Jackson Free Press

On one hand, there are the stories of Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott and Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze and Bo Wallace.

On the other is the story of Mississippi Department of Corrections' Commissioner Chris Epps' fall from grace amid a federal bribery probe. Either way, stories about leadership abound in Mississippi these days.

Operation Shoestring, a Jackson-based nonprofit that supports children and families, will highlight the meaning of ethical leadership at its annual Conversation About Community luncheon on Monday, Nov. 17.

The leaders scheduled to lead this year's discussion include Tony Yarber, the youngest mayor in Jackson's history, as well as University of Mississippi Chancellor Dan Jones, and National Baptist Convention President Jerry Young.

In a testament to his leadership, Jones will participate in the event as scheduled despite having recently received a diagnosis of lymphoma and beginning chemotherapy, event organizers say. Reporter Jerry Mitchell of The Clarion-Ledger will moderate the discussion. The three men will discuss the difficulty of making hard decisions while serving in leadership roles.

Yarber, a former elementary school principal, attributes his successes in life to having had the good fortune of never getting caught for mischievous behavior in his youth.

The mayor, along with several members of the city council, recently unveiled an initiative to help individuals who weren't as lucky and were convicted of crimes.

Jones is also expected to tackle recent decisions at Ole Miss to start dismantling some of the school's controversial symbols, such as the renaming of campus thoroughfare Confederate Drive. That move prompted a bizarre statewide ballot initiative to reinstate Colonel Reb as the university's official mascot and enshrines the state's right to establish a religion, official language, state flag, nickname, song and motto.

Robert Langford, executive director of Operation Shoestring, said through a statement that "the choice-making of our leadership is critical to the fate of" the families his organization serves.

"That's why we believe that having an honest, candid conversation about the ethics of leadership in our state is so important," Langford said.

Operation Shoestring's Conversation About Community luncheon takes place Monday, Nov. 17, at noon at the Jackson Convention Complex. Tickets are $50 and will be available at the door until sold out. For more information, call 601-353-6336 x 27 or email [email protected].