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News Briefs
In Memoriam
Hardy Thompson Brumfield (April 8, 2023)
Born April 29, 1967, to Bruce and Margaret Harris Brumfield, Hardy was the youngest of four brothers. His close-knit family and the people of his beloved Mississippi Delta shaped him. Like his brothers, he found a new home at Mississippi State and with Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Brumfield graduated summa cum laude in agricultural economics. A 30-plus year career at the Chicago Board of Trade included eight years as the largest volume trader in 10-year note futures. Brumfield also became involved in various technological, agricultural, environmental and healthcare initiatives. In 2014, he founded Rolling B Ranch, a registered Angus and commercial cattle operation, making him a third-generation cattleman. His hard work and generous spirit live on through the Brumfield GenRev Foundation. He and wife Amy, in their 20-year union, were blessed with three children.
George W. Bryan, Sr. (January 6, 2023)
A 1968 business administration alumnus, George W. Bryan, Sr. was a legendary business leader and visionary real estate and golf community director. Prior to college, Bryan began his career at Bryan Foods, his family’s meat products manufacturing company that was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation in 1968. He ultimately served as Chief Executive Officer of Sara Lee Foods and Chairman and Director of the American Meat Institute before retiring in 2000. He and wife Marcia co-founded and owned Old Waverly Golf Club, host to the 1999 U.S. Women’s Open, and Bryan later co-founded Mossy Oak Golf Club; the two facilities are home to the MSU golf programs. Bryan supported multiple athletic and academic causes at his alma mater including the Bryan Athletic Administration Building. He was the COB’s 1992 Alumni Fellow and 1996 Alumnus of the Year and served on its Executive Advisory Board. He was MSU’s 2000 National Alumnus of the Year and a Foundation board member. Bryan also served the United Way and Boy Scouts of America and was a Regions Bank board member. Honors included being named an “Outstanding Mississippian” by the governor and posthumous induction to the Mississippi Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Hassell H. Franklin (January 22, 2023)
Hassell H. Franklin, a 1959 MSU graduate with a degree in industrial management (then under the College of Business), was the founder, Chairman and CEO of Franklin Corporation, one of the largest privately owned furniture manufacturers in the country. The Lee County native served in the Mississippi National Guard and the U.S. Army, commanding the company that protected James Meredith during the 1962 integration of the University of Mississippi. Franklin served on the boards of BancorpSouth, North Mississippi Health Services, the CREATE Foundation, the Commission on the Future of Northeast Mississippi and other organizations. He was former President of the American Furniture Manufacturers Association and past Director of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and the Mississippi Economic Council. He was elected to the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame, inducted into the American Furniture Hall of Fame and recognized with the Mississippi World Trade Center’s Tozzoli International Leadership Award. The 1995 MSU Alumnus of the Year served on the Foundation Board and the COB Executive Advisory Board and as President of the Bulldog Club. He established a $1 million endowment at MSU for the Franklin Furniture Institute, and in the fall of 2020, he received an honorary doctorate in recognition of lifetime achievements and longtime support of MSU.
Dr. Larry R. White (September 1, 2023)
Dr. Larry R. White, former Associate Professor Emeritus of Finance, was raised in Starkville, graduating from Starkville High School before earning a BA in economics at Mississippi State. He was awarded an MBA in 1975 and a PhD in 1985 from the University of Georgia. A Vietnam-era veteran, White received a commission in the U.S. Navy, serving more than 32 years on active duty and in the Navy Reserves and retiring at the rank of captain. Following a brief career in commercial banking, White launched his academic career at the University of South Alabama, where he created a banking concentration, developing and teaching all bankingspecific courses. He then returned to MSU, serving as a finance Professor, Director of the Banking Excellence Program and Chair of Real Estate. He was assigned emeritus status upon his retirement in June 2007. In July 2007, White was appointed the John H. Poteat Chair of Banking, Professor of Finance and Director of the Center for Banking at East Tennessee State University, positions held until his retirement from ETSU in 2022.
Assets
Shannon Arick, a client of the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at MSU, won the 2023 Small Business Administration (SBA) Mississippi Rural Small Business of the Year award. Arick is the owner of Bits N Pieces, LLC, a woman-veteran owned business in West Point, MS, dealing in antiques, arts and crafts, architectural items, furniture and local artisan creations. Arick attended MSU’s Boots to Business (B2B) Introduction to Entrepreneurship training and continues to receive VBOC counseling.
In August, Inc. announced that Glo ranks among its “Inc. 5000” as one of America’s fastest growing private companies. Chief Creative Officer Anna Barker (BBA marketing ’17 ) and CEO Hagan Walker, also an MSU alumnus, worked with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach while in college to bring their startup to life. In 2022, the company was valued at nearly $20 million.
Associate Professor of Accountancy Dr. Nathan Berglund was honored with the 2023 Faculty Teaching Award for the College of Business.
Lisa Adcock Berryhill (BAcc ’03, MAcc ’04 ) has been promoted to Record to Report Global Collaborations Lead at Pfizer, Inc., where she leads the global accounting functions for royalties and alliance revenue. She was previously the Record to Report Accounting Project Lead for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Chris Boone, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Logistics, and Dr. Stephen France, Associate Professor of Quantitative Analysis, are completing a $315,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration with their project entitled “A36-Urban Mobility: Safety Standards, Aircraft Certification and Impact on Market Feasibility and Growth Potentials.” It is part of a $1.2 million effort involving four Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence schools, including Mississippi State University.
Dr. Jim Chrisman is currently listed among the World’s Best Business and Management Scientists by Research.com. The Julia Bennett Rouse Endowed Professor in Management is ranked 22nd in the nation and 35th in the world.
Ted Duckworth (BBA real estate and mortgage ’88 ) and John Michael Holtmann (BBA management ’06 ), along with colleague Breck Hines, have launched Concord Companies, a commercial real estate brand encompassing six entities. The company operates across the Southeast and builds on the success of the founders’ commercial real estate careers.
Kevin M. Gustin (BBA marketing ’91 ) has been named Vice President for Marketing for Rexel USA, one of the country’s largest distributors of electrical products, data communication and related supplies. A member of the MSU Marketing Advisory Board, Gustin will be responsible for U.S. marketing activities across all Rexel USA companies.
Dr. Lu He, Instructor of Supply Chain Management, and Dr. Chris Boone, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management, were awarded a 2023 Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Grant. Sponsored by MSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the Schillig Grant program provides financial support to encourage new ideas for improving undergraduate teaching. He and Boone’s grant will fund a trip to a supply chain facility to provide students with a contextual experience that will enhance their understanding and application of key supply chain concepts.
Todd Hunt (BBA management ’90 ) received the Ray Ward Award from the Venue Management School (VMS) of the International Association of Venue Managers, considered one of the best professional education programs in the field. Hunt is Senior Vice President of Venue Coalition, a live entertainment consulting company, and has served as a VMS instructor since 2014. He previously was Director of Humphrey Coliseum and Athletic Concessions at MSU.
Jim Koerber (BS banking and finance ’74 ) has co-authored chapters for the seventh edition of The Comprehensive Guide to Economic Damages. His work explores economic damages from personal injury and wrongful death and determining damages in common-law employment matters. He is a Director with EAG Gulf Coast, LLC, responsible for valuation and litigation services for attorneys, CPAs and their clients.
Jan Lewis (BAcc ’85 ) was elected to the American Institute of CPAs’ (AICPA) Board of Directors last spring. Lewis is a Tax Partner with Haddox Reid Eubank Betts, PLLC in Jackson. She has previously served on the Mississippi Society of CPAs’ (MSCPA) Board of Governors as an officer of the Central Chapter and as President of the Society. Lewis is a member of the MSCPA’s Long Range Planning Committee and served as the MSCPA’s elected representative to the AICPA Council. Lewis currently serves on the Adkerson School of Accountancy Advisory Council.
Chase McPherson (BBA business information systems ’13 ) joined Community Bank’s Tupelo office as a Senior Vice President. A veteran of the industry, he works to manage and grow consumer and commercial loans as well as deposit relationships in north Mississippi. He is a graduate of the Mississippi School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. McPherson is President of the Lee County chapter of the MSU Alumni Association.
Mike Pornovets, Counselor & Instructor for the B2B Revenue Readiness Program and VBOC, was named the 2023 SBA Mississippi Veteran Small Business Champion. The Mississippi SBA recognized Pornovets for his commitment to serving fellow veterans with business counseling and assistance.
Joseph K. Sims (BS management ’72 ) has joined Butler Snow, LLP’s Regulatory and Government Relations practice as a Senior Government Relations Adviser. Throughout his career, he has been involved in energy projects, and he served as President of the MidContinent Oil and Gas Association for more than 25 years. He was previously Legislative Chairman of Mississippians for Economic Progress and served as Principal with a nationally recognized government affairs firm and in his own practice.
MSU student Derrick Stanley was named a Science Spectrum Trailblazer at the 2023 BEYA STEM Conference. Award recipients demonstrate outstanding performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Stanley received his MS in Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISE) from MSU in 2017 and is now dually enrolled as a PhD student in ISE and in the MBA program.
Paul T. Sullivan, a Business Information Systems senior with a minor in theater, won the Vectorworks Award in Design, Technology and Management at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region IV awards ceremony. His award includes a professional license for industry-standard drafting software Vectorworks valued at $3,000.
Mary L. Vaughn (BBA business information systems ’00; MS instructional technology ’01 ) earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National College Testing Association in recognition of numerous contributions and extensive support of the nonprofit organization. She is in her 37th year at Mississippi State and serves as Associate Director of the University’s Computer-Based Testing Center.
Gary L. Walker (BAcc ’71 ) was appointed by Governor Tate Reeves to serve on the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. He is a partner at Lyle, Walker & Co., PA in Ridgeland, MS.
In a newly published study of more than 8,000 cybersecurity articles found in the leading computer science and information systems journals, the authors found that MSU’s Dr. Merrill Warkentin is coauthor of four of the top 30 and nine of the top 115 most influential scientific cybersecurity articles published from 1996 to 2021, based on citations in the Web of Science database. Warkentin is the James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems and a William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Information Systems.
MSU student Kaelin Wincek was named the 2023 Marketing Advisory Board Student of the Year. Wincek is from Fishers, IN, and is currently pursuing a degree in marketing with a concentration in integrated digital marketing and a double minor in supply chain logistics and foreign language.
