Leflore Legacy Academy, operated by the not-for-profit organization MS Delta Academies, works to equip and empower middle school scholars with a personalized rigorous and relevant college preparatory curriculum enabling success in high school, college, and life. We aim to create a culture of career-ready, college-going, and college-graduating scholars who will become productive and prepared citizens enjoying academic, social, and financial success.
We are eager to partner with the public and we are committed to connecting with the community. The MS Delta Academies Board of Directors meetings are generally held monthly. All meetings are open to the public. You may attend in person at 500 W. Washington St., Greenwood, MS 38930 or virtually via Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83885678291?pwd=UDZ5UXNaZDNSNWxJYW9SSEx5UUVRQT09
Meeting ID: 838 8567 8291
Passcode: 580498
Please use the Public Portal button below for further information about meeting times, dates, agenda and minutes.
Chair
McKinley’s qualifications include a Master’s of Banking Law Studies, a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance, and a Juris Doctorate. Currently, he serves as Senior Attorney at Federal Express in Memphis, TN. He has non-profit board experience and legal expertise. McKinley has a heart for the MS Delta as he’s a native of Clarksdale where he was born, reared and educated. As a founding board member, McKinley is responsible for learning details of the organization’s proposal to operate a school in the state of Mississippi and advocating on behalf of the school. He will offer advisement on legal matters and facility attainment for the school.
Vice Chair
Tracy T. Mims, LCSW, MSW, MsEdIT, Ph.D., is the former Mayor of the Town of Webb, MS, and the owner of TTM Consulting Company. At his company, he provides diversity and ethics training for companies, human service agencies, and institutions of higher education. He also offers consulting services to assisted living and memory care communities. Additionally, Mims is an accomplished grant writer and launched a USDA-funded Caregivers’ Empowerment Program in the Fall of 2022. Formerly , he coordinated social services for patients at Arden Home Health and Hospice, Inc., teaches online for higher educational institutions, and serves as Vice President for Leflore Legacy Academy School Board in Greenwood, MS. Mims also served a 9 year tenure serving as Vice President of Sales and Marketing followed by Vice President of Business Development and Analytics at Mid Delta Home Health and Hospice, Inc.
Mims is now retired from the State of Mississippi. Previously, he served as an Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Social Work Program at Mississippi Valley State University and as an Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of Field Instruction at Delta State University. His research focuses on the academic retention of students in post-secondary education. He developed an International Social Policy and Diversity class at Mississippi Valley State University, which facilitated service-learning activities in The Gambia, West Africa, during the summer of 2013. Additionally, he developed the first online class for the Social Work Department at Delta State University.
Mims is internationally published, has conducted research in Paris, France, and presented a paper on academic retention at the University of Montreal in Montreal, Canada. He served as an Associate Editor for an international journal. Formerly, he served as Vice President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Epsilon Xi Lambda Chapter, founded in Mound Bayou, MS. He was an avid volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and served on the Habitat Family Selection Committee in West Tallahatchie County. Mims is also a former member of the West Tallahatchie School Board and is currently Chair of the Children’s Trust Fund for the State of MS. Currently, Mims prepares psychosocial assessments for patients at Fresenius Kidney Care, Clinic 4733, Clarksdale, MS.
Treasurer
Jacquelyn Brownlow, DNP, RN has served as a faculty member in the associate degree nursing program at Coahoma Community College since 2011. She has been a nursing educator since 2009, initially working at Delta State University as an adjunct clinical instructor. During that time she discovered her love of teaching, working as a graduate assistant helping prepare undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students for which she received the departmental award for outstanding nurse educator students.
Jacquelyn completed her Master’s Degree in Nursing Education in 2011 and was hired as an adjunct faculty at Coahoma Community College Associate Degree Nursing and Delta State University School of Nursing. In 2013, she completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree at The University of Southern Mississippi with an emphasis on System Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice. While at USM, she received the Outstanding DNP Award. She continues her academic work at Coahoma Community College.
Jacquelyn’s past experiences include charge nurse of ICCU at Greenwood Leflore Hospital and floor nurses on med-surgical units, emergency rooms, mental health, home health, telemetry and, pediatrics. She currently works part-time as a House Supervisor at Greenwood Leflore Hospital.
Jacquelyn currently serves as president-elect of the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (MOADN), a peer evaluator for the Accreditation Commission for Nursing Education (ACEN), National League of Nurses (NLN) Ambassador.
She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Mississippi Coroner’s Association, Kappa Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Mississippi Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, and Organization for Associate Degree Nursing.
Governing Board Member
Erin Mulligan is the ProfessionalDevelopment Coordinator for Mississippi Whole Schools, an arts integration program with the Mississippi Arts Commission. She is a movement educator and leads classes and trainings throughout the state. Erin enjoys teaching in schools, outpatient programs, and summer arts intensives. She is passionate about connecting movement and mindfulness – whether in a studio, on a stage, in a classroom, or recovery.
Governing Board Member
Cassandria Baxter Hansbrough is a native of Leflore County. She was born in Itta Bena and received her education in the former Leflore County School district. She received her bachelor’s in English from Mississippi Valley State University and her master’s in Secondary Education/English from Mississippi State University. She devoted her career to education for 40 years. In retirement, she still finds ways to work with students and adults through various volunteer opportunities. She considers herself a lifelong learner and a servant-leader, and she is always eager to become involved with any task that is related to education, youth, and service.
Secretary
Erica Plybeah Hemphill is the founder and CEO of MedHaul. Deeply rooted in a community that is drastically affected by chronic illness, Erica continuously strives to improve patient outcomes in poor and rural communities. After working within multiple health systems and noticing the various social barriers that exist, Erica founded MedHaul, an end-to-end platform for finding and scheduling transportation for vulnerable patient populations. Erica is a proud native of Greenwood, MS and a graduate of Amanda Elzy High School. She is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she earned a BS in Biology with a Pre-Med concentration. In her down time, she likes to travel, spend time outdoors with her son, and take naps.
