Preceded by Phil Bryant Name Stacey Pickering | Political party Republican Party | |
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Governor Haley Barbour
Phil Bryant Full Name Stacey Eugene Pickering Born July 12, 1968 (age 55)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S. ( 1968-07-12 ) Alma mater Jones County Junior College
Samford University
New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary Education Jones County Junior College, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Samford University | ||
Stacey Eugene Pickering (born July 12, 1968 in Laurel, Mississippi), is the Republican State Auditor of Mississippi, a position that he has filled since 2008. Elected in 2007, he is in his third term in the position.
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Background
Pickering is a seventh-generation Mississippian, reared the Hebron community of Jones County on the family dairy farm. Pickering graduated from West Jones High School as a National 4-H scholarship winner and continued his education at Jones County Junior College. He furthered his educational career by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and a master's degree in marriage and family counseling in 1993 from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Before serving in the State Senate, Pickering worked in the private sector as the director of governmental affairs and inside sales manager for Howard Technology Solutions, a division of Howard Industries in Laurel, Mississippi.
Pickering serves as a chaplain in the Mississippi Air National Guard of the 186th Air Refueling Wing.
State senate
Pickering represented District 42, based in Jones County, in the Mississippi State Senate, to which he was elected in 2003. He served as chairman of two committees: (1) Local and Private (2) Enrolled Bills. He was named by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to the national policy task forces on transportation and homeland security.
He served as co-chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsman's Caucus that pushed successfully for passage of pro-hunting legislation.
State auditor
Pickering was elected state auditor in 2007, when he defeated the Democrat Mike Sumrall, 55 to 45 percent, in the general election. In 2011, Pickering received only third-party opposition as he defeated Reform Party nominee, Ashley Norwood 76 to 24 percent.
In June 2012, Pickering was honored with the National State Auditor’s Association’s “National Excellence in Accountability Award” for his work on accountability and oversight regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2009, the United States Department of Defense honored him with a "Patriot Award" from its Mississippi Committee on Employer’s Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in recognition of his extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the Mississippi National Guard and Reserve. Pickering received this same award again in May, 2013.
In 2014, Pickering received the David M. Walker Excellence in Government Performance and Accountability Award, a national award presented once every two years to three auditors from the public sector accountability community who represent federal, state, and local governments.
Pickering serves on the Domestic Working Group for the office of the Comptroller General of the United States. He also serves on the Financial Management and Intergovernmental Affairs and Performance Audit Committees for the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers.
In 2015, it was revealed that Pickering was part of an Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into how he was spending campaign funds. Allegedly Pickering had been using campaign funds for personal use. This included a garage door at his personal residence, a BMW car that was given to his daughter, and an RV. He claims the RV was for campaigning.
2012 presidential campaign
Pickering served as the chairman of Mitt Romney's successful Mississippi campaign during the 2012 presidential campaign.
Personal
Pickering and his wife, Whitney, reside in Laurel, Mississippi, with their four children. They are active members of First Baptist Church of Laural, where the couple teaches Sunday School. He is chairman of the board of deacons. The Pickerings have served as past presidents of their children’s Parent Teacher Organization; they volunteer for the Laurel Rogers Museum of Art. Pickering is a Mason, volunteer firefighter, member of the National Rifle Association and Sigma Nu fraternity. He serves on the board of the Pine Burr Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
He is a cousin of former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering of Mississippi's 4th congressional district, and a nephew of Charles W. Pickering, a former state senator, Republican party state chairman, and a former judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.