About Us The Mississippi First team is a group of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to promote the mission of Mississippi First.
Our Focus Areas At Mississippi First, we lead change by advancing ideas through the policy continuum. We are a leading voice for high-quality early education, high-quality public charter schools, access to highly effective teachers and leaders, and creating a future for public schools.
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Our Work Mississippi First is a policy organization. We work closely with elected officials to pass legislation that will increase educational excellence for kids.
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News & Updates Stay informed with the latest updates, stories, and perspectives on our work to advance educational excellence in Mississippi.
Take Action Check out the various ways to get involved below and help us increase access to high-quality public education in Mississippi.
Linda Caldwell Charter Schools Program (CSP) Coordinator

Linda was born in Flora, MS and raised in Jackson, MS.  She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Jackson State University, as well as a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Texas Southern University.  She has over ten (10) years’ experience with administering and managing federal grants which involved assisting organizations/non-profits plan and implement grant programs. In addition, she’s written several grants for organizations and served as a grant/peer reviewer for an array of federal grants.  Linda has a passion for volunteering in her community and spending time with her favorite little person (granddaughter), Kaitlyn.  As the CSP Coordinator, she assists with managing the Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant, and is responsible for implementing a subgrant competition, providing training and technical assistance (TA), managing subgrant drawdown requests, supporting monitoring, and maintaining Mississippi First’s CSP webpage.