Former Mississippi public safety commissioner George L. Phillips is the new state director for the USDA Rural Development office.

Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas C. Dorr announced the appointment.

Phillips resigned as commissioner last December after serving in the post since May 2005. He was director of the state Bureau of Narcotics from January 2004 until taking over as public safety commissioner.

The federal agency, which handles the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s economic development efforts in rural communities, distributes more than $250 million in federal funds to rural Mississippi every year through its rural housing, rural utilities, and rural business programs.