Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—The director of Mississippi State’s National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center is being recognized today [Aug. 28] by Gov. Phil Bryant for excellence in government.
Domenico “Mimmo” Parisi is the recipient of the the Excellence in Local and District Government Award, presented during a Jackson ceremony. He was nominated for the award by MSU President Mark E. Keenum. As the founder and executive director of NSPARC, Parisi has led several data science initiatives aimed at improving government, education, workforce and economic outcomes.
“Dr. Parisi has constantly emphasized work that contains practical applications to benefit the people of Mississippi,” Keenum said. “His work at the state level has helped make Mississippi a leader in using data-driven initiatives to improve government and the lives of citizens. I am proud to see him receive this honor from Gov. Bryant and the Mississippi State Personnel Board.”
The Mississippi State Personnel Board was authorized by the Mississippi Legislature to establish the Excellence in Government Awards program, and the inaugural award was given in 2012 to encourage the development of innovative systems of public administration.
In addition to leading NSPARC, Parisi is the executive director of the Mississippi state longitudinal data system clearinghouse. The sociology professor has developed methods to expand the use of data by aligning information systems and communication networks to address challenges faced by public sector organizations in the state. Earlier this summer, Parisi was nominated by Gov. Bryant to attend the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s State-Federal STEM Summit in Washington, D.C.
Since NSPARC was founded in 1998, it has grown to include over 100 employees that use data science to drive human progress. In April, NSPARC opened a 3,300-square-foot data center in MSU’s Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. The new center can process and store more than 400 terabytes of data.
For more on NSPARC, visit www.nsparc.msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.