Tony Jeff on Entrepreneurship

The Mississippi Technology Alliance recently held its third annual Innovators Hall of Fame Awards Gala and eleventh annual Conference on High Technology. At the Gala, Dr. Robert C. Khayat, Chancellor Emeritus of The University of Mississippi was awarded the 2010 Legends Award and Dr. John Bower, Will Primos, and Dr. Bill Rayburn were inducted to the Hall of Fame. In addition, Hybrid Plastics, Mad Genius, and SkyHawke Technologies were recognized as emerging, high-growth ventures to watch. At the Conference, Jim Barksdale shared about his new venture Spreadnetworks and Bill Rancic, the winner of the first season of NBC’s “The Apprentice” shared his about his journey as an entrepreneur and his success on “The Apprentice.” These events attracted people from around the state who share an interest in technology, innovation, and moving Mississippi forward.

I recently visited with Tony Jeff, the President and CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance to get his thoughts on leadership and developing a successful business. Tony is a native of Clinton, Mississippi and graduated with Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University. He also received a MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and Masters of Engineering from the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. Tony’s career includes leadership positions with Florida Power & Light, General Motors, and Delphi Automotive Systems. In 2002, he returned to Mississippi and joined the MTA as Director of the Mississippi Alternative Energy Enterprise and the Director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. He later served as MTA Vice President and C.O.O before being named as President and CEO last year.