An experienced educator, Spurgeon Banyard also has a diverse history in law enforcement and military service. He received an honorable discharge from the United States Army, and still holds active credentials in law enforcement. After serving as a deputy sheriff with Mississippi’s Hinds County Sheriff Department in the mid-2010s, Spurgeon Banyard assumed his current position as a police officer with the Department of Finance and Administration at the Mississippi State Capital in Jackson.

In addition to his law enforcement work at the State Capital, Spurgeon Banyard is an administrator with the Jackson Public School District (JPSD), serving as principal of Peeples Middle School since 2015. He previously worked for the JPSD as a classroom teacher and coach.

Dr. Banyard has also held educational administrative posts with Lafayette Parish, Aberdeen, Jefferson Davis County, Holmes County, and Covington County school systems. Among his other degrees and certifications, he holds a PhD in education administration and supervision from Mississippi State University.