Scott Waller has played a pivotal role in shaping Mississippi’s economic landscape as President and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC), a position he assumed in 2017. His leadership builds on a diverse professional background that began in journalism and evolved into economic advocacy. Growing up in Shubuta, Mississippi, Waller was exposed early to entrepreneurial spirit through his father, who balanced a career with the U.S. Postal Service and a side business in television repairs. His mother worked for a natural gas company, and Waller’s first job involved painting gas meters and fire hydrants alongside his nephew—formative experiences that instilled a strong work ethic.
Waller pursued a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Mississippi State University, with a focus on business and communication. Though initially considering architecture, he ultimately entered journalism, starting as a photographer before transitioning into reporting. He covered a wide range of topics, from sports to corporate board meetings, at newspapers in South Carolina and Mississippi. In 2002, he became Business Editor at The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper, where he reported on major events including the resignation of WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers and the subsequent fraud trial in New York. He also oversaw coverage of significant developments such as the opening of the Nissan plant in Canton and challenges at a meat processing facility in Oakland.
His journalistic career laid the foundation for his shift into economic policy. In 2006, Blake Wilson, then CEO of MEC, recruited Waller to serve as the organization’s lobbyist and communications director. Under Wilson’s mentorship for a decade, Waller helped pass key tourism incentive legislation aligned with Governor Haley Barbour’s priorities and advanced initiatives in infrastructure, transportation, and economic development. Since becoming CEO, Waller has championed programs like “Blueprint Mississippi” and workforce development efforts. He highlights the state flag redesign as one of the most impactful legislative achievements supported by MEC and business leaders across Mississippi.
Looking ahead, Waller emphasizes collaboration through the newly formed Mississippi Business Alliance, a consolidation of MEC, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, and BIPEC. While younger leaders take on operational roles, Waller plans to focus on research, workforce strategies, and policy. Outside of work, he remains deeply engaged in community life, including co-founding a church in Gluckstadt, where he now serves on the board. Married to retired teacher Kim Waller for 33 years, he enjoys attending Mississippi State football games, traveling within the state, reading business literature, and listening to sports podcasts.
Waller remains optimistic about Mississippi’s trajectory, crediting his career success to the relationships and experiences gained across journalism and economic development. He continues to advocate for a thriving business environment, confident in the state’s future.
— news from Mississippi Business Journal
— News Original —
CEO of MS Economic Council – Mississippi Business Journal
Overseeing the state’s chamber of commerce with vision, enthusiasm n nScott Waller has not only spent much of his career covering Mississippi business in the newspaper industry, he’s also helped oversee some of Mississippi’s greatest economic triumphs as the current President and CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) known as the state’s “chamber of commerce,” Waller took over the reins in 2017. n nBorn and raised in Shubuta, Mississippi, as the youngest of five siblings, Waller’s father, Nelson, worked with the U.S. Postal Service while also owning a television repair business on the side, “so I got to see entrepreneurship up close while growing up,” said Waller. His mother, Dorothy, worked for a natural gas company. n n“My own first job was painting natural gas meters,” recalled Waller. “I painted every meter in Shubuta and nearby Quitman with my nephew, who worked with me, and then we were hired to paint fire hydrants. I did it for two summers and it was actually a good job, even though it was hot and I was always covered in paint!” n nWaller said his childhood and youth was almost “idyllic” and he credits that to the close knit fabric of his family. “My mother always made sure we would get together for family and holiday events, even when my brothers and sisters and I were all grown,” he said. “And, without question, my wife Kim and I maintain that kind of closeness with our own son, Shane—our only child—who works as a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C. for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and has been living there for nine years.” n nAfter graduating from Quitman High School and eventually obtaining his B.S. degree from Mississippi State University in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in business and communication in between various work stints, Waller considered architecture as a career before embarking on what would become a stellar 20-plus year storied career in journalism. n n“I started as a photographer and then went on to cover everything from sporting events to board meetings as a young reporter,” said Waller, who worked for newspapers in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Columbus, Mississippi (The Commercial Dispatch), among others, before he was named Business Editor of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson in April, 2002, a position he kept for four years. Waller had started working for the state’s largest newspaper in 1990, working his way up in a number of prominent positions, before becoming Business Editor where he covered some groundbreaking events. n n“I actually began writing stories due to a photography job I was sent out to cover early in my career,” said Waller. “It was a sporting event and my editor told me just to take a few notes for her that she could then use for a story. Well, I ended up writing the whole piece myself, turned it in, and she thought it was good. I look back at my journalism career, including owning my own paper for a year, and I’m proud of it. I wouldn’t be where I am today at MEC without those experiences and connections I made.” n nAs far as those groundbreaking Clarion-Ledger stories, Waller said the day after he was named Business Editor, former LDDS/Worldcom CEO Bernie Ebbers resigned, setting off national shockwaves. “I covered that piece and the subsequent fraud trial that took place in New York and I think that was the most momentous story I ever covered,” he said. n nWaller also named two other major stories he covered and oversaw during his tenure as the Clarion-Ledger’s Business Editor: the opening of the Nissan plant in Canton and the meat plant debacle in Oakland. “To say we were covering some defining, interesting times and events back then is almost an understatement,” he said. “I’m proud of the work I and my team did at the Clarion-Ledger.” n nBlake Wilson, Waller’s predecessor as CEO of MEC, was someone he had gotten to know through his work at the paper. One fortuitous day, Waller got a call to go to lunch from Wilson. “I didn’t think anything about it,” recalled Waller. “But it was over that lunch that Blake offered me a job as MEC’s lobbyist and to run their communications shop. That was in 2006, and he wanted me to come to work for him, which I did. I was under Blake’s tutelage for 10 years and we remain close to this day.” n nRight off the bat, Waller—in his role as a lobbyist for MEC—got major tourism incentive legislation passed, which was a substantial gain for the state and goal of then-Governor, Haley Barbor. From there, Waller went on to oversee and focus on several major advocacy plans and incentives to aid the state in infrastructure and tranportation improvement, economic growth and many other broad-reaching plans. n nSince taking over as President and CEO of MEC from Wilson in 2017, Waller said he believes the work he and his team has done has provided advantages to state businesses through such programs as “Blueprint Mississippi” and its recent work in workforce development. “There’s not much we haven’t worked in, and on, to improve this state’s business environment,” said Waller. “That said, without question I think the most important piece of legislation we helped get passed, along with many forward-thinking business leaders across the state, was the changing of the state flag.” n nGoing forward, Waller said the recent consolidation of MEC with the Mississippi Manufacturer’s Association (MMA) and BIPEC—with fellow CEOs John McKay and Derek Easley, respectively—to form the Mississippi Business Alliance is another very important step. “At this point in my career, the younger leaders are the ones who will step up and take charge while I’ll be focusing more on research and workforce development and policy issues,” he said. n nThis year marks the 33rd year of marriage to Kim, a retired school teacher, and Waller said that the couple loves going to what he calls his “favorite place in the world” which is Duty-Noble Field in Starkville. “Especially when the Bulldogs are playing well!” he said. “Kim and I also love to travel together throughout the state, and when I relax I enjoy reading business books and listening to podcasts. I’m a sports fanatic so I listen to a lot of those.” n nTwo years ago, the couple was part of a group that formed a church in Gluckstadt, said Waller. “Kim and I both served on the steering committee that was meeting almost daily at times, and I am now on the church’s board,” he said. “There were a lot of people who put a great deal of effort into keeping a core group of a former church where we belonged. We celebrated our second anniversary in September and already have over 200 members.” n nWaller said he is bullish on Mississippi and is blessed to have been a part of what he believes is a positive future for the state. n n“I’ve had a wonderful career,” he said. “And it’s far from over. I’m still excited about what’s ahead for me—and what’s ahead for Mississippi.”