Vice President, External Affairs and Customer Growth

Gifford Ormes serves as Mississippi Power’s vice president of External Affairs and Customer Growth, joining the company’s Management Council in February 2024. He is responsible for oversight of Governmental and Community Affairs, Customer Solutions and Growth, Economic Development, and Public Relations.

Ormes has established important win-win relationships with local, state, and federal elected officials as well as the company’s major customers during his 33-year career at Mississippi Power. Prior to becoming vice president, he served as Marketing and Sales Director since 2020 where he set a new strategy and vision to successfully reach aggressive growth goals and guided the expansion of the Lighting Services team.

The Ocean Springs, Miss., native has spent much of his time in External Affairs and is one of the company’s longest-serving lobbyists. He held several leadership positions in the department such as Legislative Affairs Manager and then Government and Community Affairs Manager, so he is highly respected across the state and throughout the capitol.

Ormes joined the company in 1991 as a student co-op in Distribution Engineering Operations, then as an engineer from 1995-2000. He also worked two years as an Economic Development representative, four years as assistant to the vice president of External Affairs and Corporate Services, and four years as Biloxi Area Operations Manager.

Ormes graduated from Mississippi State with an electrical engineering degree and from the University of Southern Mississippi with an MBA.

A proven business and community leader, he previously served as president of the Utility State Government Organization and the Biloxi Chamber of Commerce, and he was a charter board member of the Coast Young Professionals. Ormes is a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast and the Gulf Coast Business Council’s Masters Program. He was selected among the Top 10 Business Leaders Under 40 by the Sun Herald and the Journal of South Mississippi Business. He is a member of Trinity Methodist Church where he serves on the Lay Leadership Committee.