The Golden Triangle Development Link
The Golden Triangle Development Link's network
25 people12 organisationsi25 people and 12 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (25). Violet dotted lines (17) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
25 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Tenure and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed tenure is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 26 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bain Nickels Chair | V-Chair Ex. Committee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Jerry Toney Chair | Chair Ex. Committee | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Albert Jethrow | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Andy Nichols | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Bart Wise | Director | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Bill West | Executive Committee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Bill Whittle | Director | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Blake Hill | Executive Committee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Brad Love | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Brian Clark | Executive Committee | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Bruff Sander | Executive Committee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Carey Edwards | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Chad Thomas | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Hayes Rector | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| John Jefferson | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| John Rush | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Julie Brown | Director | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Justin Casano | Director | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Ladonna Helveston | Executive Committee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Mary Ann Briggs | Executive Committee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Michelle Amos | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Michelle Hardy Whittle | Director | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Robert Clark | Executive Committee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Russel Young | Director | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| William Corder | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
7 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Brenda Lathan | Officer | since 2018 |
| Joe MAX Higgins | Executive Director | since 2018 |
| Ladonna Helveston | Treasurer | since 2020 |
| Leah Upton | Officer | 2024 |
| Macaulay A Whitaker | Officer | since 2018 |
| Meryl Fisackerly | Officer | since 2021 |
| Nealie Young | Employee | since 2023 |
Pay and hours
year to 30 September 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Max Higgins | Prior Executive Director | 50 | $430k | $76k | |
| Meryl Fisackerly | Executive Director | 40 | $189k | $20k | |
| Nealie Young | Employee | 40 | $144k | $20k | |
| Leah Upton | Officer | 40 | $119k | $15k | |
| Blake Hill | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Bruff Sanders | V-Chair Ex. Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Amy Berry | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Robert Clark | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Billy Milican | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Albert Jethrow | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| John Jefferson | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Jerry Toney | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Bain Nickels | Chair Ex. Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Dan Keown | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Justin Casano | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Brian Clark | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Julie Brown | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Carey Edwards | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Andy Nichols | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Bill Whittle | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Julie Jordan | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Tim Weston | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Bart Wise | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Hayes Rector | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Carolyn Poston | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Chad Thomas | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Bill West | Executive Committee | 0 | $0 | ||
| Brad Love | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| William Corder | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Joe Beall | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Josh McKay | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Ken Smith | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Mark Castleberry | Director | 0 | $0 | ||
| Tyrone Ellis | Director | 0 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- The Golden Triangle Development Link
- EIN
- 640387161
- Address
- Po Box 1328, Columbus, MS, 39703-1328
- State
- Mississippi
- Mission
- The golden triangle development link is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together for the purpose of promoting the economic well being of the business and industrial community of columbus-lowndes county, west point-clay county, and starkville-oktibbeha county, ms. (as filed on the Form 990)
- IRS classification
- 501(c)06 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Size band
- 7 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1959
- Principal officer
- Leah Upton (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 April 1976
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 7, latest 2024
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsBain Nickels
≥8years on the filingsBill West
≥8years on the filingsBruff Sander
≥8years on the filingsCarey Edwards
Latest return
year to 30 September 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 September 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $8m
- Total liabilities
- $2.7m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $5.3m
- Contributions and grants received
- $2.5m
- Program service revenue
- $425k
- Employees
- 9
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $2.9m | $2.2m | $658k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.