Chris Hinton
President & CEO
Chris Hinton is a native of Raymond, Mississippi, and currently serves as the President & CEO of Solute Development Group, LLC. In this role, he provides professional consultation in nonprofit management, business and economic development, leadership and organizational development and governmental affairs. His passion for engaging community leaders, facilitating strategic visions and championing high performing organizations have all led to the development of this concept. His moto is “an organization that aims to reach its ultimate potential, will thrive only through the collective vision of its team.” With 20 years of professional and community service, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from previous roles, including positions with Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Municipal League, Natchez Inc., Mississippi Economic Development Council, and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation in Disability Determination. With an extensive community and economic development background via state, local and federal governments, Hinton’s commitment to nonprofit leadership, secondary education, and workforce development, provided much emphasis in talent attraction and retention. In addition to these commitments, he most recently worked in corporate America for nearly a decade in the electric utility space where he led community, economic and workforce development programs and initiatives throughout 45 counties.
Chris holds a Master’s in Economic Development from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Bachelor’s in Economics with an emphasis in Business Administration from Tougaloo College. He is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute (OU-EDI), accredited by the International Economic Development Council. Chris is an active member of both the Mississippi Economic Development Council and the Southern Economic Development Council, which includes 17 southeastern states.
He has held statewide leadership roles such as past president of Mississippi Main Street Association and Jobs for Mississippi Graduates and served as treasurer for the Mississippi District Export Council. During his time at the Mississippi Municipal League, he was an appointed member on several statewide utility and infrastructure enhancement boards. Chris has also served on the boards of the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits, Habitat for Humanity, Natchez Downtown Development Association, and the MSU Rural Jobs Accelerator. He is an alumnus of Leadership Mississippi, Leadership Natchez, and the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy and graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Leaders Program.
A life member of both the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association and the Southern Miss Alumni Association, Chris has received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 2012, he was named one of Mississippi’s Top 40 Under 40 Business Leaders by the Mississippi Business Journal. In 2013, he was honored as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Mississippi Minority Small Business Champion during National Small Business Week. In 2019, Development Counsellors International (DCI) recognized him as a Top 40 Under 40 Game Changer in Economic Development. Chris was awarded the Marsha N. Hamilton Spirit in Economic Development Award by Governor Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Development Authority at the MEDC 2024 Legislative Conference.
Chris currently resides in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Outside of his professional commitments, he enjoys exploring music across various genres, reading, fishing, and traveling with family.