JACKSON, MS – After twenty-six years of service, Colonel Chris Gillard announces his retirement from the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol effective June 30, 2020. Gillard was appointed to serve as Assistant Commissioner of Public Safety and MHP Colonel over the state’s largest law enforcement agency in February 2016.
Prior to his appointment as Colonel, Gillard served in the rank of Lt. Colonel as Director of the Driver Service Bureau. Over the years he served as Director of Training, Executive Officer to the Commissioner of Public Safety, Governor’s Executive Protection Detail, Drug Trafficking Interdiction Officer, and Highway Safety Patrol Recruiter.
After an injury during his first attempt at Patrol School sidelined him, he was determined to go back and graduate in the next class offered which was Cadet Class 49 in 1994. That positive willpower served him well throughout his career at the Mississippi Department of Public Safety as he worked hard to be a role model over the years hoping others would follow in his footsteps.
“I would like to thank the men and women of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol along with the employees of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety who worked under my direction as Colonel and Assistant Commissioner. We are blessed to have a great team of dedicated public servants who will continue working hard to protect the citizens of our great state. I am especially thankful for the support and prayers over the years from my wife, mother, family and friends who encouraged me along the way.”
Colonel Gillard has been recognized throughout his career in law enforcement and in his community as a member of the DUI 100 Club (1994-1996), Outstanding Trooper of the Year (1997), Mississippi’s 25 Most Influential African Americans by Our Mississippi Magazine(2019), and Mississippi Trailblazer of the Year (2019).
“Colonel Gillard has been a strong leader within the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and a brave public servant within the Mississippi Highway Patrol dedicated to making Mississippi a better and safer place for all who call our great state home. Never letting anything sideline his commitment to protect his fellow Mississippians, it has been an honor to work with him over the years. Colonel Gillard leaves behind an impressive legacy, and we wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors,” said Governor Tate Reeves.
When asked about his legacy, Colonel Gillard wants people to know that anything is possible with a strong faith in God and the willful determination to never give up pursuing one’s goals. In his retirement, he will continue mentoring young people and providing inspiration. Through his
testimony regarding a kid who grew up in government housing, he aspired to fulfill a dream to serve and protect others never knowing that it would lead him here today.
PUBLIC NOTICE
OF INVITATION FOR BIDS
FOR HUNTING AND FISHING RIGHTS
Notice is hereby given by the Board of Education of Choctaw County School District that sealed bids will be received by said Board until 10:00 o’clock A.M. on the 6th day of July, 2020, in the Office of the Superintendent of Education of the Choctaw County School District, at Ackerman, Mississippi, for a lease of hunting and fishing rights on the following described Sixteenth Section Public School Trust Lands situated in Choctaw County, Mississippi, to-wit:
Section 16, Township 16, Range 11: 636 Acres
Section 16, Township 17, Range 9: 498 Acres
Section 16, Township 18, Range 11: 496 Acres
Section 16, Township 17, Range 10: 586 Acres
Section 16, Township 15, Range 10: 623 Acres
Section 16, Township 18, Range 9: 636 Acres
The lease shall be for a term of three (3) years with the exception of Section 16-16-11: 636 Acres, this section will be a one (1) year lease only. The form of the lease has been prescribed by the Board of Education and is now on file in the Office of the Superintendent of Education, and interested parties may inspect the same during regular office hours. A minimum bid of $5.00 per acre has been established.
Bid proposal forms may be obtained from the Office of the Superintendent of Education. Bids shall be submitted for the entire parcel. Only the annual rental shall be subject to bid. A certified check for the amount of the annual rental should be included with the bid when submitted. Bids shall be submitted in sealed envelopes, addressed to the Board of Education of the Choctaw County School District and plainly marked on the outside of the envelope “BID FOR HUNTING AND FISHING LEASE on approximately __________ acres in Section 16 , Township ____, Range ____.”
The Board of Education of Choctaw County School District will meet at Ackerman, Mississippi, on the 13th day of July, 2020, at 7:00 o’clock p.m. and sealed bids received pursuant to this public notice will then and there be opened and read aloud.
The Board of Education of the Choctaw County School District reserves the right to reject any and all bids submitted.
The aforesaid land is being offered for lease under the provisions of Section 29-3-41 of the Mississippi Code Annotated (1972) as amended. Published by order of the Board of Education of the Choctaw County School District.
STEWART G. BEARD, JR.
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SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION
CHOCTAW COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
PUBLISH THREE TIMES: June 10, June 17, and June 24
