Dick Molpus

Dick Molpus is the founder and retired chairman of The Molpus Woodlands Group, a leading timberland investment management company overseeing more than 1.7 million acres nationwide. A former three-term Mississippi secretary of state, Molpus is also widely recognized for his lifelong advocacy for public education and civic engagement. In 2026, Molpus and Dan Davis came together to create Neshoba Now!, an organization focused on improving education, access to the arts, and community initiatives in Neshoba County, Mississippi.

Dick Molpus is a lifelong advocate for this country’s public schools. He founded Parents for Public Schools, which now has twelve chapters in nine states. He was co-chairman in 2006 of the highly successful Jackson public school bond campaign that raised $150 million for renovations and new schools in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2010, he was a co-founder of the public school advocacy group, The Parents Campaign, which successfully has passed public school reforms in Mississippi.

He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Directors of the New York City-based Andrew Goodman Foundation, which focuses on voting rights and justice issues. Molpus created his own personal foundation, The Dick Molpus Foundation, which is focused on systemic transformative improvements in public schools in Mississippi and across the nation.