OUR TEAM

Lesley Davis | Vice-Chair

New MSGOP Vice-Chair Lesley Andress Davis is the founder and president of Mississippi Advocacy Group, LLC, a conservative public policy and governmental affairs firm that champions the renewal and strengthening of our cultural institutions. She has a 25-year record of advancing religious liberty, pro-life, and pro-woman/child/family policies in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Mississippi. Previously, she served as the interim CEO and president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

Lesley’s service and influence in the legislative and policy realm have earned her recognition as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Mississippians. She was named a 2023 Rankin County Republican Woman Leader of the year, the recipient of various awards from the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women, as well as the 2022 sole national Delta Gamma Shield Award for leadership.

Lesley received her Juris Doctorate from The University of Baltimore School of Law and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Arlin M. Adams, United States Office of Independent Counsel in Washington D.C. Following her clerkship, she was hired as an associate prosecuting attorney under Judge Adams and continued her career as a partner in a Baltimore law firm, focusing on toxic tort and medical malpractice defense litigation.

She earned her BA in political science from Mississippi State University, where she was a starting guard for the MSU Women’s Basketball team. Lesley was inducted into MSU’s Hall of Fame, and was elected MSU’s Homecoming Queen. Additionally, she served as Student Association Attorney General, President of College Republicans, and MSU Campaign director for U.S. Senator Trent Lott’s first senatorial campaign.

A lifelong Republican, Lesley has served the Party behind the scenes for most of her life, from leading get-out-the-vote campaigns to major fundraising. She has served on numerous ministry, legal, policy, and university boards. Her research and writing have been published across the state and in the Wall Street Journal.

Originally from Philadelphia and Columbus, Mississippi, Lesley married her college sweetheart, John Davis, and they have three grown sons.

Rance Bilbo | Executive Director

Before joining the MSGOP, new Executive Director Rance Bilbo previously worked in government relations for four years at the Clearwater Group in Jackson, Mississippi. Bilbo has strong ties to Republican legislators, state-wide officials, mayors, alderman, and board of supervisors throughout Mississippi. Bilbo has extensive experience in fundraising, election consulting, grassroots campaigns, and strategic communications. Prior to entering the political world, Bilbo ran his own social media company with a network of over 1.1 million followers. Bilbo graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in Political Science and Pre-Law, where he was named to the President and Deans’ List. Bilbo currently resides in Brandon, Mississippi and serves on the Rankin County Republican Executive Committee and is a member of Crossgates Baptist Church.

Cassie Smith | Operations Director

Cassie is an honor graduate from the University of Mississippi. She brings over 20 years of experience, from working with large companies, Viking Range & Conde Nast to having owned her own development business & event company. Her expertise spans from creating, managing & fundraising for over 100 events to developing operational systems for businesses to achieve foundational stability.

Cassie has served as the Treasurer for FPDS Crusader Club Board, Secretary for Jackson Prep PAT, Health Chair for the Junior League of Jackson, and member of the Jackson Prep Alumni Council.

Cassie is a native of Jackson, MS and is married to Carter Smith. They have four children, Havens, Caroline, Tate, and Harrison and live in Jackson. She is a member of First Baptist Church.

Izzy Boyd | Communications Director

Izzy Boyd serves as Communications Director for the Mississippi Republican Party. A native of Tupelo, Mississippi, she graduated summa cum laude from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Pre-Law. During her time at Mississippi State, she was inducted into Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, and Omicron Delta Kappa, the National Leadership Honor Society. She was also an active member of the Pre-Law Society.

Izzy began her academic career at Itawamba Community College, where she earned both academic and athletic scholarships and competed on the women’s soccer team.

Before joining the MSGOP, Izzy gained diverse professional experience across law, financial services, and real estate. She completed a legal internship focused on civil litigation, assisted financial advisors at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and shadowed real estate professionals with The Janet Jones Company, gaining valuable insight into client relations, contracts, and property transactions.

In her role with the MSGOP, Izzy works closely with MSGOP leadership, combining her strong background in research and communications to amplify the Party’s priorities; support Republican candidates, county organizations, and Republican committees; to promote conservative values across Mississippi; and ensure consistent messaging across the state.