JACKSON Miss.
Gov. Haley Barbour has appointment Gen. Leon Collins to the Workers Compensation Commission.
Collins will serve an unexpired term that ends Dec. 31, 2008.
“Gen. Collins has an extensive background in management experience, including an impressive military resume that demonstrates his leadership abilities,” Barbour said in a statement. “His business qualifications along with his service in a variety of community organizations will help him in his work on this important commission.”
The commission enforces the Mississippi Workers Compensation Law.
Collins, a Booneville native who now lives in Jackson, became the first black general in the Mississippi National Guard when he was promoted in 2005. He also spent a year in Iraq as commander of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, which was made up of nearly 3,500 Mississippians and other soldiers from across the country.
The 155th was the largest contingent of Mississippi Guard troops to deploy to a war zone since World War II. The soldiers spent most of 2005 in Iraq.
