Contact: Sammy McDavid
A retiring vice president at Mississippi Valley Gas Co. in Jackson is a new program coordinator at Mississippi State's John C. Stennis Institute of Government.
Phillip D. "Phil" Hardwick will continue to work in Jackson at an office in the university's recently opened College of Architecture building on Capitol Street. For the past nine years, he has led Valley Gas's economic and community development efforts.
"We are most excited to have Phil join the Stennis Institute staff," said institute executive director Marty Wiseman. "He brings a wealth of expertise in the field of economic development and years of experience working with elected officials. Without question, he will be a tremendous asset in assisting Mississippi's cities, towns and counties as they strive to meet the basic needs of their citizens during these tough times."
Wiseman said Hardwick officially begins his new duties Aug. 1.
Dean James West said he and other administrators and faculty members in the College of Architecture also are eager to have Hardwick join their Jackson program.
"We want to continue to have a physical presence and connection with the Jackson community, but also to have that presence felt throughout the state," West said, adding that the college's Fred Carl Small Town Center has worked for a number of years with the Stennis Institute.
"Phil's expertise in economic development, linked with the strengths of the Stennis Institute, opens great new opportunities for our students, the college's Jackson Community Design Center and the Carl Small Town Center here in Starkville," West said. "This is a very good thing for the entire state of Mississippi."
Hardwick holds a bachelor's degree from Belhaven College and a master's in business administration from Millsaps College. He is past president of the Mississippi Economic Development Council and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
He also is president-elect of the Mississippi Main Street Association and serves on the boards of the Hope Community Credit Union, Partners in Education and Leadership Jackson.
Last year, the Mississippi Forum on Children and Families awarded Hardwick the Bill Jones Award for Leadership in Corporate Support. He also was named volunteer of the year at Poindexter Elementary School.
Created by the Mississippi Legislature in 1973, MSU's architecture college is the only professional program of its kind in the state. The college offers both master's and bachelor's degrees, the latter of which involves a five-year curriculum. To develop depth and experience in a built environment, students complete the final year of their undergraduate program in Mississippi's capital city.
Established by Mississippi State in 1976, the Stennis Institute is named for the leading university alumnus who then was the state's junior United States senator. Among other missions, it works to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of state and local government bodies through basic and applied research, training and technical assistance.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information on Mr. Hardwick's new position, telephone the Stennis Institute at (662) 325-3328.