Thornhill chief of staff for Secretary of State
Philadelphia native Carla Reid Thornhill has been named chief of staff in the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.
Thornhill, whose parents, the Rev. Albert and Lola Reid, pastored in Philadelphia for 37 years. They are retired and living in Jefferson Davis County.
Thornhill first received an internship at the Secretary of State’s Office in 1993 when Dick Molpus was in office. She went full-time in 1997. She has worked under four administrations, Molpus, Eric Clark, Delbert Hosemann and now Michael Watson.
“I consider it a great honor to continue to serve Secretary Watson in this new role,” said Thornhill. “It is truly a privilege to work for someone with such a passionate commitment to public service. I am confident about the direction he is taking the agency and look forward to carrying out his vision of a team-centered approach with the dedicated staff at the SOS.”
Thornhill was born in Philadelphia and was a 1992 graduate of Philadelphia High School. She attended Mississippi College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and History, and a Master’s in Social Sciences.
She has served as deputy chief of staff and interim chief of staff. Prior to that, she worked as the director of Human Resources. The secretary of state’s office has a little over 100 employees.
As chief of staff, Thornhill will oversee the daily operations of the agency.
“I will be the liaison between the secretary and the various division of the agency,” Thornhill said. “I also will help with implementing agency policy, and then representing the secretary and/or the agency with various responsibilities as needed.”
The functional divisions of the agency include Elections, Business Services and Regulations, Public Lands, Securities, Charities, Policy, Communications and Publications.
Like most, her office is dealing with the conoravirus pandemic with most having to work from home earlier this year.
“We are staggering shifts in some divisions, but the majority of our staff is back in the office,” Thornhill said. “We are fortunate that most services can be utilized online, and even when teleworking we do not miss a beat.”
Thornhill lives in Jackson. She has a daughter, Maley, who is 10.