General Joe Spraggins (ret.)

Brigadier General Benjamin J. Spraggins was appointed Executive Director for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources in December 2017. As executive director, he leads the agency’s offices: Coastal Resources Management, Coastal Restoration and Resiliency, Marine Fisheries, Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Information Technology, Tidelands and Marine Patrol, as well as Finance, Human Resources and Public Affairs.

In addition to his duties as Executive Director, he serves on the Executive Committee on the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council, Executive Committee of the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Mississippi Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act Committee, Executive Committee for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, Member of the Governor’s Gulf Coast Advisory Committee, Board Member for the Mississippi Wildlife Foundation and a Board Member for the Pine Burr Area Boy Scouts.
Gen. Spraggins served as Chief Operations Officer for MDMR from October 2013 to December 2017. He also is a Commissioner on the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Authority.

He was hired as the Harrison County Emergency Management Director in August 2005. In that role he worked with local, state and federal governments to coordinate the recovery and reconstruction of the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. He also worked on recovery after the BP Oil Spill. Recovery of Haiti after earthquake and recovery of Nashville, TN after flood.

Gen. Spraggins served in the military for 34 years. He was the Commander of Combat Readiness Training Center Gulfport, Commander of 186th Air Refueling Wing, Meridian, MS and Chief of Staff Tennessee Air National Guard.

Gen. Spraggins was an aviator in the Air Force with over 3400 hours flight time mainly in the RF-4C and F-D fighter aircraft.
His last assignment was the Battle Commander for the Continental United States Region (CONR), Southeast Air Defense Sector under North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Controlling the Air Sovereignty of the United States.

Gen. Spraggins is married to Judy Phillips Spraggins. They attend First Baptist Church in Gulfport, where he serves as a Deacon for First Baptist Church.

He has one son Craig, married to Julie Dreher Spraggins. He has two grandsons, Tate and Hayden and one granddaughter Olivia.