Deep South Today is a nonprofit network of local newsrooms that includes Mississippi Today and Verite News.

Founded in 2016, Mississippi Today is now one of the largest newsrooms in the state, and in 2023 it won the Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Verite News launched in 2022 in New Orleans, where it covers inequities facing communities of color. With its regional scale and scope, Deep South Today is rebuilding and re-energizing local journalism in communities where it had previously eroded, and ensuring its long-term growth and sustainability.

The Director of Public Programs is a leadership role responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy for in-person and virtual events and programs that align with the organization’s mission and goals. This role will oversee the planning and execution of events for all Deep South Today newsrooms.

In this position, you will be a thought partner in developing event concepts, and you will create the marketing strategies and execution plans to ensure they are successful and well attended. This will include coordinating venues, staffing, catering, transportation, accommodations and equipment for in-person events, as well as protocols for virtual events. The Director of Public Programs will be responsible for managing the event budgets and negotiating pricing with vendors while working closely with newsroom leadership to determine details such as the goal of the event, number of guests and expected outcomes. Organization skills, an eye for detail, and the ability to multitask, prioritize, and delegate duties are imperative. Excellent communication skills are required to create productive relationships with vendors, sponsors, and internal clients which is key to a successful career. This position reports to the Chief Executive Officer while supporting all Deep South Today locations. 

Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic direction, planning, oversight, and leadership for newsroom events and event staff including full-time staff and contractors.
• Develop and implement effective marketing plans for generating revenue.
• Communicate event strategies, budgetary needs and any issues with all levels of the organization leadership team.
• Oversee all aspects of event operations, including the run-of-show plans, setup, execution, and procurement of equipment and personnel needs. 
• Manage project budgets and expenses to ensure events are fiscally viable.
• Conduct post-event wrap up meetings with newsroom leadership to document wins and opportunities from each event. 
• Create and implement systems for reviewing event profitability, while monitoring expenses and maximizing revenue.
• Track progress, metrics, and deliverables to demonstrate impact, and/or areas of growth resulting from events.
• Ensure compliance with all venue restrictions and insurance requirements. 

Required Skills:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate and present ideas effectively.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to inform decision-making.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills with the ability to inspire and motivate peers and newsroom leadership.
• Extensive background in brand strategy, marketing, and consumer engagement.
• Proven experience in a leadership role overseeing in-person and virtual event programming.
• Extensive background in event planning, program development, and content curation.
• Demonstrated ability to think creatively and develop innovative brand experiences.

Education and Experience: 

Bachelor’s degree or 5 years of progressively responsible management experience in a supervisory role in an event planning function in lieu of college degree. 

Requires a minimum of 5 years of experience managing special events, conferences, and similar large-scale, revenue-generating events

Working conditions:

Work schedule may include weekends, evenings, and/or holidays based on business needs.

Salary Range: $105,000 to $125,000

What you’ll get:

• Highly competitive salary with medical insurance, and options for vision and dental insurance.
• 29 days paid time off.
• Up to 12 weeks of parental family leave, with return-to-work flexibility.
• Simple IRA with 3 percent company matching. Group-term life insurance provided to employees ($15,000 policy).
• Support for professional training and attending industry conferences.

How to Apply:

We’re committed to building an inclusive newsroom that represents the people and communities we serve. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply for this position, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people and people who are differently abled.

Please click this link to apply.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Oct. 18, 1926

Chuck Berry, sometimes called “The Father of Rock & Roll,” was born in St. Louis. 

He traded factory work for music, and his big break came in 1955 when he met Muddy Waters, who suggested he contact Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Berry wound up recording “Maybellene,” which reached #1 on Billboard’s Rhythm and Blues Chart and sold more than 1 million copies. He went on to record “Johnny B. Goode,” “Roll Over Beethoven!” and “Rock and Roll Music,” which influenced the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and countless others. 

Bob Dylan called Berry “the Shakespeare of rock ‘n’ roll,” and John Lennon declared, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’” 

In 1986, Berry became the first inductee into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #5 among the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” and in 2000, the Kennedy Center honored him. Before the Voyager departed earth for deep space, NASA officials included recordings of music from around the world, including Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and “Johnny B. Goode.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

A state-funded project to upgrade an already well-paved north Jackson cul-de-sac that runs by a Mississippi lawmaker’s house will go forward, a group of officials who oversee the project said on Thursday. 

Rebekah Staples, the director of the Capitol Complex Improvement District’s Project Advisory Committee, said at the group’s latest meeting that the project to repave the road near the legislator’s home and four other projects the Legislature allocated money for will proceed “as quickly as possible,” though some of the details are still being worked out. 

“I respect the Legislature and the governor passing the law,” Staples said. “We’re here to follow the law.” 

A Mississippi Today investigation revealed that House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, helped steer $400,000 in state taxpayer funds to repave Simwood Place in Jackson, where he owns a house.

Simwood Place, located in the affluent LoHo neighborhood of northeast Jackson, is roughly one-tenth of a mile long, with only 14 single-family homes.

State lawmakers and the local Jackson City Council member who represents the area previously told Mississippi Today they did not ask state leaders to allocate money for the Simwood Place project. Lamar has declined to answer specific questions about the Simwood project but said any “innuendo of wrongdoing is baseless.” 

A spending bill passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves routed projects through the CCID committee. The advisory committee is housed in the Department of Finance and Administration.

DFA is the primary agency responsible for state government financial and administrative operations, including employee payroll, employee insurance and maintaining state buildings. However, the Legislature has also tasked the agency with overseeing some operations of the CCID.

Jackson City Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay is a member of the CCID committee and said she wants the five projects earmarked by the Legislature to proceed, but she does not want the committee to neglect the other projects they are currently overseeing.  

The CCID is funded through a 9% sales tax diversion and recommends to DFA and other state leaders which projects to fund. Efforts to expand the CCID and establish a separate court system within it have drawn outcry from several Jackson citizens and officials who view it as a state takeover of the more affluent areas of Jackson and claim the state otherwise gives the city few resources.

READ MORE: ‘Trey Way’: Millions in taxpayer funds flow to powerful lawmaker’s country club and Jackson neighborhoods

Liz Welch, the director of DFA, said at the meeting that the projects the committee has prioritized and the projects the Legislature has appropriated money for will run concurrently with one another. 

“We will not let these projects languish,” Welch said. “That’s not what we do. We’re going to come up with an internal process, and of course, we will discuss it with the advisory committee. But we’re going to do both.” 

It’s unclear exactly when DFA and the CCID committee will solicit bids for the project, but Staples and Welch said they hope to provide a substantive update to the rest of the committee by its next meeting on January 16.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.