Executive Team

Joel Waters - jwaters@bbbsms.org
Executive Director

Joel Waters serves as the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi.  He attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a baseball scholarship where he earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing.  Mr. Waters served eight years in management for Vickers Aerospace. He then worked for AG Edwards and Sons as their Vice President of Investments for eleven years before pursuing his love of working with children full time.  In 2003 he was instrumental in developing the Champions for Children after school mentoring and scholarship program with former Attorney General Mike Moore.  Champions for Children works in collaboration with Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs throughout the state of Mississippi.  Mr. Waters is actively involved in the community as a member and Sunday school teacher at Christ Methodist Church, Board Member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, volunteer with the North Jackson Ball Association and former Board Member of the Jackson YMCA.  With his business background and previous youth work Mr. Waters is uniquely poised to lead Big Brothers Big Sisters into the future. 
Mr. Waters is married to Susan Steel and they have three children: Sam, Swayze and Shelby.  

T.J. McSparrin - tjmcsparrin@bbbsms.org
Director of Development

T.J. McSparrin began her non-profit career with the Foundation for Public Broadcasting 1986 where she was instrumental in developing and implementing the Fund for Excellence which is still being utilized today.  In 1991, she joined the staff at the American Cancer Society as the Area V Executive Director raising money and implementing programs in a 9 county region.  She became the Metro Regional Director for the American Heart Association in 1992 raising 1/3 of the Mississippi Affiliate goal for the next 3 years.  In 1995 she was promoted to the Field Operations Specialist position for the state where she worked with 10 regional directors in all aspects of fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and educational efforts.   T.J. served as President of the Arthritis Foundation, Mississippi Chapter for four years and President/CEO of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Mississippi since 2002 guiding the staff, volunteers and Board of Directors in accomplishing all annual and long-term goals.   In June 2006, T.J. joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi as the Director of Development. She has been married to her husband, Mike, since 1982. They have two daughters - Kellis and Cody.

Chris Burkett - cburkett@bbbsms.org
Director of Programs

Chris Burkett, a Collins Mississippi native, came to Jackson in 1980 to play football for Jackson State University.  There he was an outstanding receiver for the Tigers and currently holds the longest scoring touchdown (97 yards) in JSU history.  In 1985, Chris entered the NFL draft and was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the second round. Within two years he led the Bills team in receiving and became a member of the 1000 Yard Club.  Chris was later traded to the New York Jets where his talents continued to shine.  In 1991 he was voted by his teammates, Most Valuable Player.  Chris retired from the NFL and finished his football career with the New York Jets in 1994. His outstanding talent was honored when he was inducted into the Jackson State Univeristy Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. Chris holds a Bachelor's degree from Tougaloo College and is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.  He is a businessman with a heart for children.  In Feburary of 2004 Chris joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi team and has served as Director of Programs since 2007.  Chris is married to Sarah Burkett of Jackson and together they have three children, Brea, Courtney, and Chris II.