Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce
Commissioner
Website: https://www.mdac.ms.gov/ Social Media:
About:
J. Andrew (“Andy”) Gipson serves as the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. He was appointed by Governor Phil Bryant as the eighth Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce in March 2018. Commissioner Gipson served as a State Representative in the Mississippi Legislature from 2008 to 2018, representing the citizens of Simpson and Rankin counties in District 77. During his legislative service, Commissioner Gipson acted as the chairman of the House Judiciary B Committee for seven years and chairman of the Ethics Committee for three years, as well as served as a member on the House Agriculture, Appropriations, Ways and Means, County Affairs, Insurance, Municipalities, and Transportation committees. Commissioner Gipson is the President of the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture, which protects and promotes regional agriculture. In 2014, Commissioner Gipson was named Pro-Life Legislator of the Year by Pro-Life Mississippi. The National Rifle Association bestowed its Defender of Freedom Award on Gipson in 2013. In 2012 and 2018, Commissioner Gipson was selected as the Mississippi Legislative Conservative Coalition’s Conservative Legislator of the Year. Mothers Against Drunk Driving named him Legislator of the Year in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Commissioner Gipson received a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi College where he double-majored in Christian Studies and Political Science. He received his law degree from Mississippi College School of Law, summa cum laude, and he is a practicing business attorney. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and pastors Gum Springs Baptist Church in Braxton, Mississippi. Commissioner Gipson and his wife, Leslie, reside on their small farm near Braxton where they enjoy gardening, reading, and raising their family. The Gipsons have two sons, Joseph and Benjamin, and two daughters, Abigail and Sarah.
