Guy Nowell named CDP’s Citizen of the Year

The Community Development Partnership will host its annual banquet on Monday, Oct. 2 featuring guest speaker Bill Renick. 

The prestigious Citizen of the Year award will be presented to Chancery Clerk Guy Nowell.

Renick of Ashland is a longtime public servant. He began his extensive career at age 18 when he was elected to Ashland’s Board of Alderman, and he was later elected mayor, Benton County Supervisor, and then State Senator. 

He has also served as Chief-of-Staff to former Lt. Gov. Eddie Briggs and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Until his retirement in June 2021, he served as the Workforce Division Director at Three Rivers Planning and Development District in Pontotoc. 

He is currently the Chairman of the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi and serves on the Board of Directors of the CREATE Foundation and MEGAPOP Corporation. He was most recently nominated by President Biden to serve on the nine-member Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which is the largest public utility in America. He is the only Mississippian on the board. 

Tim Moore, executive director of the Philadelphia-Neshoba Chamber of Commerce, said the CDP will hand out awards for Citizen of the Year, Large Business of the Year, and Small Business of the Year. Williams Brothers is the Large Business of the Year Winner and Hays Pet Boutique is the Small Business of the Year.

David Vowell, president of CDP, said attendees will enjoy a delicious meal catered by the Neshoba County Shrine Club, and the Neshoba Central Jr. ROTC will present the colors. 

“We hope that you will make your plans to share this special event with us,” Vowell said. 

The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Neshoba County Coliseum. Tickets are $35 each, and reservations can be made by emailing Searra Wilson at searra.wilson@gmail.com. For more information, contact CDP at (601) 656-1000.