Marshand Crisler is a lifetime Jackson resident, born in Greenville, MS, in 1968 to Johnny and Rosia Crisler. Marshand attended elementary and junior high school in Utica, MS, before transferring to the Jackson Public Schools District and graduating from Provine High School. Crisler pursued higher education at Hinds Community College where he received his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice.

Marshand Crisler enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he served in the Persian Gulf War. In 1992, he was honorably discharged from the US Marines and joined the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department as a narcotics investigator where he had several assignments as a contract agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the FBI and DEA. In 1993, he received the distinguished meritorious award for valor for acts of courage and being shot in the line of duty.

Marshand stayed enlisted in the Mississippi Army National Guard where he served as Headquarters Detachment Commander for the 112th Military Police Battalion and later in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded several war time commendations, including the "Army Commendation Medal." He later transferred to the Mississippi Air National Guard's 172nd Security Forces Squadron where he was promoted to the rank of Major and served as Deputy Director of Security Forces. Marshand Crisler recently retired as a Major after 21 years in the U.S. Armed Forces.

While working for the Sheriff's Department, Marshand graduated from Jackson State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Sciences in Criminal Justice and Corrective Services. In January of 1999, he accepted the position of Police Chief of the Utica Police Department, and became the first African American to serve in this capacity. In the summer of 1999 he returned to the Hinds County Sheriff's Department, where he remained for 17 years.

In 2001, Crisler was elected to the Jackson City Council becoming the first African American to hold the position of Ward 6 Councilman. He also served three terms as President of the Jackson City Council. Crisler continued his studies and received a Master of Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University in spring 2007. He is currently a
Ph. D. candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at Jackson State University and has completed his first year of study.

Marshand is also actively involved in numerous youth mentoring projects, including the pilot program he initiated, the Excel to Achieve Program which recognizes today’s youth for their academic and civic achievements. Crisler is a member of several noteworthy civic organizations including the Community In Schools (CIS), NAACP, Masonic Order PHA/F&AM, Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc., 100 Black Men of Jackson, Inc., the Willowood Developmental Center Board of Directors, the Mississippi Police and Sheriff’s Association, and the Hinds County Community College Dropout Recovery Advisory Board and VFW Post 9832.

Marshand Crisler has been married twenty-four years to the former Charlotte Nichols. They have three children between ages 25 to 9. Crisler's goal is to contribute to the success of the generations that follow by setting a positive example and staying actively involved in the advancement and refinement of today's youth.