Stennis Center Staff

Dr. Brian Pugh is the executive director of the Stennis Center for Public Service. He previously served as deputy executive director and deputy state fiscal officer for the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, as fiscal policy advisor and director of finance for the Office of the Governor, and as a legislative budget analyst for the Legislative Budget Office. He worked for the Stennis Center as a student at Mississippi State University (MSU) before his career in state government.

He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy and public administration from MSU and a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from Jackson State University, where he also taught for the College of Public Service. Dr. Pugh currently serves on the faculty for the Shackouls Honors College at MSU.

With an interest in public finance and budgeting, Dr. Pugh received a Certificate in Public Financial Management from the Center for State and Local Finance at Georgia State University. He is also a member of the Association for Budgeting & Financial Management and the American Society for Public Administration. In 2021, he was unanimously elected as a life member of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Dr. Pugh is the author of the book, “Chaos and Compromise: The Evolution of the Mississippi Budgeting Process,” published by the University Press of Mississippi in 2020. His book titled, “Weak Governor Still? Legislation, Litigation, and the Control of Budgetary Power,” is in progress.