MEMORANDUM
TO: Tribal Department Directors
Program Directors
Administrative Office Supervisors
Tribal Government Employees
FROM: Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben
DATE: September 23, 2021
RE: Announcing the Appointment of Sarah Medlock as Director, Development Division
I am pleased to announce my appointment of Sarah Medlock as Director, Development Division effective Monday, September 27,2021. Ms. Medlock begins this new leadership position, having 21 years of work experience with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Most recently Ms. Medlock has served as Operations Manager for the MBCI Office of Economic Development, where she gained very valuable experience in economic development planning; implementation of educational and workforce development training programs for Tribal members; and data analysis for labor studies, all of which have well prepared her to serve as Director, Development Division.
Ms. Medlock, an enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and a resident of the Pearl River community, is currently a candidate for her PhD in Education at Mississippi State University, where her studies focus on education, job skills training, and workforce development. She earned an MA degree in Education from MSU and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from MSU; and she earlier completed an AA degree in Business and Office Technology from Meridian Community College.
Ms. Medlock is an active member of the International Economic Development Council, the Southern Economic Development Council, and the Mississippi Economic Council.
We welcome Sarah Medlock as she begins her directorship of the MBCI Development Division, and I call upon each of you to extend your support to her as she works to further strengthen educational, economic, and community development opportunities for the Mississippi Band of Ch ctaw Indians.
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John Hendrix
Director of Economic Development
601.650.1607
jhendrix@choctaw.org
Office of Economic Development
375 Industrial Road | STE 2
Choctaw, MS 39350





