Leadership

Gafford has been an active member with the PCOJ since 2021. This is Gafford’s third year on the board where he will be serving as President. Gafford is a native of Meridian, Mississippi. Gafford is a graduate of The University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology. He is also a graduate of The Mississippi School of Banking and was President of his class. Active in his community, Gafford has been working for Community Bank of MS for 5 years and currently serves as a Vice President. Gafford is married to Paige. Together they reside in Madison, Mississippi.

Rimes has been an active member of the Phoenix Club since 2021. This is his third year on the board. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Management. In 2014, Rimes helped start up and manage Two Brothers, one of Starkville, MS's best restaurants. He also worked in the corporate energy industry before transitioning into real estate. Rimes is currently a real estate consultant with Madison Properties, a developer and real estate brokerage firm. He works with both residential and commercial clients in the acquisition and disposition process. Rimes is a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) candidate. He lives in Jackson, MS with his lovely wife, Sarah, and their golden retriever named Rue.

Caleb Smith is a Director of Program Development at Higginbotham Insurance Agency where he focuses on building commercial programs for unique risks. He is also Vice President of the Refuge Group, a diversified portfolio of privately held businesses in transportation and government contracting. 

Caleb graduated cum laude at Samford University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a finance concentration and was honored as the top finance graduate in his class.

Caleb is an active member of Fondren Church in Jackson, Mississippi and serves on the boards of Southern Outdoors Unlimited and the Phoenix Club of Jackson. He also sits on Samford University’s Brock School of Business Risk Management and Insurance Advisory Board. 

Kyle Jones is a financial advisor with CJM Capital Group, a local financial planning firm in the Jackson metro area. Originally from Jackson, MS, Kyle is a Mississippi State University graduate with a Bachelor of Accountancy in 2015 and his Master's of Business Administration in 2016.

Kyle resides in Jackson with his wife, Morgan, and their dog Rowdy. They enjoy a day out on the lake, attending Mississippi State sporting events and spending their weekends around the local spots in Jackson. Kyle and Morgan are members of Fondren Church.

Kyle has been an active member of the Phoenix Club of Jackson since 2018. He currently serves as the Programs Director. His favorite fundraising event is the annual Seersucker and Sombreros party because it is a fun daytime event for a great cause.

Webb Emerson is the Founder and President of FORM Design Build, a commercial construction company.  Born and raised in Memphis, TN, he served on the Phoenix Club Board there for 3 years and is in his second year on the board in Jackson. He graduated from Mississippi State University where he met his wife Kelsey, a Jackson native. Outside of the office, you can find him playing golf at CCJ, enjoying MSU sporting events, spending time at the farm and out on the lake with his family and dog. He and his wife are members at Christ United Methodist Church.

Brooks Gobbel

Dean serves on the Phoenix Club of Jackson board as the Co-Sponsorship Chair. Currently, he is the SOAR Director at Jackson Academy. In addition, he is enrolled at the University of West Alabama in their Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Dean attended Delta State University for his Undergraduate and Masters Degree. He was born and raised in the Capital City. Dean is engaged to Maddie Tisdale, DPT.

Jordan Coopwood

A native of Monroe, LA, Ladd is in his third year as a member of the Phoenix Club of Jackson, and this is his second year as a member of the board. He is a 2015 graduate of Louisiana State University where he earned a degree in Business Management and Personal Finance. Ladd has been in financial services for over seven years and moved to Jackson in May of 2020. He is currently a Private Banking Relationship Manager at Trustmark National Bank. Ladd has always enjoyed helping people and looks forward to continuing to help the Boys and Girls Club and the Jackson community.

Hunt serves on the Board of the Phoenix Club of Jackson as a Co-Treasurer. Presently, he attends the Mississippi College School of Law and is a member of the Class of 2027. Hunt has previously worked as a Project Manager in the Public Education and Community Engagement (PEACE) division of the Mississippi Attorney General's Office where his work focused on expanding financial literacy in our state. Hunt is a 2020 graduate of the University of Mississippi, earning his MBA in 2021. 

Hunt grew up in the Jackson-Metro area, attending Galloway United Methodist Church and St. Andrew's Episcopal School. Hunt currently lives in Jackson with his long-time girlfriend, Laura.

Caleb has been a resident of the Jackson metro area for over 20 years and joined the Phoenix Club of Jackson in 2022, where he was awarded the distinguished “Phoenician of the Year” award for the 2023 year.

 A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Caleb holds a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. After graduation, Caleb remained in Oxford where he worked at Oxford Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, the official team physicians for Ole Miss Athletics. There, he developed marketing campaigns, managed community relations, and supported the business and its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 In 2021, Caleb returned to his hometown and now serves as the Talent Acquisition Manager for Canopy Children’s Solutions, one of Mississippi's oldest and largest nonprofit organizations. In this role, he leads strategic recruitment and staffing initiatives to support the organization’s mission of serving children and families across Mississippi.

Noel Morgan has been an active member of the Phoenix Club of Jackson since 2022. This is his second year on the board. Noel is a Tupelo, Mississippi native. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mississippi in 2019 and graduated from Mississippi College School of Law in 2024. He now works for Simmons Consulting Firm as a Lobbyist.

Hunter Ransom is a litigation attorney at Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes, PLLC, primarily practicing in labor & employment, construction, and commercial litigation.

Before joining the firm, Hunter clerked for the Honorable Kristi H. Johnson in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. He graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi College School of Law in 2022 and, before that, attended the University of Mississippi.

Hunter has been a PCOJ member since 2021, and this is his 3rd year on the board. He previously served as Membership Director and Communications Director. He also serves as a Director on the Board for Jackson Young Lawyers and is a recent Junior Member of the Country Club of Jackson.

Hunter is a Brandon native and now lives in Jackson. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys fitness, church, golf, and other ways to get involved in the community.

Peyton Brown spent most of his life growing up in the Jackson Metro area. He attended Mississippi College and graduated with a BSBA in Finance from Mississippi College in 2017.  Since graduation, Peyton has been working in the banking industry, and he currently works at Cadence Bank (formerly BancorpSouth Bank) as a Vice President and Relationship Manager in Madison, MS.  Peyton lives in Jackson, MS with his wife, Hayley, and they are members at Grace City Church, where he is a Deacon.  Peyton has been an active member of PCOJ since 2019. This is his third year on the board and first year serving as At Large.