Catherine M. Gautier joined Hands On Gulf Coast, d.b.a. Hands On Mississippi, as Executive Director in September 2009. A native of Paducah, KY, she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University. Mrs. Gautier has overseen enhancements and expansion of the organization and has aided collaborative efforts of NGO and faith-based entities along the Coast and throughout Mississippi.

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Ellen Ratner is the White House Correspondent and Bureau Chief for The Talk Radio News Service, covering the White House and providing exclusive reports to talk radio stations from the Congress and government agencies. In addition, she is a credentialed reporter at the United Nations in New York where Talk Radio News Service has a bureau. Ms. Ratner is a news analyst on The Fox News Channel where she is currently seen on “The Strategy Room” and is heard on over 400 radio stations across the United States. She was the only talk show host granted two interviews with President Bill Clinton.

Ms. Ratner is the political editor and Washington bureau chief for Talkers Magazine, the “bible” of the talk media industry. In her capacity as political editor of Talkers Magazine, she helped to develop the concept of “radio rows” with the first large one held at the White House in 1993. In addition, she has trained many groups in use of radio, television and Internet media. Her latest book, Ready, Set, Talk! A Guide to Getting Your Message Heard by Millions on Talk Radio, Talk Television, and Talk Internet, was published in July 2006.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Ms. Ratner graduated from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. She earned a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University.

From 1971 to 1986, Ms. Ratner worked in the mental health field. Ratner was the Director of the Psychiatric Day Treatment Program at South Shore Mental Center in Quincy, Massachusetts. In 1984, Ms. Ratner joined the Addiction Recovery Corporation (ARC) as a Consultant on Program Development. From 1986 to 1990, Ms. Ratner served as Vice-President of Research, Development, and Service at the ARC and as Director of its Research Foundation. In addition she also developed a customer service program for nine treatment centers owned by Addiction Recovery Corporation. She served as principal investigator for a research study, determining treatment outcome factors in alcoholism and chemical dependency treatment. Working with Professor Regina Herzlinger, Ms. Ratner wrote a case study of Addiction Recovery Corporation for students at Harvard Business School.

Ms. Ratner is also the author of The Other Side of the Family: A Book for Recovery from Abuse, Incest and Neglect published by Health Communications in 1990. In February 1997, Ms. Ratner published “101 Ways to Get Your Progressive Ideas on Talk Radio,” published by National Press Books and Talkers Magazine. She was executive producer of “Voices from Mississippi” which won the New York Festival’s radio award for the talk radio interview/special category in 2006.

With Cholene Espinoza, Ms. Ratner has been developing a post-Katrina community center and public swimming pool in Pass Christian-DeLisle, Mississippi. The Marsha Barbour Center pool is the first part of the project and will open in 2009. It is the first public swimming pool in a thirty mile radius built since segregation ended. Ms. Ratner was a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow from 1998-2001. From the talk media industry she has received the Judy Jarvis Award as Woman of the Year and was recently honored with the Henry Gruenwald Public Service Award from Lighthouse International for her community service work. Ms. Ratner also serves as the chair of the marketing committee for Lighthouse International in New York City. She was recently elected to the United States Board of Reporters without Borders. In the past she has served on the Board of Trustees of Goddard College.

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Clarence W. Chapman, President of the Chartre Companies, Ltd., Oxford, MS, a fully integrated real estate operating company with consulting, development, operations, construction, and management expertise in the mid-south, is a 1965 graduate of Meridian (MS) High School, a 1969 graduate of Belhaven College (Jackson, MS) (BS in Accounting) and is a Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife Jo Lynn (Milling) (Jackson, MS) of 41 years have 2 sons, Clarence Jr. (Duke) and John Pigford, and 4 grand children.

He practiced public accounting from 1968 until his retirement in 1986 from Chapman and Company, CPAs, and a regional accounting firm he founded in 1973, which at the time of his retirement had offices in Jackson and Meridian, MS and Baton Rouge, LA. Since 1986 he has devoted his efforts to real estate development and consulting in the mid-south with an emphasis on affordable housing development. He has been involved in the development of commercial real estate and over 5,000 affordable housing units in multi-family and single family housing communities in the mid-south. He is a frequent speaker on housing development and related financing and tax topics.

He is currently President and Board Chairman of the Chartre Companies, Ltd., Oxford, MS, co-founder, President and Board Chairman of Mid-South Housing Foundation, a member of Regions Bank North Mississippi Community Advisory Board, a member of Board of Marsha Barbour Resource Center,  a member of the American Institute of CPAs, former Chairman of the Mississippi Society of CPA’s Practice Review Committee, a member of the Home Builders Association of Mississippi, a member of National Association of Home Builders, and a former member of Belhaven College Board of Trustees (served as Secretary of the Board), the Mississippi Home Corporation Developer Advisory Council, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security Rate Advisory Board, Stearns Bank (St. Cloud, MN) New Markets Credit Board, the Fannie Mae/Mississippi Partnership Office Advisory Council, the Fannie Mae Mid-South Advisory Council and the Fannie Mae Southeastern Regional Housing and Community Development Advisory Council.

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Joe Nosef grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he graduated from Lee Academy in 1987.  He attended Ole Miss earning both undergraduate and masters degrees in accounting.  He graduated from Ole Miss law school and also obtained an LL.M. degree in taxation from the University of Florida at Gainesville.

Joe has practiced law in the Jackson area for over fifteen years.  During this time, he has served on boards of various charitable organizations in the metro area, including The Salvation Army, the Metro Jackson YMCA, Young Business Leaders of Jackson (inter-denominational businessmen’s Christian ministry), SafeCity Initiative, Ballet Mississippi and the Hinds County Economic Development District Board of Trustees.  In addition, Joe graduated from the Mississippi Economic Council’s Leadership Mississippi program in 1999 and was recognized in 2001 by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” businessmen in Mississippi.  Joe is also a member of the Commission for a New Mississippi, having been appointed in early 2009 by Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant.

Upon his inauguration in January of 2004, Governor Haley Barbour appointed Joe to serve as Chief Counsel.  He served in that position until November 2006, when the Governor named him Campaign Manager for his re-election campaign.  After Governor Barbour’s successful reelection, Joe served as Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant during 2008.  He now practices law full-time at the Watkins & Eager law firm in Jackson. 

On a personal note, Joe is married to the former Amy Wallace of Laurel.  They have two girls – Rebecca (12) and Lindsey (10), both of whom attend Jackson Academy.  Joe and his family attend St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson.