JACKSON — The Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board announced Thursday that it has appointed Mark Smith as new executive director.
Smith had served as the agency’s interim executive director since May, when he replaced Stacey Pickering.
Pickering, a former state auditor and Republican state senator from Jones County, led the agency from 2018 until his abrupt resignation in May.
The MSVA initially hired Smith to serve as deputy director in April 2022.
“I am honored to serve Mississippi’s 186,000 Veterans through our mission programs,” Smith said. “With a great team already in place, we will continue to provide superior service, care and assistance to America’s heroes.”
Smith served in the United States Army and Mississippi National Guard from 1976 to 2006, retiring with the rank of colonel. He has 16 years of state government experience, working at agencies including the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and Mississippi Department of Human Services.
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