Senate Concurrent Resolution 687

(As Adopted by Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING ANN COLEMAN THAMES OF BRANDON, MISSISSIPPI, UPON HER SELECTION AS ONE OF THE MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL'S "FIFTY LEADING BUSINESS WOMEN FOR 2009" AND ON HER SERVICE TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI IN HER ROLE AS BUREAU DIRECTOR FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT ON APRIL 30, 2010.

WHEREAS, Ann Coleman Thames, a resident of Brandon, Mississippi, has been recognized by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of Mississippi's Fifty Leading Business Women for 2009; and

WHEREAS, born in Natchez, Mississippi, Ann was raised in Oxford, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Ann is the daughter of the Reverend Wayne Coleman and the late Margaret Hood Coleman; and

WHEREAS, Ann is devoted to her family: husband, Senator Billy Thames (retired); three daughters, Lisa, Lori and Belinda; and eight grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Ann had a strong desire to be of service to others at an early age and attended the University of Mississippi, earning both a Bachelor's Degree in Secondary Education in 1976 and a Master's Degree in Community Counseling in 1978; and

WHEREAS, Ann began her career at the North Mississippi Regional Center (Department of Mental Health) in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1976 as a Payroll Clerk and was later promoted to the positions of Regional Case Manager and Director of Grants and Community Services, where she advanced the independence of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Ann was promoted to and accepted the position of Director of Human Resources with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health's Central Administration in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1987 and has served since then as a member of the Department of Mental Health Legislative Team; and

WHEREAS, Ann was a graduate of the inaugural class of the State of Mississippi's Certified Public Manager Program and a graduate of the John C. Stennis State Executive Development Institute at Mississippi State University; and

WHEREAS, Ann has served since 1987 as a member of the Mississippi State Personnel Board Advisory Council, and was allowed to serve in that capacity by five separate Governors; and

WHEREAS, Ann is past President of the Mississippi Mental Health/Mental Retardation Council, past President of the Mississippi Association for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, and past President of the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Managers; and

WHEREAS, Ann furthered her education, attending Mississippi State University and receiving a Master's Degree, her second, in Public Policy and Administration in 2000; was recognized as Outstanding Student by the Mississippi State University Department of Political Science; and was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, the National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration; and

WHEREAS, Ann was promoted in 2006 to the position of Director of the Bureau of Workforce Development and Training where she was instrumental in conceptualizing and implementing the Department of Mental Health's Accelerated Leadership Development Program, known as "FOCUS," one of the top eight nominees for the Council of State Governments' 2009 "Innovations in Government Award"; and

WHEREAS, Ann was recognized in 2008 for her leadership by her peers in the Mississippi Association of Healthcare Executives as the recipient of the Bradley A. Sanders Excellence in Service Award; and

WHEREAS, Ann's greatest personal achievement has been the encouragement and mentoring of other Department of Mental Health employees in realizing and attaining their goals and for which she will be remembered and appreciated; and

WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we acknowledge and commend the accomplishments of this business and state leader, who has given dedicated and professional service to the State of Mississippi for 34 years:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Ann Coleman Thames of Brandon, Mississippi, upon her selection as one of the Mississippi Business Journal's "Fifty Leading Business Women for 2009" and upon the occasion of her retirement and extend best wishes for continued success in all of her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Ann Coleman Thames, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, and made available to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.