Scott Waller took the reins of MEC, the state’s largest broad-based business organization, becoming CEO on May 1, 2017 and has focused on taking the organization to a new level.

Under Waller’s leadership, MEC plays a pivotal role in providing background and support for major legislative initiatives. Most recently, MEC played a vital role in changing Mississippi’s state flag.

Since joining MEC in 2006, he has worked to build coalitions and strengthen alliances between MEC members, legislators and other organizations to make the Chamber a policy leader on key issues.

Over the years, MEC has been instrumental in providing important input for legislative initiatives boosting transportation infrastructure, tourism, workforce development, education, economic development, legal climate, and the improvement of tax policy. In 2014, the prestigious State Tax Notes publication recognized Waller as one of its persons of the year for his work with the Mississippi legislature on the Taxpayer Fairness Act.

Prior to joining MEC, he spent over 20 years as a newspaper journalist, including four years as Business Editor of The Clarion-Ledger. A Mississippi State graduate, he is the former owner/editor of the Madison County Journal and was co-owner of a residential construction company.

Waller serves on the State Workforce Investment Board. Nationally, he serves as Chair of the Board of the Council of State Chambers’ Center for State Chamber Action and is on the Council’s board of directors. He currently serves on the U.S. Chamber’s The Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, the Institute of Organizational Management’s National Board of Trustees, and the National Transportation Investment Advocacy Council.

Waller has continued his dedication to scouting since his days as an Eagle Scout and serves on the executive board of the Andrew Jackson Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He is a member of the Jackson Rotary Club and has served on the board of directors of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association’s Central Mississippi Chapter.

In 2019, the Mississippi Business Journal awarded him one of Mississippi’s top CEOs, the same year he was also named one of Mississippi’s 50 Most Influential leaders by Y’all Politics.

He and his wife Kim live in Madison and are active at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church. Their son, Shane, and daughter-in-law, Whitney, are both graduates of Mississippi State University and live in Washington, D.C.