PERS Board of Trustees

Edward Lee Childress, Ed.D.
Elected by Public Schools and Community/Junior College Employees, Board Chairman
Current Term: May 2010 through April 2016

Edward Lee Childress, Ed.D., is superintendent of Corinth School District. Prior to becoming superintendent, Childress worked as assistant superintendent for Corinth School District, director of school improvement for DeSoto County Schools, program manager for the School Executive Management Institute with the Mississippi Department of Education, and a social studies teacher for Clarksdale High School. Childress currently serves on the Mississippi Department of Finance State and School Employees’ Health Insurance Advisory Council, University of Mississippi North Mississippi Education Consortium Board of Directors, Mississippi State University Program for Research and Evaluation in Public Schools Project Advisory Committee, Mississippi Association of School Superintendents, American Association of School Administrators, Northeast Mississippi Superintendents Association, and Regional Education Service Association.

Virgil F. Belue, Ed.D.
Elected by Retirees
Current Term: July 2007 through June 2013

Virgil F. Belue, Ed.D., is a retired superintendent of Clinton Schools (1970-1992). Prior to his work in Clinton, he served in the United States Air Force, taught elementary school in the Tishomingo County Schools, taught English and social studies in the Pontotoc County Schools, and taught social studies in the Tupelo Public Schools, where he also worked as counselor and director of instruction. In addition to his work in public schools, Belue taught undergraduate and graduate courses for Mississippi State University and Mississippi College. Belue earned an Associate of Arts degree from Northeast Mississippi Junior College and a Bachelor of Science, a Master of Education, and a Doctor of Education from Mississippi State College/University. He also did graduate work in guidance and counseling at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi College. Before retiring, he had  “A” and “AA” teacher certification in social studies and “AAAA” certification in school administration and school guidance and counseling. Currently, Belue is active in the Mississippi Retired Public Employees' Associations, Retired Education Personnel of Mississippi, Clinton Association of Retired Educators, and Clinton Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Benson
Elected by County Employees
Current Term: January 2010 through December 2015

Bill Benson is chancery clerk of Lee County. He has a degree in accounting from the University of Mississippi. Prior to his service as chancery clerk, he served as Monroe County administrator and in the State Auditor’s Office.

Lynn Fitch
Mississippi State Treasurer
Current Term: January 2012 through January 2016

Lynn Fitch is Treasurer of Mississippi. She holds both a Bachelors of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi. Fitch previously served as executive director of the Mississippi State Personnel Board and as deputy executive director of External Affairs and Support Services at the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. She has also worked as a bond lawyer with Mississippi Business Finance Corporation and Mississippi Department of Economic Development; counsel for the Mississippi House of Representatives, Ways and Means Committee and Local and Private Legislation Committee; and as Special Assistant Attorney General with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office representing the State Bond Commission, Department of Banking and Consumer Finance, Department of Economic and Community Development, Department of Finance and Administration, and Office of the State Treasury. She has been named one of the 50 Leading Business Women in Mississippi and to the inaugural class of Leadership in Law by the Mississippi Business Journal.

Susan M. Harris
Elected by State Employees
Current Term: January 2013 through December 2018

Susan Harris is the executive director of the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy and has been in that position since 1994. The five years before joining the Board, Harris was a principal analyst for the Mississippi Legislative PEER Committee. She had eight years’ experience as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the practice of public accounting before joining state government. For nine years prior, she worked with the federal government for various agencies. Harris is a CPA, Certified Internal Auditor, Chartered Global Management Accountant, and holds the Certified Government Financial Manager designation. She is a member of and has held various positions in the American Institute of CPAs, Mississippi Society of CPAs, Central Chapter of the MSCPA, Association of Government Accountants, and American Society of Women Accountants. She is also very active with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy serving on many operational committees and task forces. Harris is a graduate of Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (accounting) and a Master’s of Business Administration (accounting).

Cecil L. Hill, Ph.D.
Elected by Institutions of Higher Learning Employees
Current Term: January 2011 through December 2016

Cecil L. Hill, Ph.D., is an associate professor of accounting at Jackson State University. He has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) for more than 25 years and has completed the Certificate of Achievement in Public Plan Policy (CAPPP) in Employee Pensions. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, American Accounting Associate (AAA), Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute, and West Jackson Rotary Club. He previously taught accounting at Mississippi Valley State University and Delta State University. He holds a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in accounting from Jackson State University and a Master’s of Professional Accountancy from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Thomas J. Lariviere
Elected by Municipal Employees
Current Term: January 2009 through December 2014

Thomas J. Lariviere is fire chief of Madison, Mississippi. Lariviere serves as the chairman of the Board of Adjustment and Appeals, Mississippi State Fire Code. He has served as fire inspector for the city of Ridgeland and was in the U.S. Marine Corps. Lariviere holds many certifications including Certified Residential Plumbing and Mechanical Inspector (ICC), Certified Fire Inspector II (National Fire Service). He is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and International Association of Fire Chiefs. He also holds the position of associate instructor at the Mississippi State Fire Academy and is a member of the Mississippi Emergency Degree Advisory Committee at Meridian Community College.

H.S. “Butch” McMillan
Elected by State Employees
Current Term: August 2009 through June 2014 

H.S. “ Butch” McMillan is currently the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. He previously worked as a Certified Public Accountant with the national accounting firm Touche Ross, now Deloitte, and was sole proprietor of Little Apookta Farms. From 1980-1992, he served the citizens of Attala and Montgomery counties as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He began his career with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services in 1993, first as director of Administrative Services then as executive director in 1997. McMillan is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. He completed the Certified Manager Program in 2002 and is a graduate of the John C. Stennis Institute of Government. McMillan is the president of National Rehabilitation Association, past president of the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation. He also serves on the State Workforce Investment Board, the Disability Resource Commission, and the State Rehabilitation Council. McMillan is a recent graduate of Tulane University’s South Central Public Health Leadership Institute.

Richard C. Miller, M.D.
Elected by Retirees
Current Term: May 2011 through April 2017

Richard C. Miller, M.D., is a retired pediatric surgeon, distinguished professor, and medical director from University Medical Center. He holds a degree from Harvard Medical School, and he served in the United States Air Force. Along with being director of the Mississippi Retired Public Employees’ Association, Miller previously served on the PERS Board of Trustees as an institutions of higher learning representative from 1992 to 2008, serving on several committees and as Board chairman.

Jack Wilson
Gubernatorial Appointee
Current Term: February 2012 through April 2016

Jack Wilson is deputy counsel to Governor Phil Bryant. He previously practiced with the law firms of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Jackson, Mississippi, and Mayer Brown LLP in Washington, D.C., and served as a law clerk for Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the University of Mississippi’s Patterson School of Accountancy.