The Education Committee is a vital part of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association. With the growth we have experienced in the past few years, we have added additional events to our yearly schedule. The challenge of the Education Committee is presenting relevant topics, new ideas, and current updates to the pharmacy profession. The other challenge is finding speakers passionate about the topics they present. In addition to the events we have on our schedule each year, MPhA publishes a Quarterly Journal 4 times a year with continuing education.

This is the second term for the Education Committee Co-chairs. They have done a remarkable job, and our events have been positively impacted.

We welcome new members to the committee. If you have a passion for education and want to join the committee, please contact Lorean (“Lori”) Emory at loreanemory@gmail.com, or Jennifer Duncan at jenniferlongmireduncan@outlook.com.

Education Committee


  • Dr. Lori Emory is a native to Birmingham, Alabama, and a graduate of Auburn University. She

    completed a PGY-1 residency with the Mississippi State Department of Health where she now

    works as a clinical pharmacist. Lori is dedicated to providing excellent care to patients through

    an intensive MTM service offered by the Department of Health which she assists in continually

    improving and expanding. In addition to patient education, Lori also has a passion for pharmacy

    education, working closely with students, residents, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists to

    promote an active learning environment in her career and across the state of Mississippi as a Co-

    Chair for MPhA’s Education Committee.


  • Jennifer L Duncan, PharmD BCGP obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the

    University of Tennessee. She has both clinical and operations experience in a variety of settings

    including community, hospital, mental health, managed care and long-term care. Her particular

    areas of interest are geriatrics, palliative care, disease management and Pharmacoeconomics.

    Dr. Duncan has worked as a Consultant Pharmacist at every opportunity and is currently the

    General Manager at Omnicare of Jackson.

The Membership Committee

The Membership Committee focuses on member growth, retention, and increasing engagement. The committee will work with MPhA to assist in planning and implementing events for membership drives and to devise other ways to increase membership. At MPhA, we are committed to the profession of pharmacy.As we increase membership, we will have more to offer. MPhA supports all Mississippi pharmacists and all areas of pharmacy. We legally advocate for pharmacists by having a lobbyist and a pharmacist active in legislative endeavors. MPhA provides multiple continuing education opportunities, e.., in-person and virtual events, creating a quarterly journal, Mississippi Pharmacist, and many more. MPhA is also great for connecting with other Mississippi pharmacists and students.

We welcome new members to the committee. If you are passionate about building and engaging members and want to join the committee, please contact Tia Holloway at antoniyaholloway@gmail.com or Sophie Durham at sophiemariedurham@gmail.com, Co-Chairs of the Membership Committee.


  • Dr. Antoniya "Tia" Holloway is a 2018 graduate of Jackson State University and a 2022 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Prior to pursuing pharmacy, Dr. Holloway knew that she wanted her legacy to fuse faith, healthcare, and community servitude, so she participated in several activities and organizations to help mold her into an empathetic and meticulous pharmacist. She completed a PGY1 Community-based Residency at Mississippi State Department of Health Pharmacy and was a 2022-2023 Fellow of the Mississippi Center for Health Policy. Currently, she supervises clinical development for federal grant programs within the Mississippi State Department of Health. She is an active member of the Magnolia State Pharmaceutical Society and Mississippi Public Health Association. Tia is a member of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association where she serves as Co-chair of the membership committee.


  • Originally from Germantown, Tennessee, Sophie graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2019 and a Doctor of Pharmacy in

    2022. Sophie completed a community-based post-graduate residency with an emphasis in public health at the Mississippi State Department of Health. After completing residency, Sophie was offered a position at the Mississippi State Department of Health and now serves at the Deputy Director of the Opioid & Substance Use Program at MSDH. Sophie is a member of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association where she serves as Co-chair of the membership committee.

The Convention Committee

The Convention Committee partners with the MPhA staff and the Education Committee to plan and execute our Annual Convention and Trade Show. The duties of the Convention Committee include but are not limited to the following: setting registration fees for members and non-members, setting registration fees for Exhibitors, and working with MPhA to determine the venue and city for the event. In addition, active committee members also volunteer during the Convention to ensure all Continuing Education sessions and activities have a liaison present.

We welcome new members to the committee. If you are passionate about planning events and want to join the committee, please contact Meagan Brown at MBrown18@umc.edu. We are also looking for someone that would like to Co-Chair this committee. If interested, please contact Meagan as well.


  • Dr. Meagan Brown is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the University Of Mississippi School Of Pharmacy (Jackson Campus). She earned a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacy in 2010. Upon graduation, Dr. Brown completed a PGY-1 Community-Based Pharmacy Practice Residency and joined the faculty. Her clinical practice site is a federally-qualified health center in rural Mississippi, where she provides clinical services to patients focused on cardiometabolic diseases.

    Additionally, she is the PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency Program Director and PGY-2

    Ambulatory Care Preceptor. In the classroom, Dr. Brown's coursework is mainly focused on chronic disease, DEI-related topics, and rural health. Most recently, Dr. Brown has been appointed within the Center for Clinical and Translational Science as the Director of the Community/Population Research Unit.

    She currently serves as the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee within the School of Pharmacy, past Annual Convention Planning Chair for the National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA's "mother" organization) and several committees with other national pharmacy organizations and state organizations. Her most recent honors include being recognized as the Mississippi Pharmacists Association's 2019 Distinguished Young Pharmacist, which highlights a pharmacist who displays a commitment to the profession and community through service and at the 2022 NPhA/SNPhA Annual Convention by the President of NPhA for distinguished service to the organization.

The Awards Committee

The Awards Committee facilitates the nominations and selection of awards. Also, the members of this committee evaluate and certify candidates for office. The Awards are handed out at Annual Convention during our Awards Luncheon.

We welcome nominations throughout the year. Information about the awards process and the individual awards are listed on our website. Please consider making nominations throughout the year so we will have a number of people to vet for the awards. The Chair of the Awards Committee is Wilma Wilbanks and she can be reached at imalosluvr@aol.com


  • Wilma Johnson Wilbanks is a third-generation pharmacist and has been a proud member of MPhA since 1981. She won the Bowl of Hygeia in 1988 and was inducted into the MPhA Hall of Fame in 2019. Wilma is the chairman of the Mississippi Medicaid P and T Committee and is the current International President of Delta Gamma Fraternity. She is a past president of the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries and a certified parliamentarian. Wilma resides with her husband, Bob, in Cleveland, Mississippi.

The New Practitioner Committee

The New Practitioner Committee supports the transition of recent graduates into real world practice, boost networking with practicing pharmacist in our state, and introduces the Association to new pharmacists. At MPhA, we seek to increase the participation and growth of our organization through the involvement of new graduates and young pharmacists.

In addition, the New Practitioner Committee sponsors events throughout the year like ice cream socials, bowling, to help introduce recent graduates to established pharmacists. They also assist with Mentorship groups and help with writing a CV. Every new graduate has the opportunity learn from practicing pharmacists.

We welcome new members to the committee. If you are passionate about mentoring new graduates and want to join the committee, please contact Chelsea Watts at chelseadanielles4@gmail.com. We are also looking for someone that would like to Co-Chair this committee. If you are interested, please contact Chelsea.

  • Chelsea Watts is a public health pharmacist at the Mississippi State Department of Health

    (MSDH). She graduated from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and attended the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to obtain her Doctor of Pharmacy. While completing a PGY1 Community Based Pharmacy Residency at MSDH

    Pharmacy, Chelsea developed an interest in maternal and child health. She currently works with Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies of Mississippi to improve maternity and infant outcomes through pharmacy interventions.

The Government Affairs Committee

The Government Affairs Committee monitors legislation as it moves through our government. We work with legislators to initiate important legislation, mobilize our membership to speak to their representatives about important legislation, and serve as a source of information to educate officials on the impact that legislation could have on the pharmacy profession. We are the voice for Mississippi pharmacists in Congress and the Mississippi Legislature.

We legally advocate for pharmacists by having a lobbyist and a pharmacist active in legislative endeavors.

This is the second term for the Government Affairs Committee co-chairs. We also have a student, Lain Vitale, who serves as Vice-Chair of this committee.

We welcome new members to the committee. If you are passionate about legislation and want to join the committee, please contact Cliff Kelly at ckelly4700@yahoo.com, Phil Ayers at ayerspharm@gmail.comor

Lain Vitale at ecvitale@go.olemiss.edu.


  • Cliff Kelly has been a loyal member of MPhA and has served the Association in several other positions. He took over as Government Affairs Co-Chair during 2023-2024. In addition to being an active member of MPhA, Cliff owns C&C Drugs in Collins, Mississippi. He also serves as the Mayor of Mount Olive, Mississippi. He is a devoted fan of the University of Southern Mississippi. MPhA is proud to have him as a long standing member and to thank him for his willingness to serve not only MPhA but also his community.


  • Dr. Ayers received his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the University of Mississippi. He is currently emploved by Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MS. He is a clinical specialist in nutrition support and serves the Department of Pharmacy as Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Services. Dr. Ayers is also a Clinical Associate Professor with the School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi.

    Dr. Ayers is a past president of MPhA and served as Interim Executive Director in 2018.

    Phil's service to MPhA includes Foundation President, Chair of Government Affairs and Membership Committees. He has been a member of the Executive, Government Affairs, Membership, and Education Committees. Dr. Ayers is a past president of the Mississippi Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) and Mississippi Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (MSPEN).

    As Immediate Past President, Phil serves the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) on the Board of Directors and is Past Chair of the ASPEN Parenteral Nutrition Safety Committee. He is also a member of the USP Compounding Committee and Past Chair of the USP Parenteral Nutrition Subcommittee. He previously served on the USP Healthcare Quality and Safety Committee and chaired the Parenteral Nutrition Expert Panel.

  • My name is Lain Vitale and I am a final-year student pharmacist at the University of Mississippi School of

    Pharmacy. I am from St. Louis, Missouri, and I am so excited to be the Vice Chair of the Government Affairs

    Committee this year! I look forward to actively contributing to MPhA's legislative and regulatory agenda, as

    well as meeting and working with all of you. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Association!