Speakers

Executive Director of Edwards Street Fellowship Center since July 2013.

• Previously served as Children’s Ministry Director at Heritage United Methodist Church in Hattiesburg.
• Graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
• Proud mother of Elizabeth, who is an auditor with KPMG - Atlanta.
• Resident of Hattiesburg since 1991.

Edwards Street Fellowship Center, a United Methodist mission agency, was established in 1979 to provide a helping hand to the poor, the underserved, the suffering in the greater Hattiesburg area. The agency's ministries include a food pantry, medical clinic, thrift store, and other programs designed to shine the light of God’s love across the Pine Belt.
www.EdwardsStreetFellowship.org
 

A Hattiesburg native with an eye for sculpture, Dr. Erik Graham believes that every smile is a work of art ready to be unveiled. After attending dental school at University Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Graham and his wife Ginny (also a Hattiesburg native) moved back to Hattiesburg and joined Dr. Baker, where they formed Baker & Graham Family Dentistry. Ever since he was a child, Dr. Graham has been fascinated by how things work. He loves working with his hands, taking things apart, and putting them back together again. He has always been fascinated by innovation and captivated by the power of technology to improve people’s lives.

Outside of the office, Dr. Graham loves spending time with his wife Ginny and his three sons, Gregg, Parker, and Bradley. He coaches their baseball teams and helps coordinate their Boy Scout endeavors. Dr. Graham also enjoys wood carving, furniture building, and the art of sculpture, a passion which he carries into his dental practice, as well. 

Rick Taylor is the Executive Director of the Hattiesburg Convention Commission and currently operates a convention center, a visitors center, a performing arts theater, a museum district, a zoo, and a little hidden museum in an alley. He began his 34-year career in the tourism industry with a five-year stint in tourism development in the British, Dutch and French West Indies before coming to Hattiesburg. His experience is in attraction development, operations and marketing. A strong believer that unique and compelling experiences create customers for life, Rick implements this concept at each facility he develops. He is an advocate for motivated professionals to incorporate quality and creativity into every aspect of their career and responsibilities.

Rick is an inductee into the Mississippi Tourism Hall of Fame and a recipient of Hattiesburg’s Hub Award, the international Edward L. Bernays Tourism Award, and USM’s Margaret McCarthy Award for Tourism Industry Partner. He is a past officer of the International Association of Venue Managers and the Mississippi Tourism Association. Rick received an undergraduate degree in Humanities from Ambassador University in Los Angeles and a Master’s degree in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi. He and his wife, Vicki, are parents of two boys, of which only one is still at home and only until next summer (whether he likes it or not).

Shad White, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), grew up in Sandersville, Mississippi ‐ population 731 ‐ in a blue-collar family. His father and grandfather were oilfield pumpers, and his mother and grandmother were teachers. On the weekends, his father was music minister at their small country church, and his mother played the organ. Today his father serves as mayor of their small town. Shad went on to earn degrees from the University of Mississippi, the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Law School.

Shad White was appointed 42nd State Auditor of Mississippi in July 2018 and won election to the office after establishing a tough, no-nonsense reputation during his first year on the job. Prior to becoming Auditor, Shad served as a special prosecutor, won ethics cases against politicians who broke the law, and earned a certificate in forensic accounting (the use of accounting to discover fraud) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He also serves in the military as an officer in the Mississippi National Guard attached to the 186th Air Wing in Meridian.

The Auditor's office has made multiple notable arrests since Shad became State Auditor. The amount of stolen or misspent public money demanded back for the taxpayers increased by millions under Shad's leadership. The Auditor's office has pursued aggressive consequences for embezzlers regardless of whether they were Republicans or Democrats. Shad was elected with no opposition to a full four-year term in 2019.

Today Shad, his wife Rina, and their daughter live in Rankin County and are faithful members at St. Richard Church.

At first glance, Brett’s career has spanned a wide range of experiences and industries. But if you look closely, you will see it has been consistently marked by service. 

A year abroad in Spain unlocked a curiosity and empathy in him for other cultures and people different from himself that has continued to impact his life and work to this day. After earning degrees in Spanish and International Development from the University of Southern Mississippi, Brett worked in Community Development with the Peace Corps in South America, followed by work in training management and human resources upon his return to the United States. 

The catalyst for Brett’s interest in drug reform came by way of two very different experiences. The first is the impact opioid use disorder has had on his close relative who has been in more than a decade long battle with an opioid addiction and is now in recovery. 

The second experience came during his time in human resources. After recruiting a great fit candidate for a position at the company, he was prohibited from hiring him because the applicant had a felony drug possession charge in his past. From Brett’s perspective, the applicant lost and the company lost that day. 

Those experiences launched Brett into volunteer advocacy work that landed him at an End It For Good community discussion. As they say, the rest is history.

As the CEO at End It For Good he has returned to full-time humanitarian work as he and his team work to help the people of Mississippi consider how current drug laws adversely impact individuals, families, businesses, communities, and law enforcement, alike. 

Brett has always had a passion for helping people and has a deep curiosity for traveling and experiencing the culture, art, and food of countries in places like Europe and South America. Brett is a 6th generation Mississippian and a 5th generation Hattiesburger. In his free time, you will find Brett either volunteering at community events in downtown Hattiesburg, bike-riding the Longleaf Trace, or hanging out with friends and family. Contact at brett@enditforgood.com