Governor Tate Reeves honored Willie McKercher of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and Mayor Jim Luke of the City of Picayune with the 2024 Excellence in Government Awards. The foundation of these awards is to encourage the development of innovative systems of public administration. In 2012, the Mississippi State Personnel Board established and presented the inaugural Mississippi Excellence in Government Awards program at the direction of the Mississippi Legislature.
The recipient of the Excellence in State Government Award is Willie McKercher, director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s Dam Safety Division. In 2020, McKercher oversaw the creation of the Mississippi Dam Safety Grant Fund established by the Mississippi Legislature. In 2021 and 2022, the grant program distributed more than $3.8 million in state grant dollars to dam owners for repairs to 27 high hazard dams across the state.
Mississippi’s Dam Safety Grant Fund is the first of its kind in the country, and under McKercher’s leadership, the Mississippi program became a model for other states. McKercher implemented robust grant guidelines with a formula for ranking all applications based on the amount of risk reduction being generated per dollar and the total risk being posed by the dam. His incorporation of risk assessment and cost benefit analysis into the grant selection process was a major innovation, and the process is now used to help improve decision making in other areas of the dam safety program.
McKercher graduated with a degree in biological engineering from Mississippi State University in 2001 and started with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality that same year. He began in the Groundwater Assessment and Remediation Division (GARD) within the Office of Pollution Control at MDEQ. While working in GARD, he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Mississippi in 2005. He also became licensed as a Professional Engineer in 2007 and as a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer in 2013. He briefly left MDEQ in 2018 to serve as the Gulf Region Operations Leader of a private consulting firm before returning to MDEQ in 2019 to serve as the director of the Division of Dam Safety.
The recipient of the Excellence in Local Government Award is Mayor Jim Luke of the City of Picayune. Jim Luke has spent his career improving the City of Picayune, starting his career as a police officer at the Picayune Police Department. He then served as the campus police chief for the Picayune School District before becoming the chief of police for the City of Picayune.
Under Luke's leadership, the Picayune Police Department achieved significant advancements in community engagement and public safety. Luke initiated innovative programs such as the Teen 411 Program and the Police Camp, aimed at fostering positive relationships between law enforcement and youth. As chief, he spearheaded the Partnership, Pride, and Progress Program, which revolutionized public safety technological capabilities without incurring additional costs for the city. Through innovative partnerships with local businesses, the program facilitated the exchange of information and resources beneficial to law enforcement and the community.
In 2011, Luke was appointed city manager for Picayune, and he served in this role until he was elected mayor in 2021. As city manager, he repurposed the former Crosby Memorial Hospital Building into Crosby Commons. By securing grants and utilizing recycled materials, the project transformed the old run-down, unused building into an award-winning park, showcasing an innovative approach to urban redevelopment. The ongoing project, The Oaks at Crosby Commons, demonstrates Mayor Luke's ability to secure substantial grants for community development and resource optimization.
Throughout his career, Luke has been recognized for his contributions, with the City of Picayune winning eleven Mississippi Municipal League (MML) awards across all categories under his leadership. In 2018, he received the Mississippi Main Street Hero Award for his contributions to the city.
Born and raised in Mississippi, Luke attended Picayune Memorial High School, Pearl River Junior College, the University of Southern Mississippi, and the FBI Command College. He is also a published author, having written five books on Picayune's history and contributed to Chicken Soup for the Soul and various magazines.
“Mississippi is blessed with extraordinary and accomplished public servants like Willie McKercher and Mayor Jim Luke,” said Governor Tate Reeves. “They've both made an indelible impact on our state and their fellow Mississippians. I’m honored to recognize their achievements.”
MSPB Executive Director Kelly Hardwick said, “This year’s award recipients exemplify excellence in government and a commitment to public service. It is an honor to join Governor Reeves in recognizing these outstanding public servants.”