Ballots for the 2025 Board of Directors election are live. (1) contact member for each membership has received a ballot to vote! There is a slate of (6) outstanding business leaders to choose from. Their bios are below for your review.
Alan Grant, Dean Architecture
Alan Grant is the President of Dean Architecture, P.A. in Ridgeland, MS and is responsible for the daily operations of the firm along with leading the firm in client acquisitions, project management strategies, and maintaining a standard of design quality and client satisfaction the firm in known for. Alan began his career in Architecture by joining the firm in 1997 after graduating from Mississippi State University’s School of Architecture, Cum Laude. With 28 years of experience, he is proud to have worked on and managed many projects in Madison County such as Renaissance at Colony Park Phase I and II, multiple projects on the Baptist campus in Madison, multiple projects on the campus of Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Ridgeland City Hall, The Horne Building, and the new Ridgeland Fire Station No. 5 through funding by MCEDA. Dean Architecture currently has several other exciting projects “on the boards” slated for construction in Madison and Ridgeland.
Alan grew up in Vicksburg, MS, graduated from Warren Central High School, then moved to Clarksdale, MS for a few years, before attending Mississippi State University. Born and raised in Mississippi, he chose to maintain his roots by staying in Jackson where he began his career and met his wife, Stefanie, a Jacksonian and Mississippian as well. They have now lived in Madison County over 19 years where they have raised their two boys, Parker (22) and Shelby (17). They currently live in the Charlton Place neighborhood in Madison County.
Active in his community Alan serves on the Ridgeland Chamber of Commerce Board and serves on the American Heart Association Executive Leadership Team for Heart Walk Mississippi and serves as Chair of the Hard Hats with Hearts Campaign, raising awareness for Heart Health in Mississippi. Alan and his family are active members of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison where he previously taught Life Group for kids ministry grades 1-5 and is now co-teaching an Adult Life Group class.
Bill Felder, Harper Rains Knight & Company
As a long-term resident of Madison County, Bill Felder has devoted nearly three decades to serving the needs of Madison County residents through his devotion to excellence and commitment to success. Since 1998, Mr. Felder and his family have lived in Madison County, where he has cultivated connections through his career in public accounting and extensive hours of service to volunteer work. Mr. Felder’s mission to be an honorable steward of his time and talents are at the core of his daily motivation to serve not-for-profit organizations, his unwavering devotion to his family, friends and colleagues, and his mission to leave a lasting legacy of service to his local Madison County community. Mr. Felder, CPA, CISA, has over thirty (30) years of experience in public accounting. As the Managing Director and President of Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A, he performs a wide range of professional services to various industries.
Mr. Felder and his wife, Kimberly, live in Madison and their daughter, Regan, currently attends Mississippi State University, a college connection close to Mr. Felder, as he graduated from there with a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy and Master of Professional Accountancy.
Mr. Felder is actively involved with the First Baptist Church of Madison, where he has served as a deacon, finance committee chair and member of the executive council. He also serves on the executive board and as the D3 committee executive for the Mississippi Futbol Club. He is the treasurer for Sweetwaters, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving needs of the poor, widowed and orphaned in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a member (currently serving as treasurer) of the Board of Directors of Community Place, a not-for-profit organization which operates a skilled nursing facility for the aged and infirmed.
Reflecting on the nearly past three decades as a resident of Madison County, Bill Felder believes a life of service and devotion to others creates a community that thrives through unity and hope. Mr. Felder would be honored to serve on the Madison County Business League & Foundation 2025-2026 Board of Directors to work together with visionaries, entrepreneurs and colleagues with the mission to serve Madison County as the voice for our business community.
Dennis Miller, Jones Walker
Dennis Miller is a Partner and Co-Leader of the Government Relations Practice Group at Jones Walker LLP, a regional law firm based in the Southeast with over 350 lawyers in 17 offices. Dennis began his career in 1980 working on the staff of Mississippi Senate for seven years, moving over to the Mississippi Public Service Commission as Commission Counsel for two years.
He entered the private sector with International Paper responsible for public affairs and government relations for five years. In 1993 he joined the law firm of Watkins Ludlam Winter and Stennis, focusing on a government relations practice. During his term as the firm’s Chief Executive Officer, the firm’s lawyers joined Jones Walker, LLP.
His career has taken him through 46 Regular Sessions of the Mississippi Legislature, with 37 of those years on the government relations side. He credits any successes he has experienced to the quality of his client base. Those clients include Nissan and Amazon. He has taught “Legislation” at the Mississippi College School of Law and has authored the Mississippi Chapter of Lobbying, PACs and Campaign Finance: 50 State Handbook published annually by Thomson Reuters for 28 years.
Dennis is a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar. He has an AV Preeminent Peer Rating in Martindale-Hubbell. He is listed in Best Lawyers for Government Relations and Energy law. In 2024 was named in the Mississippi Top 50 Influential leaders in government, business, media and community dedicated to making a positive impact in the State of Mississippi. He serves locally on the Board of Directors of the Business and Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC) and the Mississippi Forestry Association.
Outside the work environment, he has been a tennis player for 31 years and a tennis volunteer for 22 years. His service includes USTA Mississippi President, USTA Southern Section Treasurer, Southern Tennis Foundation Secretary/Treasurer, and a USTA National Committee member including Chairman of the Awards Committee. He is currently a Trustee of the Southern Tennis Foundation.
A resident of Madison for over 38 years, he and his wife, Cheryl, are members of Galloway United Methodist Church and have two married adult children, Montgomery and Madeleine, residing in Nashville and Atlanta.
Joe Lackey, Amazon Web Services
Joe Lackey is a seasoned construction executive currently serving as the Manager of Construction for the JAN Region at Amazon Web Services. With over 30 years of experience in construction leadership, Mr. Lackey brings extensive expertise in managing complex, large-scale projects across diverse sectors including technology, retail, manufacturing, entertainment, and aerospace.
Prior to joining AWS, Mr. Lackey led the South Region Data Center Construction division at Meta (formerly Facebook), where he played a pivotal role in expanding the company’s digital infrastructure. His distinguished career includes executive positions at industry-leading firms, serving as Project Executive at Balfour Beatty and Chief Operating Officer at NationView, a Native American 8(a) environmental and general contracting firm.
Throughout his career, Mr. Lackey has overseen numerous high-profile projects, including the groundbreaking Pandora – The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Microgravity Space Laboratory for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center, demonstrating his ability to execute technically complex and innovative construction initiatives.
A resident of Madison County, Mississippi, Mr. Lackey is devoted to his local community while leading projects of national significance. As a father of four, he takes pride in his children’s diverse pursuits – from his eldest daughter’s career as a Graphic Designer at the Los Angeles Film School, his second daughter’s studies at Auburn University, and his two younger children who are currently students at Madison Central High School in the marching band.
His comprehensive experience in project execution, operational leadership, and strategic planning positions him as a valuable asset in construction industry leadership.
Jonathan McDaniel, Paramount Construction
Jonathan McDaniel is the President and Owner of Paramount Construction Group, a Madison County–based construction firm specializing in large-scale federal and commercial projects. He founded Paramount in 2010 overseeing many federal contracts while keeping his company’s operations rooted right here in Madison County. Over the past 15 years, he has built career managing work for Veterans Administration medical facilities, military installations, national parks, federal highways, and a variety of private developments.
A service-disabled veteran of the United States Army, he proudly served his country during Operation Iraqi Freedom, supported peacetime missions, and participated in search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Jonathan’s connection to Madison County runs deeper than his business.
His two children, Mae (10) and Thomas (8), attend St. Anthony Catholic School in the center of Madison. His family worships at Chapel of the Cross, and he is a strong supporter of local schools, churches, and community events. For Jonathan, representing Madison County businesses is about more than economic growth — it’s about fostering a thriving, connected community where families and businesses can succeed together. His commitment to both his profession and his community reflects his dedication to building not only quality projects but also strong relationships that strengthen the region.
Mike Walker, AT&T
Michael Walker currently serves as Vice President of AT&T Mississippi, where he leads the company’s strategy, legislative, philanthropic and external affairs activities in the state, as well as guide governmental and community policy decisions.
Walker has had an extensive career in the telecommunications industry and has worked through Mississippi’s transition from a predominately copper network to fiber and wireless infrastructure.
In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Walker is committed to helping make a difference in the community and in the lives of others. He is an active member of the 100 Black Men of Jackson and serves on the board of directors for Operation Shoestring, AT&T Pioneers, Mississippi Food Network, Foundation for Mississippi History and the Mississippi Economic Council. Michael currently serves on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Madison County Business League & Foundation.
He is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi and a graduate of Vicksburg Public Schools. Michael has a degree in Accounting from Jackson State University and an MBA from the University of Mississippi. He is also a graduate of Leadership Jackson and Leadership Mississippi. Michael is of the Baptist Faith and is a member of Pleasant Green MB Church in Clinton, MS. He and his wife Aminah, a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, reside in Madison County. They are the proud parents of five adult children, all graduates of Mississippi State University
