, government contracting and purchasing, emergency management, federal arbitrations, etc. Morgan previously worked for the MS Attorney General’s Office in the Civil Litigation Division with a labor and employment practice focus. She started her legal career in private practice defending employers and third-party administrators in workers’ compensation disputes.

Morgan is a graduate of Mississippi State University and Mississippi College School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and admitted to practice in all Mississippi courts, the Northern and Southern District Courts of Mississippi, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Morgan holds multiple committee positions with the National Emergency Management Association and is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management. Morgan especially enjoys her non-profit work as an active member of the Junior League of Jackson.

Major (R) Christopher R. Davis was appointed Chief Recovery Officer for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency by Executive Director Stephen McCraney on August 1, 2023. Before assuming the role of Chief Recovery Officer, Chris served as a Commissioned Officer in the Mississippi Army National Guard.

As the Chief Recovery Officer, Chris holds a pivotal role in our organization. He is responsible for overseeing the Offices of Public Assistance, Housing, and Individual Assistance and Mitigation, which are instrumental in providing aid to individuals and communities in the aftermath of all hazards, including acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other emergencies.

The Office of Public Assistance is dedicated to supporting communities in their recovery from major disasters. It does so by offering assistance for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures, and the restoration of public infrastructure. This aid is available to local governments, tribes, and specific private nonprofit organizations.

The Office of Housing and Individual Assistance (OHIA) directly assists individuals and households and supports recovery efforts statewide.

The Office of Mitigation coordinates disaster loss reduction programs, initiatives, and policies throughout the state, both before and after disasters.

Chris has extensive experience responding to natural and artificial disasters in Mississippi. While serving 33 years in the United States Marine Corps and as a soldier in the Mississippi Army National Guard, Chris responded to Hurricane Katrina, the Smithville Tornado, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and the 2011 Mississippi River Flooding.

Chris received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar, MO, and a Master of Social Science in Administration in History and Political Science from Mississippi College, Clinton, MS.

Chris has been married to Quentena K. Baker-Davis for 15 years, and they have two children, Chelsea and Olivia.

Todd DeMuth is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in emergency management. Since joining the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) in 2008, Todd has played a crucial role in enhancing the state's disaster preparedness and response efforts. As the Private- Sector Liaison for the Business Emergency Operations Center, he has been instrumental in fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, ensuring a cohesive and efficient approach to emergency management.

Todd's expertise and leadership have been pivotal in managing over twenty federally declared disasters as the State Coordinating Officer. His commitment to safeguarding communities and his adept coordination skills have significantly contributed to the effective handling of emergencies and the resilience of Mississippi.

Todd resides in Brandon, Mississippi, with his wife, Jennifer. His dedication to his work and his community underscores his passion for making a positive impact for Mississippi’s disaster survivors.

Eric Bullard was appointed the Interim Director of External Affairs in January 2025 for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Eric first joined MEMA in August 2020 in the Office of External Affairs as a Videographer and Photographer for the agency.

External Affairs is in charge of messaging before, during, and after natural or man-made disasters. Eric oversees all social media sites, the agency website msema.org, MEMA’s app, the MEMA Minute (newsletter) all media inquiries and press releases. During an activation, he is the Lead Public Information Officer managing the Joint Information Center; coordinating all state agency public information officers to ensure one clear message is disseminated during a disaster. The goal of External Affairs is to communicate with all Mississippians by giving them the right information, at the right time, so they can make the right decisions. 

Eric has over 20 years of experience in public communications. Before serving the state of Mississippi, he worked as an award-winning television news photographer and video journalist at WJTV Channel 12 in Jackson, Mississippi. Eric has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Mississippi State University. He lives in Clinton with his wife Cindy.

Don Wilson was appointed as the Chief Logistics Officer (CLO) in August 2020 for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. He’s led the Logistics for the State Emergency Operations Center through thirty federally declared disasters and numerous non-federally declared events.

Logistics is responsible for disaster logistics planning to provide MEMA response for Federally Declared and non-declared events, using stand-by contracts and available resources. These stand-by contracts provided Three hundred and fifty-six trailer loads of water and transportation to support the City of Jackson's water crisis. The Logistics Office is responsible for property management, facilities, fleet, and the State Emergency Logistics Operation Center (SELOC). The property bureau has 2621 property items with a value of over $28 million dollars. The facility bureau maintains five buildings with over 197,000 square feet of occupied space. The fleet bureau manages 57 fleet vehicles with an average age of 7 years and an average mileage of 74,000 miles— the SELOC stores over 3,160 pallets of Personal Protective Equipment.

Don has over 17 years of experience with MEMA Logistics. Before serving the State, he was on active duty with the Mississippi National Guard and retired as a Sergeant Major with 27 years of service. Don deployed in December 2003 to Fort Stewart, then stationed at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, until November 2004. He served as the Operations Sergeant Major in the G3 section of the 377th Theater Support Command.

Don completed the Sergeant Majors Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas. He is a long-time resident of Richland, Mississippi, with his wife Lisa, and two children and five grandchildren in Harrisville, Mississippi, and Columbus, Indiana.

Jana N. Henderson joined the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in 2003 and has served in several roles, including Administrative Assistant to the Response and Recovery Bureau Director and the Executive Director as well as the Chief of Staff for the agency. Before being named to the position of Office Director of Mitigation and the State of Mississippi Hazard Mitigation Officer in February 2012, Henderson worked in the Mitigation Grants Bureau as Bureau Director of Mitigation Grants. In her 21-year tenure at MEMA, Ms. Henderson has worked on more than 30 declared disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, the largest disaster in Mississippi.

She is currently an Adjunct Professor at Tougaloo College working in the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence-Education Project Division, Sociology, and Social Work Department.

Ms. Henderson, a native of Bolton, MS, and a Hinds AHS and Hinds Community College alumni, holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Business Management from Belhaven University. She is a Certified Floodplain Manager and is pursuing a degree in the Paralegal field. She is a graduate of the National Emergency Management Basic Academy and has completed the Federal, Pass-through, and Recipient Tracks Grants Management Certificate Program.

Jana has served as the Co-chair of the Flood Mitigation Committee and was elected Secretary of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) by her peers. She is currently serving as Treasurer of the Association. She also serves on the Board of the Association of Floodplain Managers of Mississippi. Her passion is assisting individuals when faced with the worst time of their lives. Ms. Henderson provided testimony before the Senate, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee regarding resiliency and affordability with mitigation and flood insurance programs, especially in states with large rural populations. There is growing recognition of Mitigation and Flood Risk, and her focus is to continue educating citizens to become more resilient.

Jana is a member of the Anderson United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.

Sumar Davis was appointed as the Office Director for the Office of Finance and Accounting in April of 2021 for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Sumar has led the Office through countless federally declared disasters. Sumar started her career at MEMA in 2015 as a Grants Specialist, she moved to Grants Accounting Manager in July of 2018, then became the Director of Accounting in August of 2020 before being appointed the Office Director. Sumar has had a hand in every role within the Office of Finance and Accounting, which has given her great experience to add to her current managing role.

The Office of Finance and Accounting oversees the financial administration of the Agency under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer. Sumar oversees the following divisions within the office: Grants Accounting, Grants Programmatic (Non-Disaster), Purchasing and Accounts Payable, Special Projects and Budget, and Contracts. During an activation, she is the Finance and Administration Section Chief managing the Finance side of the things under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer. Sumar coordinates all purchases of needed commodities and services during a disaster with the assistance of the Purchasing and Accounts Payable Division.

Sumar has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in administration of justice with an emphasis in Emergency Management from Mississippi College. She is originally from Pascagoula, Mississippi and currently lives in Brandon with her husband Greg, and their son Greyson.

Since arriving at MEMA in 2023, Les has been assigned to the Office of Preparedness and has excelled as a Preparedness Officer and State Exercise Officer. Prior to coming to MEMA, Les served for over 30 years in the Mississippi National Guard as a Military Policeman. He has served 3 overseas combat deployments and multiple domestic state responses. Les completed the Senior Leader’s Course and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. He has a bachelor of Science Degree from Belhaven University where he graduated summa cum laude.

Nicole Pressley was appointed Director of the Office of Housing and Individual Assistance in 2021. She began her career at MEMA in 2008 as the Mississippi Alternative Housing Pilot Program (MAHP) program manager on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 2010, Nicole began working at the State Emergency Operations Center, where she served as a Public Information Officer in MEMA’s External Affairs Office. During this time, she worked on several federally declared disasters as a then-State Emergency Response Team (SERT) member.

In 2012, Nicole was assigned to the Office of Preparedness’s Planning Bureau as the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Coordinator and a planner for Districts 7, 8, and 9. In this role, Nicole worked on several federally declared disasters, including an Emergency Management Assistance Compact mission to New Jersey as part of the response effort for Hurricane Sandy.

In 2017, Nicole was assigned to the Office of Support Services as a Grants Specialist over the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG). In 2019, Nicole was named director of the newly created Housing Bureau under the Office of Housing and Individual Assistance (OHIA).

A native of Dallas, Texas, Nicole graduated from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications, News Editorial/Public Relations. Soon after graduating, she began a 10-year career in print journalism for various newspapers and magazines. Before her employment at MEMA, Nicole worked on the staff of former Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., and current U.S. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson.

Nicole, who is a member of the Mississippi Civil Defense and Emergency Management Association (MCDEMA), currently lives in Byram with her husband LaMonte, whom she met at JSU.

John Michael “Mike” Siler was hired as the Director of the Office of Public Assistance in August 2020 for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. In the last three years since he took office, there has been seven declared disasters under his purview for Public Assistance as well as overseeing more than 20 past disasters. Mike serves as the State Public Assistance Officer for the State of Mississippi.

Public Assistance is a federal funded disaster grant program, administered through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which can fund the repair, restoration, reconstruction or replacement of eligible public or certain nonprofit facilities or infrastructure damaged or destroyed by a disaster. MEMA’s role is to facilitate the program as an advocate for the local, state, and certain nonprofit applicants to ensure compliance and disperse the reimbursement funding. After an event, Public Assistance Director’s role is to collect data on damages from the effected area and begin communications with FEMA to determine if the impact is large enough to warrant a federal disaster declaration. If declared a federal disaster our MEMA Public Assistance teams will work with our local and state partners to repair/rebuild back to pre-disaster conditions by providing reimbursements for eligible expenses.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in emergency services in both response and recovery. Prior to becoming Director, Mike also served as Branch Director with MEMA. Before serves with MEMA, He served as a Senior Policy Consultant/ Policy Advisor and Project Specialist for private consulting firms, advising State agencies, as well as Private entities in best disaster practices as well as writing new emergency management policies. Prior to that, Mike served in Law Enforcement on both the local and state level.

Mike is from New Hebron, Mississippi and currently resides there with his Wife, April, daughter, Emma, and son, Zachary.

Chris Watts was appointed as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) in June 2021 for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Chris has vast knowledge and experience of Emergency Disaster Response from his service in the United States Army (Retired, R). As the Information Technology Director for MEMA, his office is responsible for the Network Security, Website Maintenance, Help-desk Operations and Geographic Information System (GIS) Operations. The MEMA Information Technology Services (MITS) Office is in charge of assisting all full-time employees with general IT related issues through our Help-desk Operations Staff. Chris overseas the Cybersecurity of the Agency and is also a member of the Cybersecurity Council for the State of Mississippi. The Communications staff is responsible for maintaining the Cellular and Radio communication for the Agency and coordination of Emergency Communication during activations. The GIS staff is responsible for assisting State and Local officials with all GIS needs and support the Crisistrack Damage Assessment Program. The MEMA Information Systems (MIS) required to keep programmatic agency systems running, and is a critical part of the grants, reimbursements, web development and data retention for the Agency. All departments also play pivotal roles when supporting and/or coordinating network and project management functions with sister Agencies during emergencies.

Before serving the State, Chris served in the US Army (R) where he served in logistical, aviation, engineering, and signal units throughout his 23 year service career.

Chris has over 20 years of experience in Information Technology which began while serving in the 47th Civil Support Team with the US Army in 2004. Chris has achieved numerous certifications throughout his career including Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA), Network Security (S+), and Microsoft Security Operations Analyst (MCA)

Thomas Harris was appointed as the Director of the Office of Response for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in June of 2023. He has served as the Plans Section Chief for multiple severe weather and Tropical events as well as for the COVID-19 Pandemic and the City of Jackson Water Crisis.

The Office of Response provides the core, coordinated state of operational response capability needed to save and sustain lives, minimize suPering, and protect property in a timely and effective manner in communities that become overwhelmed by natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other emergencies. The Office of Response is comprised of Operations, Field Services, the Mutual Aid Program, and the UAS Program; and is responsible for generating state information, warning, and alerts, coordinating response ePorts, and staffing the State Emergency Operations Center.

Thomas has nearly 10 years of Emergency Management experience beginning as an Exercise Officer before moving to the Southern Region Bureau Director in the Office of Preparedness prior to his appointment in the Office of Response.

Thomas has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Mississippi. He is from Jackson, Mississippi and has recently moved to Brandon, Mississippi with his wife and three sons.

As a seasoned Human Resources professional, Steven Brantley joined the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in February 2025 as Director of the Office of Human Resources. He is dedicated to driving organizational success by fostering a positive employee experience through strategic workforce planning, performance management, and compliance adherence while staying focused on aligning HR strategies with business objectives to optimize workforce productivity and culture, while helping organizations harness the full power of one of their most valuable assets: People

Throughout his career in Human Resources, Steven has gained experience in various areas, including employee relations, training and development, disciplinary processes and procedures, grievance and appeals handling, equal employment opportunity cases, FMLA, worker compensation, audits, employee benefits, vacation and sick leave policies, active shooter preparedness, workplace violence prevention, and customer service. He has also served as an instructor on a range of topics, such as de-escalation techniques, policy and procedure compliance, and safety measures.

Steven holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi and has earned Master’s degrees in Health Promotions/Education from Mississippi State University, Health Service Administration from Mississippi College, and an MBA from Millsaps College. He is a member of the Public Sector HR Association and the Society for Human Resource Management. Steven has been married to his wife for 22 years, and they have two children.