Aubrey B. Patterson, chairman and chief executive officer of BancorpSouth, Inc., has been named to the Mississippi Power Company Board of Directors.

“We are honored to have someone of Aubrey’s stature join our board,” said Anthony Topazi, president and CEO of Mississippi Power. “He’s a proven leader and businessman whose wealth of experience and knowledge will benefit our company and customers.”

A Tupelo resident, Patterson became president and chief operating officer of BancorpSouth in 1983 and was named chairman and chief executive officer in 1991. A statewide leader in business and education, he currently serves as chairman of Mississippi’s Partnership for Economic Development and as chairman of the Education Committee of Momentum Mississippi, working in concert with the Mississippi Development Authority.

Patterson has served as chairman of the Mississippi Economic Council, Mississippi’s largest business organization; chairman of the American Bankers Association; and president of the Mississippi Bankers Association. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Furniture Brands International, Inc., and an appointed member of the Mississippi Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning, the governing board for Mississippi’s eight state universities.

Patterson, an Ole Miss graduate, also holds a master’s degree from Michigan State University and completed the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. During his service in the U.S. Air Force, he received the National Defense Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Department of Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company, serves more than 195,000 customers in 23 southeastern Mississippi counties.