MS SR53

Katie Blount retiring as Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History effective June 30, 2026, after leading the agency since 2015 and working there since 1994

Blount is only the second woman to lead MDAH and its seventh director since 1902, with more than three decades of public service in Mississippi

Under her leadership, MDAH established the Two Mississippi Museums in 2017, which has attracted over 744,000 visitors from across the nation and internationally

Received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for State and Local History for her commitment to inclusive storytelling and reshaping programming and interpretation at the agency

Supported efforts to adopt a new state flag and strengthened relations with Tribal Partners through repatriation while advancing renovation projects at Native American sites, battlefields, and civil rights sites