Stacey Pickering

Stacey Eugene Pickering (born July 12, 1968) is the former State Auditor of Mississippi, a position that he filled from 2008 until his resignation in July 2018. His resignation came after accepting the position as the head of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board.

Background
Pickering is a seventh-generation Mississippian, reared in the Hebron community of Jones County on the family dairy farm. Pickering graduated from West Jones High School as a National 4-H scholarship winner and continued his education at Jones County Junior College. He furthered his educational career by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and a master's degree in marriage and family counseling in 1993 from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Before serving in the State Senate, Pickering worked in the private sector as the director of governmental affairs and inside sales manager for Howard Technology Solutions, a division of Howard Industries in Laurel, Mississippi.

Pickering serves as a chaplain in the Mississippi Air National Guard of the 186th Air Refueling Wing.

State Senate
Pickering represented District 42, based in Jones County, in the Mississippi State Senate, to which he was elected in 2003, after incumbent state senator, Vincent Scoper, decided to retire. Pickering served as chairman of two committees: (1) Local and Private (2) Enrolled Bills. He was named by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to the national policy task forces on transportation and homeland security.

He served as co-chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Sportsman's Caucus that pushed successfully for passage of pro-hunting legislation.

State Auditor


Pickering was elected state auditor in 2007, when he defeated the Democrat Mike Sumrall, 55 to 45 percent, in the general election. In 2011, Pickering received only third-party opposition as he defeated Reform Party nominee, Ashley Norwood 76 to 24 percent.

In June 2012, Pickering was honored with the National State Auditor's Association's "National Excellence in Accountability Award" for his work on accountability and oversight regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2009, the United States Department of Defense honored him with a "Patriot Award" from its Mississippi Committee on Employer's Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) in recognition of his extraordinary support of its employees who serve in the Mississippi National Guard and Reserve. Pickering received this same award again in May, 2013.

In 2014, Pickering received the David M. Walker Excellence in Government Performance and Accountability Award, a national award presented once every two years to three auditors from the public sector accountability community who represent federal, state, and local governments.

Pickering also served on the Domestic Working Group for the office of the Comptroller General of the United States and the Financial Management and Intergovernmental Affairs and Performance Audit Committees for the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers.

2012 Presidential Campaign
Pickering served as the chairman of Mitt Romney's Mississippi campaign during the 2012 presidential campaign.

Personal
Pickering and his wife, Whitney, reside in Laurel, Mississippi, with their four children. The Pickerings have served as past presidents of their children's Parent Teacher Organization and volunteer for the Laurel Rogers Museum of Art. Pickering is a Mason, volunteer firefighter, member of the National Rifle Association and Sigma Nu fraternity. He serves on the board of the Pine Burr Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

He is a cousin of former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering of Mississippi's 4th congressional district, and a nephew of Charles W. Pickering, a former state senator, Republican party state chairman, and a former judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi.