Page 117 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2022

presented by South Mississippi Living magazine
CONNIE LADNER Harrison County Circuit Clerk
Post Office Box 998, Gulfport Post Office Box 235, Biloxi 228.865.1635
From an early age Connie Ladner was inspired to get involved with politics by her father, who retired from the Gulfport Fire Department.
“My dad knew everyone and loved being involved in politics and helping in campaigns,” she says. “He taught me the importance of participating in the election process, from registering to vote to being an informed voter. I attended many political rallies with my dad and watched debates. He told me that at age 3, I recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the Gulfport mayor’s office.”
A turning point came in Ladner’s life in February 2013 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “At that time, I was Chief Deputy in the Circuit Clerk’s Office, and I always knew I wanted to run
for Circuit Clerk, but after receiving that diagnosis, I knew it was something I wanted to do sooner rather than later,” she recalls. “After my surgeries, chemo and getting back on my feet, I qualified to run for Circuit Clerk and ran unopposed in 2015.”
This illness was especially poignant for Ladner because her mother died of breast cancer at age 37 when Ladner was 10 years old.
“I’m very proud of my service to Harrison County in the Circuit Clerk’s Office, where I will celebrate 40 years next year,” she says. “I enjoy being able to visit high schools along the Coast talking to students about voter registration, elections, absentee voting, and then providing students the opportunity to register to vote at school. I’m also proud of the relationships I’ve made in the Mississippi Circuit Clerks’ Association.”
She advises other women to believe in themselves and never give up. “We all make mistakes, but being able to learn from those mistakes is the key to growing and being successful.”
Ladner is a sports fan, and was a big Dallas Cowboys fan growing up, as well as a reader, especially the books by Nicholas Sparks.
She and her husband have been married 36 years and have a son, who Ladner says is her greatest success.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
September 2022 | 117