Five Mississippi State alumni have been selected along with 20 others to participate in the Mississippi Economic Council's 1999-2000 Leadership Mississippi Program.

The program's purpose is to identify emerging young leaders up to age 40 to help them develop leadership skills and make a positive impact on the future growth and development of their state and local communities.

Mississippi State graduates chosen this year are:

• Leigh M. Ainsworth (B.S. '89, M.S. '95), an industrial engineer for Delta and Pine Land Co. in Scott. She is a participant in Emerging Leaders, an advisory board member of Washington County's Multiple Sclerosis Society, a board member of the West Delta Chapter of the American Red Cross, and a past board member of Tri-State Delta Service Corps.
• Christopher D. Jones (B.S. '90, M.S. '96), a project manager with Neel-Schaffer Inc. in Jackson. He has served on the Infrastructure Committee of the Madison County Economic Development Authority and is a volunteer speaker for MES/ASCE. He is president-elect of the Jackson Chapter of the Mississippi Engineering Society and is a member of the National Society for Professional Engineers.
• David W. Martin (B.P.A. '83), a managing member of Keintz, Martin, Hill & Breazeale LLC in Jackson. He is president of the Central Mississippi Society of CPAs, president-elect of the Estate Planning Council of Mississippi, and a member of the board of governors of the Mississippi Society of CPAs.
• Janet W. Staples (B.S. '80), director of human resources with South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel. She was named Mississippi's Future Business Leaders of America Businessperson of the Year for 1998-99 and has served as a coach for the Jones County Youth Sports Conference. She is a teacher for Jones County Drug Education and is an adviser for FBLA.
• W. Melvin Wilson (M.B.A. '87), manager of industrial sales for Mississippi Power Co. in Gulfport. He is past president of the Moss Point/Pascagoula Exchange Club, past project coordinator for Meridian Mississippi Jaycees, and past secretary-treasurer of the Hattiesburg Home Builders Association. He is a two-time winner of Mississippi Power Co.'s Excellence in Sales award.