18 minute read
News Briefs
News Briefs
COB Alumnus of the Year
Thomas G. “Tom” Hixon was selected as the 2024 MSU Alumnus of the Year for the College of Business. Hixon, a resident of Ridgeland, serves as the Chairman of Phoenix Development Company, LLC. A Charleston, MS, native, he graduated from Mississippi State in 1967 with a degree in accounting. He began his career with the U.S. Army and Air Force Exchange Service, managing the retail supply channel at the Pentagon Annex. Following his military civil service, Hixon transitioned to the private sector, taking on roles as CFO, CEO and Director of Operations for Valley Food Service. He later held multiple leadership positions at Forestry Suppliers Inc., including co-owner, CFO, CEO and President.
Hixon then ventured into entrepreneurship, co-founding and chairing Gulf South Medical Supply. Under his leadership, the company grew significantly, eventually going public. After a merger, he and his team established another medical supply company, First Choice Medical Supply, which they later sold to McKesson Pharmaceutical. Throughout his career, Hixon has credited his wife and family for their unwavering support. His entrepreneurial spirit has been passed down to sons Tommy and Shane, who both run their own businesses.
A proud alumnus, Hixon serves on the MSU Foundation board and is a former member of the Bulldog Club board. He was honored in 2018 as the COB Alumni Fellow.
COB Alumni Fellow
James M. Robinson was named the 2024 MSU Alumni Fellow for the College of Business. A 1987 graduate, he has built a successful career rooted in his passion for marketing. Growing up in Canton, Robinson always wanted to pursue a business career, but it wasn’t until he took a marketing class at MSU that he discovered what he most enjoyed.
Serving as President of P & R Metals Inc., Robinson has steered the company to consistent placement among the top 100 largest private companies in the Birmingham metro area since 2019. Furthermore, the company has received accolades such as being named to the Birmingham Business Journal’s 2023 Middle Market 30 and its 2023 ranking as the151st largest private company in Alabama. Robinson is also a member of the Birmingham chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, contributing to his community and industry.
Robinson maintains close ties with MSU, participating in the Executive Advisory Board of the College of Business and the Marketing & Supply Chain Logistics Advisory Board, which he previously chaired. His deep affinity for the University, which he regards as a second home, drives his involvement, and he finds great joy in giving back, particularly through funding scholarships and engaging with students.
Dean’s Speaker Series Launched
In 2024, the College of Business launched the Bulldog Business Dean’s Speaker Series to connect faculty and doctoral students with distinguished scholars across business disciplines. The series reinforces the College’s commitment to scholarly excellence and industry engagement. Speakers have included:
Adkerson School of Accountancy: Dr. Jeffrey Hales, University of Texas at Austin, sustainability leadership
Department of Finance and Economics: Dr. Rohan Williamson, Georgetown University, bank board risk committees, and Dr. Christopher “Kitt” Carpenter, Vanderbilt University, inclusion and diversity
Department of Management and Information Systems: Dr. John D’Arcy, University of Delaware, customer responses to data breaches
Department of Marketing, Quantitative Analysis and Business Law: Dr. Hope Schau, UC Irvine, health care management and policy
COB Royalty
Three of our College of Business students proudly represented Mississippi State University on the 2024 Homecoming Court. From left, Senior Maid Jessica Zajac is an accounting and management double-major from State College, PA; Mr. MSU is Robby Skelton, a senior economics and Spanish double-major from Collierville, TN, and Junior Maid Abby Thorson is a business administration major from Huntsville, AL.
COB Abroad
Global Game Changers: Dr. Erik Markin led 43 students and six faculty members on a 14-day study abroad trip through Italy, blending cultural exploration with professional insights. Students across all majors participated, earning a credit hour in management or entrepreneurship. Highlights included visits to Armani/ Silos and the museum housing The Last Supper in Milan; the Ferrari Museum in Modena and the Mediterranean coast near Viareggio. In Florence, students learned about coffee roasting at La Sosta and toured the La Marzocco espresso machine company, then took a side trip to Pisa. The trip concluded in Rome with stops at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum.
Another ShanZeale Production: A dozen students spent Maymester studying the brands of Scandinavia in Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm and Copenhagen, thanks to the planning and leadership of Dr. Mike Breazeale and Dr. Kevin Shanahan, a team known as “ShanZeale.” Favorites were a tour of the IKEA design headquarters to meet with branding experts, ad copywriters and production crews and a tour of the iMotions headquarters. iMotions is a premier global provider of human insights software, which is utilized in the COB’s Market Innovation Lab & Observatory.
New 2024 Faculty and Staff
COB Faculty and Doctoral Students Honored
At the MSU Faculty and Staff Recognition Awards, Dr. Sheida Riahi, Instructor of Quantitative Analysis, and Dr. Jennifer Sexton, Assistant Professor of Management, received the Donald Zacharias Early Career Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award. Riahi also earned the Center for Distance Education Online Teaching Excellence Award.
The Department of Finance and Economics excelled at the 2024 MSU Graduate Student Association Awards Banquet. Professor Brandon Cline was honored as Outstanding Graduate Student Advisor of the Year. Nurul Islam was recognized for placing second in the Fall 2023 Graduate Student Research Symposium Oral Presentations, and Junnatun Naym received the Donald Zacharias Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Award.
By the Numbers
• COB Online MBA Program, Top 75, U.S. News & World Report
• COB Online MBA Program #53 for Veterans, U.S. News & World Report
• Adkerson School of Accountancy, near 100 percent job placement for new graduates
• Department of Management and Information Systems, #1 nationally and #2 worldwide in number of articles published in the three leading family business journals; Dr. Jim Chrisman, Dr. Laura Marler, Dr. Erik Markin and Dr. Emily Marett, top 35 individually worldwide, Texas State University Family Business Research Productivity Ranking
• MSU, Top 50, “America’s Best Large Employers,” Forbes (one of three universities listed, with Notre Dame and Purdue)
Business Bulldogs Shine
MSU business students demonstrated excellence during the past year!
MSCPA Scholarships: Bryant Buteau and Ryan Holmes were awarded $3,500 scholarships by the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Presidential Scholars: Accounting students Catherine Babb and Emma Diamond and supply chain logistics major Hayden Hughes were recognized as MSU Presidential Scholars, the University’s most prestigious undergraduate honor.
Phi Beta Kappa Inductions: Seven economics majors – Lacey Dumas, Amelia Fitzgerald, Sophia Flikkema, Devin Hutchins, Emma Johnson, Natalie Plourde and Kyle Reasons – were inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society.
Raytheon Invitational Business Case Competition: Benjamin Denny, Grace Dingeldey, Ryan Russell, Bradley Sills and Easton Wamble represented MSU in the Raytheon Invitational Business Case Competition. MSU students excelled, with three being named captains of the cross-university teams. Dingeldey’s team won first place and a $10,000 prize, while Sills’ team secured second place and a $7,500 prize.
TVA Investment Challenge Team: The TVA Investment Challenge Team participated in the Mississippi CFA Society’s annual Forecast Dinner alongside industry professionals. Team member Ben Kahle was named the CFA Mississippi Award recipient.
WISE Connections Advisory Board: Sophomore Sophie Perrigin was competitively selected to represent MSU on the 2024 Women Impacting Supply Chain Excellence Connections Advisory Board.
E-Center Expands
The MSU Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center) celebrated the grand opening of its newly expanded 4,000 square-foot facility in McCool Hall on April 12. The event featured a keynote address by Barefoot Wine co-founders Bonnie Harvey and Michael Houlihan and marked the conclusion of the annual MSU Startup Summit event. The ceremony included a ribbon-cutting and dedication of the Oswald Think Tank and the Wingo Venture Gallery, honoring former Dean Sharon Oswald and past MSU Alumnus of the Year Turner Wingo for commitment to fostering entrepreneurship on campus and in the Starkville community. The celebration also highlighted the E-Center’s decadelong impact under the leadership of former Director Eric Hill.
Retirements
Two longtime members of our College of Business family retired in 2024, and we extend a heartfelt “thank you” for the positive impact they have made on students and colleagues alike during their years of service. Best wishes for a long and happy retirement!
Alumna Honored by Inc. Magazine
Anna Barker, a 2017 International Business alumna and Chief Creative Officer at Glo Pals, has been named to Inc. magazine’s 2024 Female Founders 250 list. The Starkville-based company is known for its namesake product, Glo, a liquid-activated reuseable “ice cube,” and for Glo Pals, innovative children’s sensory toys that use the same technology. Barker is credited with leading the company’s transition into 100 percent recycled materials for Glo Pals and doubling the size of the brand in a year. Barker is the only Mississippian to earn a spot on this year’s list.
Students Serve as Volunteer Firefighters
Two COB students exemplified bravery and commitment to community as volunteer firefighters in 2024. Junior Jack Edwards and freshman Sydney Maheu served as members of the East Oktibbeha Volunteer Fire Department. Edwards was among three MSU students/ volunteer firefighters awarded the Oktibbeha County Fire Service Citizen Life-Saving Award by the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors for reviving a patient in cardiac arrest.
Reveille 25
The MSU Alumni Association annually recognizes the professional achievements and community impact of 25 outstanding young alumni through its Reveille 25 program. Four COB graduates were among the 2024 honorees.
Rashad Cockrell is an advocate for diversity and higher education. As Director of Austin Peay State University’s African American Cultural Center, Cockrell promotes inclusion while pursuing a doctorate in higher education. A first-generation MSU graduate, his leadership journey began with campus organizations like Men of Excellence and Alpha Phi Alpha.
Stephanie Cummins is a visionary in real estate. As owner and Broker Associate of Front Gate Realty LLC, her leadership has driven over $1 billion in sales. Recognized by Realtor Magazine, the Mississippi Association of Realtors and Mississippi Business Journal, Cummins embodies excellence and community service.
Roderick Erby exemplifies dedication as an IT Audit Advisor at International Paper, or IP. With an MBA from LSU-Shreveport and certification as a Certified Information Systems Auditor, he has earned accolades including IP’s CEO and Global Excellence Awards and Memphis Flyer’s Top 20 Under 30.
Chelsea Ladner Morea serves as a Strategic Marketing Manager for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, raising vital funds for their mission. Her passion for service began at MSU and continues through her work with military families and her local community.
Warkentin Named AIS Fellow
Dr. Merrill Warkentin (center), Giles Distinguished Professor and James J. Rouse Endowed Professor of Information Systems, has been named a Fellow of the Association for Information Systems, or AIS, one of the most prestigious honors in the field. The recognition highlights his outstanding contributions to research, teaching and service in information systems. Warkentin ranks among the top two percent of researchers in his field and was recently ranked 86th for lifetime research impact by a University of Arizona report evaluating global MIS scholars. Warkentin, shown here with MIS Department Head Laura Marler and Dean Scott Grawe, is also committed to mentoring doctoral students and junior faculty in the College.
UWiB to Host Inaugural Dare Conference
The Mississippi State Undergraduate Women in Business, or UWiB, organization will host its first conference for women in business – the 2025 Dare Conference – on Friday, April 11 in the Colvard Student Union Ballroom. Sponsored by UWiB, the College of Business and the College’s Club 1915, this empowering event is designed to inspire women to navigate the dynamic and evolving business world. The conference will connect students, alumni and professionals through engaging sessions, networking opportunities and insights from industry leaders. Open to everyone, Dare will encourage attendees to dream big and achieve their goals. Students may register for free. For more information or to register, visit uwib-dare.com.
An Impact on Campus Life
Business students Ellie Herndon, Jeffery Johnson, Keimauri McKenzie and Aiden McLain were recipients of the 2024 Spirit of State Award. Recipients are students who have excelled in campus involvement and service to the University and positively impacted their peers and the campus community. Here, they are shown with MSU’s President Mark Keenum and Vice President of Student Affairs Regina Hyatt.
Assets
The Adkerson School of Accountancy awarded 113 annual scholarships totaling $166,000 at its 2024 Spring Banquet.
Bill Backstrom (BS Accounting ’76) received the COST/Paul Frankel Excellence in State Taxation Award during the 2023 Council on State Taxation annual meeting. He is a partner at Jones Walker LLP in New Orleans.
Tim Basel (BBA Marketing/PGA Golf Management ’98), MSU Golf Course Head Golf Professional, was elected as the District 3 Director for the PGA of America. He is serving a three-year term on the National Board of Directors.
The MSU Beta Alpha Psi chapter, under the leadership of Assistant Clinical Professor of Accountancy Dr. Alan Stancill, was recognized as a Silver Chapter.
Management PhD students Alyssa Bevacqua, Maria Bracamonte Larios, Tyler Burch, Myles Melancon and Destiny Orr, along with Assistant Professor Dr. Erik Markin, received the Daniel T. Holt Best Paper Award at the Theories of Family Enterprise Conference.
Dr. Patty Ann Bogue, Instructor of Management, was selected by the Mississippi Economic Council to participate in its Leadership Mississippi program.
Dr. Christopher Boone, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Logistics, and Dr. Robert Moore, Professor of Marketing and Hunter Henry Fellow, were awarded a $5,000 Bulldog Experience Learning Liaison grant by MSU’s Office of Bulldog Experience for their supply chain logistics live case course, developed in partnership with The Taylor Group of Louisville, MS.
Maria Bracamonte Larios took third place for her poster presentation at the Fall 2024 Graduate Research Symposium for Education, Arts and Sciences and Business at the University of Alabama.
The Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach awarded more than $82,000 last fall to support new business ideas.
Dr. Jim Chrisman, the Julia Bennett Rouse Endowed Professor of Management, hit a major milestone, as his research has been cited more than 50,000 times.
Natalie Edwards, a marketing and management major, was named the 2024 Marketing Advisory Board Student of the Year. Edwards is also President of the Undergraduate Women in Business and of the College of Business Ambassadors.
Josh Harris (BBA ’04) was named President of Darlington Raceway. Previously Vice President of Business Operations, he has more than a decade of experience in the NASCAR arena.
Dr. Lu He, Supply Chain Logistics Instructor, received a $500 mini-grant from MSU’s Center for Community-Engaged Learning for collaboration with PACCAR’s Material Handling Department to provide hands-on learning opportunities for students.
Whit Hughes (BS Business Administration ’97; MBA ’98) is now Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations for Ergon, Inc..
Devin Hutchins, an economics and philosophy double major, and Joshua Phillips, an economics and political science double major, were national finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate fellowship for those pursuing careers in public service.
Kyungmyung “KJ” Jang, a third year PhD student in information systems, won Best Student Paper recognition at the Southern Association for Information Systems annual conference. Jang also received the COB’s 2024 Outstanding Doctoral Student Researcher Award.
Accounting students Maya Jones, Leo Maldonado and Morgan Mounce each received a $15,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Angelia Knight, the Director of MBA Programs, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Golden Triangle chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Bobby Kocol (BBA Business Administration ’79) has penned a memoir, Diamonds, Deals and Divine Guidance, in which the former MVP and Academic All-American MSU baseball player chronicles his journey from baseball to the boardroom and beyond.
Jan Lewis, (BAcc Accounting ’85), was named to Forbes’ 2024 list of America’s Top 200 CPAs. Lewis, a Tax Partner for BMSS Advisors & CPAs, LLC, is a member of the Adkerson School of Accountancy’s Advisory Council and was the COB Alumni Fellow in 2016.
Dr. Laura Marler, Department Head and Professor of Management, was appointed as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Business Management, the journal of the International Council for Small Business. She was also tapped as an SEC Academic Leadership Development Fellow.
Dr. Shawn Mauldin, Director of the Adkerson School of Accountancy, moderated the MSCPA Accounting Education Seminar for educators throughout the state.
Prior to graduating last spring, Keimauri McKenzie received the 2024 Charles Moore Award. Named for the founder of MSU’s Business Information Systems program, the honor recognizes leadership, teamwork and dedication to technology and business.
Junnatun Naym, former Instructor and recent PhD graduate, received the 2024 Southwestern Finance Association Best Doctoral Paper Award for her research on insider trading violations as early signals of corporate misconduct.
Elena Palomino, a spring 2024 international business (marketing and Spanish) graduate, won first place in the MSU Undergraduate Research Symposium’s “3 Minute Thesis Pitch” competition.
Angela Pannell, Instructor of Accountancy, was appointed to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy Continuing Professional Education Committee for 2024-2025.
Lance Porter (BS Banking and Finance ’91) was named the inaugural Karen W. and Daniel J. King Distinguished Professor in Advertising in the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, from which he earned master’s and doctoral degrees.
Natalie Rhodes, (BBA Marketing and Management ’18; MBA ’20) Program Coordinator for MSU’s Veterans Business Outreach Center and Boots to Business Revenue Readiness program, was selected as the 2024 Mississippi Veterans Small Business Champion of the Year by the Mississippi Small Business Administration District Office.
Walmart Transportation Area Manager Haylee Schmidt (BBA Marketing and Logistics, Materials and Supply Chain Management ’22) and her team were honored at the Alabama Trucking Association’s annual safety awards banquet, where Walmart Transportation received the Safety Improvement Award and the inaugural General Commodities Linehaul Combined 30 Million Miles Award.
E-Center team Sisson Innovations placed third overall in the Idea Audition Competition at the University of North Alabama. Sisson Innovations offers a method of encryption for digital media.
Dr. Kyle A. Smith, Assistant Professor of Accountancy, joined the Audit Committee of the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative, a nonprofit that supports academic research groups working on reducing existential risk.
Management Instructor Dr. Michelle Taylor was honored as a Faculty Member of the Game at MSU’s March 8 baseball game. The honor was based on recommendations by student-athletes.
Dr. Mike Truelson, Associate Professor of Accountancy, received the 2024 Accounting Horizons Best Paper Award. He also earned the Adkerson School of Accountancy’s 2023-2024 Research Award and this past fall was named KPMG Professor.
Dr. Matthew Whitledge, Associate Clinical Professor of Finance, was chosen as an inaugural Economic Research and Policy Scholar by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors.
