Early in his career, Brad White, the 2022 Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Friend of Ag Award recipient, had the opportunity to connect with some of the greats in Mississippi’s political history.
“In 1991, Mr. Ray Laden was good friends with Kirk Fordice,” White said. “Fordice had decided to run for governor. He was going to be involved in the campaign and said, ‘We’re going to make a republican out of this kid.’ So, he got me involved in the Fordice Campaign. The rest is kind of history, as they say.”
Having previously served as the chief of staff for the Mississippi Department of Audit, U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves and as Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party during the administration of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, White has experienced many changes.
“I have been involved in the Republican Party since I was 14-years-old,” he said. “There weren’t a lot of republicans around, even in the ‘90s, giving me the opportunity to be involved in various leadership positions within our local party and state party.”
“When I served as the chairman of the state party, I learned a lot about how to interact with people and build coalitions to accomplish common goals,” he continued. “I think Governor Barbour is one of the best there is at doing that.”
One of his cherished stops was as chief of staff to Cochran, right before the elder statesman retired.
“I probably learned more in the three years I was his chief of staff than I have my entire career,” White said. “The way he brought his career to an end taught me more about how to be a man and truly care about other people – to see their importance and value – and what we were supposed to be doing as government leaders.”
Now, White serves as the executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Since being appointed by Reeves in July 2021, White has been hard at work to improve our state’s infrastructure system.
“We have to always be mindful of what needs to be done to enhance that system to make it safe for our motoring public to travel on, while also keeping economic development in mind,” he said. “This is a team sport. It takes working with landowners, business leaders, utility companies, our legislative leadership, the governor, our elected transportation commissioners, and other associations that have an interest in what we do, like Farm Bureau, to make sure we’re developing at a pace that keeps Mississippi competitive with the areas around us.”
Even though White frequently works with various groups, he has not forgotten his rural Simpson County roots, where he grew up surrounded by chicken houses, logging operations, cattle and vegetable gardens. He attributes this way of life to his success now.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to get in trouble when I was growing up,” he said. “We were busy doing chores, but looking back on it, my childhood set me up for where I am today.”
One of those ways is by having a greater understanding of Farm Bureau and the challenges farmers face on a daily basis.
Throughout White’s 30-year-career in Jackson and Washington, D.C., he has worked with Farm Bureau in some capacity, and hopes to continue fostering that relationship in the future.
“Being selected as the Friend of Ag award winner has made me stop and take stock of how long Farm Bureau and I have been working together – in many capacities – but also how the organization’s contributions have bettered our state and agriculture industry,” White said.
“I feel like I’m not quite as deserving as many others because in my role, I’m standing on the shoulders of the people who helped put much of my work in motion before I was here,” he added. “And, so in that sense, this is something I hope the whole agency can be proud of and take as recognition of their hard work and investment.”