Our Team
Grant Callen
Founder & PresidentGrant is a sixth generation Mississippian who grew up in Laurel. He founded Empower Mississippi in 2014 to ensure that every Mississippian has access to a high quality education and meaningful work.
Russ Latino
Senior Vice PresidentA south Mississippi native, Russ brings a passion for Mississippi and extensive public policy and legal experience to Empower Mississippi. In his role as Senior Vice President, Russ heads up the policy team and plays a key role in strategy, coalition building, and advocacy.
Elyse Marcellino
Vice President for EducationElyse is the Vice President for Education of Empower Mississippi. In her position, Elyse oversees education policy and lobbying, and works to attract high-quality schools to Mississippi.
J. Robertson
Contributing FellowJ. is a Contributing Fellow at Empower Mississippi. In this position he plays an advisory role on criminal justice reform policy.
Gina Metzger
Director of OperationsGina is the Director of Operations. In her position, Gina oversees day-to-day activities of the office, including human resources, bookkeeping, and compliance.
Joanna Holbert
Director of CommunicationsJoanna is the Director of Communications. She is responsible for Empower Mississippi’s overall communications strategy, including branding, public relations, web presence, and social media.
Katie Elliott
Executive Assistant and Development ConnectorKatie is the Executive Assistant to the President and Development Connector. In her position, Katie works with the President providing high-level support to the organization.
Empower Mississippi works to Educate, Engage, and Elect Mississippians dedicated to removing barriers to opportunity.
Empower Mississippi Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to educate citizens. Contributions are tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.
Empower Mississippi is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization working to engage citizens in the public policy process. Contributions are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes
Empower PAC is a state political action committee working to recruit, train, and elect candidates for the legislature who are committed to ensuring that every Mississippian has access to a high quality education and meaningful work.