Governor Phil Bryant has appointed former Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze as the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Freeze will replace John Davis, who announced his retirement earlier this month.
“I am confident Christopher Freeze will do a great job leading MDHS,” Governor Bryant said. “His intellect and leadership experience as a Special Agent in Charge at the FBI makes him an excellent fit to guide the agency during this period of transition. I am grateful he has accepted this appointment.”
As the Executive Director, Freeze will oversee the agency responsible for providing a wide range of public assistance programs, social services and support for children, low-income individuals and families.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve as the Executive Director of this important agency. MDHS touches the lives of so many families within Mississippi and my goal is to help the great employees at MDHS continue to provide vital and life-changing services to Mississippi’s children and families in need,” Freeze said.
Freeze was appointed to the position of Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Jackson division in 2016 and retired earlier this year. In this position he worked to strengthen partnerships with public and private sector agencies, to bring attention to the challenges facing law enforcement, and to encourage individuals to demonstrate leadership qualities in all aspects of life.
Since his retirement, Freeze has been using the lessons he learned from his time in the FBI to teach ways to demonstrate leadership, embrace vulnerability, and communicate expectation so that kids and adults can overcome challenges and trauma in order to make a positive impact in the world.
Freeze began his career with the FBI in 1996 as a Special Agent in Richmond, Virginia where he worked public corruption, computer fraud, and financial institution fraud cases.
In 2006, he transferred to the Houston, Texas FBI office where he worked national security matters for the FBI and the United States Intelligence Community. In 2010, he served in various leadership roles dealing with counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and cyber-crimes.
Before moving to Jackson, MS Freeze served as the Section Chief of the FBI’s Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force housed within the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division in Washington, D.C.
Prior to joining the FBI, Freeze worked as a Certified Public Accountant with the Tennessee Division of State Audit.
He holds a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies.
