Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed Jacqueline “Jackie” A. Turner as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES). Turner will replace Mark Henry, who has accepted an appointment to the Workers’ Compensation Commission. She will now move up from her current position as the Deputy Executive Director of MDES.
“Jackie has faithfully served in the Deputy Executive Director position, and I am pleased she has accepted this appointment,” Gov. Bryant said. “Her 27 years of experience at MDES overseeing workforce programs, finances, and administration make her well-qualified and demonstrates the dedication she has for helping Mississippians find employment. I know she will continue her outstanding work as the Executive Director.”
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Turner has served as the Deputy Executive Director of MDES since 2013. In this role, she is responsible for the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration workforce programs including Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Unemployment Insurance, Mississippi Works job match, and Labor Market information. She is also the administrative and fiscal agent for Mississippi Works and State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB) funds.
“I am incredibly grateful for the trust Governor Bryant has shown in me with this appointment. To have the opportunity to lead MDES, where I have spent most of my state government career, is an honor and privilege,” said Turner. “I look forward to collaborating with our workforce partners and the dedicated group of people who work at MDES as we continue to fulfill the agency’s mission of ‘Helping Mississippians Get Jobs’. I will work hard each day in this new role to earn the faith Governor Bryant has placed in me and to serve the citizens of our great state.”
MDES provides assistance to help Mississippians find jobs through programs aiding in the job search while improving workforce skills and administering unemployment benefits.
Prior to her Deputy Executive Director position, Turner was the Director of the Office of Comptroller from 2008-2013 at MDES. In 2004, she accepted a position as a comptroller at MDES where she worked until 2008. Turner managed the Business Management Department there from 1998-2004.
She holds a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University. Turner and her husband, Tim, are the parents of three children and live in Sallis, Miss. They attend Sallis Baptist Church.
Turner’s appointment as head of the state’s employment security system is contingent upon the confirmation of the Mississippi Senate.
