John Hendrix, who has served the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians for 32 years, including as Director of Economic Development since 2005, has stepped down to pursue his own business venture. A reception honoring his career and work with the Tribe was held September 28, 2026.
“We are deeply grateful for John’s dedication and service to our Tribe,” said Tribal Chief Cyrus Ben. “His leadership strengthened our long-term economic resilience and created opportunities for future generations. John leaves the Office of Economic Development in the capable hands of a talented team he has mentored over the years. We wish him and his son every success in their new business venture.”
Some of Hendrix’s contributions include:
- Securing $6 million in grant funding to develop a new state-of-the-art Advanced Workforce Training Center that will build Tribal member capacity in vocational/technical, healthcare, digital fabrication, and computer/IT skills to support the community's economic future.
- Leading the development of a new carbon credit project that is expected to generate millions of dollars in sustainable Tribal revenue for the next 20 years.
- Coordinating efforts to secure fundingto extend high-speed broadband services to every home on Tribal lands, ensuring digital equity and enabling access to telehealth, remote education, and economic opportunities for all Tribal members on the reservation.
- Securing more than $20 million in grant funding from 12 different public and private funders including EDA, BIA, ANA, USDA, NCAT, WK Kellogg, First Nations Development Institute, and Rural-LISC.
- Leading the effort for MBCI to become the first community in Mississippi to achieve TVA's Rural Certified Community status demonstrating the professionalism of the Tribe’s economic development team.
Most recently, Hendrix helped facilitate a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) to develop a new business park to attract industrial tenants to MBCI Tribal lands. In 2025, he was awarded the Chris Thompson Economic Development Professional Excellence Award by the United South & Eastern Tribes, a prestigious award is given to a Tribal economic development professional, recognizing innovation, dedication, and contributions to the economic development success of a Tribal nation community. Hendrix is a Certified Economic Developer, Economic Development Finance Professional, and Project Management Professional.
“John has devoted 32 years of his career to serving the Tribe and working to advance opportunities for our people,” said Dr. Sarah Medlock, Development Division Director. “I appreciate his commitment and the contributions he has made to the Tribe. We thank John for his years of service and wish him well in his future endeavors.”