Clayton French is the Deputy Director for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Serving MEMA since 2010, he is also the current Chief Recovery Officer, leading all recovery activities supporting the Agency’s mission to safeguard Mississippi and her citizens by fostering a culture of preparedness, executing timely responses during disaster, and restoring quality of life post-event.
Beginning as a Public Assistance Project Officer, he worked exclusively with Hancock County, managing their Hurricane Katrina Public Assistance Grant worth $96M. Later that year, he was promoted to Branch Director, managing the Katrina projects for Jackson County’s 18 applicants worth over $235M. In 2015, he advanced to the position of Public Assistance Bureau Director at the State Emergency Operations Center, managing 11 open Public Assistance Grants. Promoted to Office Director in 2017, he oversaw 22 open federal Public Assistance Grants worth over $3.3B. As the State Public Assistance Officer and Alternate Governor’s Authorized Representative, he managed all Public Assistance Grants and was the state official who executed compliance reports and reviews. As Office Director, he was responsible for reducing open Public Assistance Grants from 22 down to 10 within a 2-year period. Since joining MEMA, he has worked on 41 federally declared disasters.
Before coming to MEMA, Clayton was an active-duty United States Air Force member. He served 28 years at six bases, including a three-year tour in Panama and a one-year tour in Ecuador and Qatar. Beginning as an aircraft mechanic, he deployed to multiple theaters worldwide, supporting peacekeeping, counternarcotics, and warfighting missions.
Clayton has four associate degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in History and English from the University of Arkansas, and a Master of Education from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife Sheryl have been married for 42 years and have three children and seven grandchildren.
