[ Jerry St. Pe' | Nolen Canon | John M. Hairston ]

Chairman Jerry St. Pe'

Chairman St. Pe’ is former President of Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi and retired Executive Vice-President of the shipyard’s parent company, Litton Industries. Since his retirement, he formed St. Pe’ and Associates, LLC through which he engages in private business interest and volunteer work. 


Some of his professional and civic activities include: 

Board Member and former President of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce
Former Member of the Jackson County Port Authority
Founding Member and current Chairman of Jackson County Economic Development Foundation
Founding Member and former Chairman of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development 
Member of the Board of Directors of The Southern Company 
Member of the Board of Directors of the Merchants and Marine Bank
Member of the Board of Directors of Delta Health Group
Member of the Board of Directors of Signal International
Named Laureate in the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame
Awarded the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award by the U.S. Navy

Commissioner Nolen Canon

Commissioner Nolen Canon was born in Morton, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Mississippi State University.

Mr. Canon is the owner and operator of Canon Farms, a 7000-acre farm that grows rice, soybeans, cotton, grain, sorghum and wheat in Tunica County. 

Commissioner Canon has served as Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Rice Producers and has testified before Congress on their behalf. He has also served as Chairman of the Mississippi Rice Promotion Board and President of the Tunica County Farm Bureau. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Citizens Bank and Trust and Delta F.A.R.M. Mr. Canon was named Rice Farming Magazine’s 1994 Farmer of the Year and Mississippi Ag Network’s 2001 Farmer of the Year.

Commissioner Canon is married to the former Toni Bassie. They have two children and reside in Tunica.

Commissioner Canon’s term expires September 30, 2015.

Commissioner John M. Hairston

Executive Vice President & COO
Hancock Holding Company & Hancock Bank
Gulfport, Mississippi

A native of Gulfport, MS, and a product of the Mississippi public school system, John M. Hairston is a 1987 magna cum laude graduate of Mississippi State University (MSU), where he received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Upon graduation from MSU, Hairston joined Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), specializing in financial services consulting. He joined Hancock Bank in 1994, where he serves in executive management in Gulfport. Hairston resides in Gulfport with his wife, Ann, and daughters Taylor and Reagan.

Active in business, community, economic development, & educational affairs throughout his native South Mississippi & the State, Hairston currently serves with the following organizations in the indicated capacities:

Community Organizations

Great Southern Club — Board of Directors
Salvation Army (Gulfport) — Board of Directors
Mississippi Gulf Coast Historical Society — Board of Directors
Lynn Meadows Discovery Center — Board of Directors
Leadership Gulf Coast — Class of 2003
Mississippi Business Journal Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders (Class of 2003)
The Sun-Herald Top 10 Business Leaders Under 40 (Class of 2002)
Gridiron Club – Member
Operation Thank You (WWII Veteran’s Recognition Organization) - President

Business & Civic Organizations

Mississippi Gulf Coast Technology Council — Board of Directors, former President
Gulfport Business Club
Business & Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC) — Board of Directors
Mississippi Information Technology Services Board — Director (Appointed by Governor Haley Barbour in 2004)
Mississippi Delegate to Republican National Convention (2004)
Mississippi Enterprise for Technology – Board of Directors
Mississippi Republican Party Executive Committee – Fourth District Representative

Commissioner Hairston’s term expires September 30, 2013.

[ Jerry St. Pe' | Nolen Canon | John M. Hairston ]