One of the most popular events sponsored by the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce is set for next Wednesday, April 22.
The 19th Annual Women’s Luncheon will feature guest speaker Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jenifer B. Branning.
The Luncheon is set for 12 noon in the Forest Baptist Church Family Life Center. Tickets are $25 and available at the Chamber office or can be order via Messenger on the Chamber’s Facebook page or by email at forestareachamber.net.
The Chamber office is no longer located in City hall. It is now in the Colbert Commons building at 301 South Main Street in front of the Scott County Courthouse.
According to her bio, Justice Branning, of Philadelphia, was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court on November 26, 2024, and took the oath of office on January 6, 2025.
Branning previously served for nine years as a Mississippi State Senator, representing Senate District 18 of Neshoba and parts of Leake and Winston counties. She was Chair of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee and Vice-Chair of the Government Structure Committee. She also served on the Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency; Appropriations; Business and Financial Institutions; Economic and Workforce Development; Forestry; and Judiciary A committees.
In previous years, she served as Chair of the Elections committee, Vice-Chair of the Forestry Committee, and as Chair of various Appropriations sub-committees. She also served on the Mississippi Prepaid College Tuition Board, the Mississippi Women’s Task Force and the Southern Legislative Conference Committee on Economic Development, Transportation and Cultural Affairs.
She received the Friend of Transportation Award from the Mississippi Department of Transportation in 2024 and the Friend of Agriculture Award from Farm Bureau in 2021. She was named the 2019 Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, and named the 2018 Legislator of the Year by the Mississippi Forestry Association.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from Mississippi State University and attended the MSU Master of Business Administration program before earning a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law. During law school, she served as a clerk for the Mississippi Secretary of State Division of Business Regulation and Enforcement in 2003-2004. She was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 2004. She had a private law practice in Philadelphia for 20 years, dealing with real estate transactions, business transactional work and estate planning.
She and her husband, Chancy Branning, have three sons.
“Reserve your seats now,” Chamber Executive Director Jessica Brown said, “We can’t wait to see you there!”
