Dr. Judy Lewis
Executive Director
Lewis was named Executive Director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting by the Board of Directors on July 8, 2009.
She has served in a variety of executive capacities for the United Nations World Food Program. As director of the United States Relations Office, she advised members of Congress and the Administration on humanitarian and development issues important to U.S. foreign policy. She managed the World Food Program’s largest food assistance program by assisting more than 12 million people suffering from crisis and hunger in Southern Africa and was responsible for mobilizing and distributing 1.6 million metric tons of food aid while regional bureau director in Uganda.
Lewis also served as regional coordinator for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Needs in Southern Africa and headed the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination and Support Office in Johannesburg. She managed the largest food aid assistance program for the World Food Program in fifteen locations throughout Ethiopia and served as chief of staff for the United Nations World Food Program in Rome.
Other United Nations assignments included serving as Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Angola and work with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in Rome.
In addition to numerous articles for both domestic and international print media, she is a frequent speaker, coach and writer on the subjects of leadership, communication and team building. She is the recipient of many awards and honors, including recognition by the United Nations with the Award of Excellence for Leadership and the Award of Merit for Leadership in the Humanitarian Crisis in Ethiopia and Djibouti. In 2002, she was awarded Outstanding Alumni by Mississippi College.
Lewis served as a special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and as a special assistant in the Department of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
Her academic teaching career includes serving as an adjunct professor at the U.S.D.A. Graduate School of Communication and George Mason University, an assistant professor at Troy State University, director of theatre and most recently, an associate professor of communication and theatre at Mississippi College.
Lewis currently serves on the boards of the Mississippi Council for Education Technology, the Mississippi Blues Commission and serves as President and C.E.O. of Mississippi EDNET Institute, Inc., a consortium of public and private partners that manages a statewide Educational Broadband Service system. She is an original board member of the Institute for American School Food Service Association of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Lewis holds a doctorate degree in higher education, communication and theatre from The University of Mississippi, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and speech communication from Mississippi College.
Jay Woods
Deputy Executive Director, Content
Woods is responsible for leading and managing the Content Operations Division, which includes television and radio production, news and public affairs, programming, and communications. He is responsible for the development, management and delivery of content through our television and radio networks, as well as interactive video, the web, and outreach.
Woods joined MPB in 2003 as Contracts and Grants Administrator where he was responsible for obtaining and managing several large grants that have allowed the agency to convert to digital operations. He was named Director of Human Resources and Contracts Management in 2004, where he developed and implemented a number of policies that improved the overall effectiveness of the agency.
Woods came to public broadcasting after practicing law for several years in the private sector. He received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Mississippi.
Maggie Gibson
Deputy Assistant Director, Administration
Gibson is responsible for managing the financial activities and fiscal health of the agency. She plays a key role in developing the agency’s annual budget and strategic and business plans relating to financial management. Gibson oversees the areas of accounting, internal audits, contracts and grants, facilities management, and property inventory.
Gibson has a long tenure at the agency, having served in every capacity in the Business Services Department, from grants accountant to chief financial officer.She has guided the agency through two financial system conversions and has been instrumental in developing internal operational procedures for grants and contracts.
She has degrees from Jackson State College and Jackson State University and is an active member of the Public Broadcasting Management Association.
Cy Vance
Acting Deputy Executive Director, Technical Services
Vance is responsible for providing leadership, management and technical guidance for the statewide network. He also directs the work of Master Control Studio Operations, Studio and Radio Maintenance, Information Technology, Remote Microwave Network Transmission, and Interactive Video Network Operations.
Vance joined MPB in 1996 as Director of the Interactive Video Network where he supervised the statewide Video Conferencing Network for K-12 students, community colleges, and universities.
In 2006, Vance was named Director of Studio Operations and Maintenance and was instrumental in the planning, design and expansion of MPB’s High Definition network of television stations and the launch of HD Radio™ technology. In November 2007, he was named Assistant Director for Technical Services and has been serving as Acting Deputy Executive Director since June 2009.
Vance received his master’s degree in education from Mississippi College and his bachelor’s degree from Millsaps College in Jackson. With an educational background and years of experience in broadcast engineering, Vance is uniquely positioned to successfully deliver MPB’s educational programs and services through multiple platforms of emerging broadcast technology.
He is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers-Mississippi Chapter.
Nikki McCelleis
Acting Deputy Executive Director, Education
McCelleis oversees the Education Division which is responsible for the development of early childhood and K-12 educational services and outreach initiatives, instructional production, statewide technology integration programs, professional development opportunities for educators, the Interactive Video Network, and continuing education opportunities for adults.
Prior to joining Mississippi Public Broadcasting in January 2006, McCelleis served as division director for Curriculum and Instruction at the Mississippi Department of Education. While at the Mississippi Department of Education, McCelleis also served as division director in the Offices of Evaluation and Enhancement and Instructional Support and Training.
McCelleis has taught English Grammar and English Literature at Jim Hill High School in Jackson and was a job specialist with Jobs for Mississippi Graduates. She also taught Spanish I and Spanish II at Simmons High School in Hollandale and served as a GED instructor in the Salvation Army Education Program.
She received a specialist in education degree from Delta State University, a master of arts in teaching from Belhaven College, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.
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