Governor Bryant appoints new MEMA director

Governor Phil Bryant has appointed Retired Colonel Greg Michel as the new director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The appointment is effective immediately. Michel takes over for J.W. Ledbetter, Governor Bryant’s senior criminal justice policy adviser, who has overseen MEMA operations since last month when former director Lee Smithson resigned.

Michel has an extensive military background with the National Guard. He was commander of Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center in Hattiesburg until last fall. He served in that role from 2015-2017.