Jana N. Henderson joined the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in 2003 and has served in several roles, including Administrative Assistant to the Response and Recovery Bureau Director and the Executive Director as well as the Chief of Staff for the agency. Before being named to the position of Office Director of Mitigation and the State of Mississippi Hazard Mitigation Officer in February 2012, Henderson worked in the Mitigation Grants Bureau as Bureau Director of Mitigation Grants. In her 21-year tenure at MEMA, Ms. Henderson has worked on more than 30 declared disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, the largest disaster in Mississippi.
She is currently an Adjunct Professor at Tougaloo College working in the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence-Education Project Division, Sociology, and Social Work Department.
Ms. Henderson, a native of Bolton, MS, and a Hinds AHS and Hinds Community College alumni, holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Business Management from Belhaven University. She is a Certified Floodplain Manager and is pursuing a degree in the Paralegal field. She is a graduate of the National Emergency Management Basic Academy and has completed the Federal, Pass-through, and Recipient Tracks Grants Management Certificate Program.
Jana has served as the Co-chair of the Flood Mitigation Committee and was elected Secretary of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) by her peers. She is currently serving as Treasurer of the Association. She also serves on the Board of the Association of Floodplain Managers of Mississippi. Her passion is assisting individuals when faced with the worst time of their lives. Ms. Henderson provided testimony before the Senate, Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee regarding resiliency and affordability with mitigation and flood insurance programs, especially in states with large rural populations. There is growing recognition of Mitigation and Flood Risk, and her focus is to continue educating citizens to become more resilient.
Jana is a member of the Anderson United Methodist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.
