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News Briefs
COB Alumni Fellow
1992 marketing graduate Benji Nelson (pictured with Dean Scott Grawe) was selected to share his experience and wisdom with MSU students as the COB’s 2023 Alumni Fellow. Having grown up at Jackson’s Live Oaks Golf Club, where his father was pro and part owner, it’s no surprise that he developed a love for golf that brought him to Mississippi State as a player and that has subsequently driven his career. As a competitor, he played in the 1991 NCAA Championship Finals and in 1995 clinched the Mississippi Golf Association Amateur Championship. Now, he is an owner of Ben Nelson Golf & Outdoor, dealing in golf carts and related utility vehicles at three locations in Mississippi and Tennessee. Nelson has served as President of the Mississippi Golf Association and of Annandale Golf Club and is a supporter of the charity First Tee of Central Mississippi. An M Club member since his student days, he is actively involved with his alma mater, serving on the COB Executive Advisory Board and the Bulldog Club board.
MSU Grads Score Tops on CPA Exam
At its 2023 annual conference, the Mississippi Society of CPAs celebrated two recent Bulldog graduates for scoring the highest in the state on the 2022 CPA exam. Karis Pannell, a Tax Associate with Tupelo’s Byrne Zizzi CPAs, received the MSCPA’s Fred T. Neely Gold Medal for the top score. Gelsey Guerra, an Audit Assistant for Deloitte in St. Louis, MO, was awarded the T.E. Lott Silver Medal for the second-highest result.
Adkerson School of Accountancy Director Dr. Shawn Mauldin, noting that the duo’s scores are a clear indication of the quality of MSU’s accounting programs, adds, “Karis and Gelsey are great ambassadors for what an accounting degree from Mississippi State University can do for your career.”
Pannell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2021 and a master of accountancy with a minor in data analytics in 2022. Guerra graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
PGA Recognizes Scott
Adam Scott, Director of the PGA Golf Management program and MSU Golf Course Operations, was named the recipient of the 2023 Gulf States PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award. This award bestows special recognition annually on a PGA professional who has shown outstanding integrity, commitment to mentoring fellow PGA professionals in improving their employment situations and involvement in community and charitable activities. Scott (third from left) was recognized among his peers in Louisiana and Mississippi in December, alongside fellow MSU alumni Ryan Mundine, Assistant of the Year; Matt Williamson, Professional of the Year and Bobby Flanagan, Chapter Assistant of the Year.
Adkerson Honored
MSU Honors COB PhD Students
Two recent College of Business PhD graduates won awards for their outstanding work as graduate students. Haley Hardman (right), marketing, was recognized as Graduate Research Assistant of the Year, and Vitaliy Skorodziyevskiy (left), management, was named the Donald Zacharias Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year at MSU.
COB Royalty
Two of our College of Business students proudly represented Mississippi State University on the 2023 Homecoming Court! This year’s Homecoming King Cole Ray is a senior marketing and supply chain logistics double major from Indian Springs, AL, and Senior Maid Rachel Carpenter is a business administration and political science double major from Corinth, MS.
College of Business alumnus Richard C. Adkerson (center) was honored for his contributions to Mississippi State University during the Mississippi State Homecoming football game; surrounding him were (from left) Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill, MSU President Mark Keenum, MSU Athletic Director Zac Selmon and Dean Scott Grawe. Adkerson’s impactful donation to the newly renovated Humphrey Coliseum is a testament to his commitment to fostering excellence. His support extends to education as well, including the establishment of the Richard C Adkerson School of Accountancy in 2007.
In October, Adkerson was also honored with induction into the National Mining Hall of Fame. Adkerson is the Chairman and CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, Inc., one of the world’s largest publicly traded copper producers, as well as a founding member and past Chair of the International Council on Mining and Metals.
The College of Business is grateful for this accomplished alumnus’ continuous support and generosity.
