Alumni Fellows - 2015
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
M. Todd Jarvis
When M. Todd Jarvis graduated from Mississippi State University in 1989, he and his classmates were given a very presidential send-off into the world. He vividly remembers when then U.S. President George H. W. Bush was the featured speaker for the 1989 campus commencement.
Jarvis earned a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering technology and business. While at MSU, Jarvis was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He credits the mentors who invested in him and pushed him beyond what he thought his boundaries and limits were for his success.
“The MSU experience provided me the foundation and confidence to pursue challenges which later became successes,” he said. “My greatest accomplishment at MSU was getting a good education and meeting lifelong friends that continue to be part of my life today.”
Jarvis is an executive with more than 20 years of experience in the Clean-Tech sector and currently serves as the chief operating officer for Chateau Energy Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia. He is a certified energy manager, and his extensive management experience includes responsibility within both publicly-traded firms and privately-funded businesses.
For his professional accomplishments, Jarvis has been selected as the 2015 Alumni Fellow for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
“It is humbling to be named an Alumni Fellow for 2015,” Jarvis said. “It reminds me to give back and invest more into the bright, young minds that are just beginning their dreams and professional careers.”
Jarvis currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Anne.
College of Architecture, Art, and Design
Joel A. “Tony” Carroll
For all his accomplishments, Joel A. “Tony” Carroll has been selected as Alumni Fellow for the College of Architecture, Art and Design for 2015. He is well known as an alumnus who gives back to the college and university through his professional expertise.
Carroll began his college education at Itawamba Junior College and received an associate’s degree in 1973. From there, he enrolled at Mississippi State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in industrial arts education in 1975.
“The professors at MSU made sure that we as students were successful,” Carroll said, fondly remembering his days as a Bulldog student. “They truly cared about us.”
While attending MSU, Carroll was president of the Industrial Education Association and a member of the Student Association. Highlights of his college life included concerts at the “cowbarn” (Newell-Grissom building) and time spent welding cowbells for the MSU Bookstore to sell.
Carroll is the current vice president and construction manager of Sanderson Construction Company Inc. of Amory. In his career, Carroll has achieved many accomplishments in his field. In 2006, he was named Mississippi Construction Man of the Year. He is also a past president of the Mississippi Associated Builders and Contractors.
At Mississippi State, Carroll serves as a member of the Building Construction Science Industry Advisory Board. In the late 1990s, Carroll’s behind the scenes work helped the College of Architecture, Art, and Design launch the university’s Building Construction Science program. He considers the implementation of the program and its continued success among his greatest accomplishments.
Carroll and his wife, Christy, currently reside in his hometown of Tupelo.
College of Arts and Sciences
Laurie R. Williams
Laurie R. Williams has been selected as Alumni Fellow for the College of Arts and Sciences for 2015. She is excited about the opportunity the honor presents for her to give back and support the college that was the building block of her success.
Williams was born in Meridian and chose to pursue a college degree in her home state. She graduated from Mississippi State University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in mass media communications and then continued her education at the University of Mississippi, where she received her law degree in 1985.
During her time at MSU, Williams was involved in many school organizations. In 1979, she was elected as the university’s first female Student Association president.
Williams recalls the beautiful campus and spirit of camaraderie among students and faculty and acknowledges, “MSU gave me the tools to succeed by honing my interpersonal and leadership skills.”
For 30 years Williams has been in practice as a defense litigation attorney. She is currently a shareholder and senior litigator for Copeland, Cook, Taylor, and Bush P.A. Among her professional accomplishments include membership in the Mississippi Bar Association and recognition with its Citizenship Award, Who’s Who Among Law Professionals, and selections as the Dynamic Woman of Mississippi and one of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women.
Williams works diligently to move her community and her state forward. She remains an active alumnus at MSU, where she serves on the dean’s advisory board for the College of Arts and Sciences.
She currently makes her home in Madison with her husband, Robert C. Williams.
College of Business
Kenneth “Ken” B. Robinson
Kenneth “Ken” B. Robinson has been selected as Alumni Fellow for the College of Business for 2015. He is a seasoned executive who brings over 35 years of business leadership and global experience to share with students and faculty.
Robinson was motivated to achieve academic success while supporting himself financially as an MSU student. He received his Bachelor of Science in finance from Mississippi State University in 1977.
Following graduation from MSU, he continued his education at the University of Memphis, where he received his MBA in finance in 1981. He has also completed course work with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Institute of Internal Auditors at Vision University.
Robinson currently serves as vice president of Global Diversity and Inclusion for The Proctor & Gamble Co. (P&G) in Cincinnati, Ohio, and leads P&G’s global audit, enterprise risk and compliance efforts. His greatest professional achievement, he believes, is being able to have led P&G’s global audit, risk and compliance organization.
“I am humbled that my professional achievements would be worthy of recognition by the institution that prepared me for my professional journey,” said Robinson “My time at MSU helped me develop the ability to manage priorities and establish strong relationships. In particular, I was fond of the professors in the business school.”
Robinson has been active in his communities where he has lived, serving as a member of the City of Cincinnati Mayoral Task Force on Improving Cincinnati City Schools, a board member of the American Red Cross audit and finance committee, and as a board member of the finance and marketing committee of the Cincinnati YMCA, among other civic involvement.
Robinson currently resides in Mason, Ohio, with his wife, Windy.
College of Education
Celia Thomason Knighton
Graduating from Mississippi State University allowed Celia Thomason Knighton to make the most of her education both in her home state and beyond. As the 2015 Alumni Fellow for the College of Education, she is happy to share those experiences with the faculty and students of her alma mater.
“It humbles me to be selected an Alumni Fellow and to be appreciated in a field of study that is not always valued means so much,” she said.
Knighton received a Bachelor of Science in special education from MSU in 1972. She also received a master’s degree in administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in public affairs from Baruch College.
She credits her time at MSU for giving her the confidence to try and accept any opportunity and says the quality of education she received was tremendous. Following graduation from MSU, she initially taught in the Migrant Education program on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Knighton later moved to New York City and taught in special education for 13 years before accepting an administrative position. In 1994, she became principal of the Career Technical High School, making her the first female principal of the largest such school district in New York state. In 2000, she became the first female appointed as superintendent of the New York's Germantown School District.
At the time of her retirement in 2010, Knighton was the superintendent of schools for the state of New York. Since retirement, she has returned to her native Mississippi where she resides in Rosedale with her husband, Joseph.
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Dr. Thomas R. “Tommy” Byrd
For Dr. Thomas R. “Tommy” Byrd, being selected as the 2015 Alumni Fellow for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering is the culmination of a great Bulldog life.
Byrd graduated from Mississippi State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in biological engineering. He then attended the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry where he received his Doctor of Dental Medicine in 1988.
In 1990, Byrd opened his own dental practice, Florence Dental Practice. One of his greatest personal accomplishments, he says, is that he treats his patients as members of his family. He credits MSU and the discipline required for engineering school as the means that helped him gain acceptance into dental school.
Bryd is associated with the American Dental Association, Mississippi Dental Association, Fourth District Dental Society, and is a member of Rho Sigma Chapter of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society. He has also been a member of the Medical and Dental Mission Teams on 12 separate occasions to St. Lucia, Mexico, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
As an MSU alumnus, he was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow and was a member of the Alumni National Board of Directors and the Biological Engineering Advisory Board. He is also a sponsor of two scholarships, the Byrd Family Scholarship and the Don Byrd Memorial Scholarship.
Some of his fondest memories from his time at MSU are meeting and proposing to his wife, Lauri J. Bryd, beating Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team in 1980, and sending his children to his alma mater as students. He and Lauri, an MSU chemistry education alumna, currently reside in Florence.
“I have been a Bulldog my whole life. I eat, breathe and think Mississippi State 24/7,” Byrd said.
College of Forest Resources
Ruth J. Cook
During her time as an MSU student, Ruth J. Cook was named a John Sharp Scholar to which she says, “remembering the experience has kept me wanting to pay it forward.” Today, as the 2015 Alumni Fellow for the College of Forest Resources, Cook hopes her mentoring of students and others has provided real value.
Cook’s extensive resume is marked with industry experience she acquired after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Mississippi State University in 1982. Cook is a registered forester in Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas. She is president of the Mississippi Forestry Association and a member of the Society of American Foresters, the Louisiana Forestry Association, and the National Alliance of Forest Owners.
In her professional career, Cook currently serves as the director of Government Affairs and Forest Certification for The Molpus Woodlands Group LLC. Previously she was the director of Client Information and Reports for Molpus Timberlands Management LLC.
Since graduating from MSU, some of Cook’s major accomplishments include service as the Mississippi Forestry Association president in 2010 and treasurer from 2012 to present, and as president of The Crosby Arboretum Foundation from 2006 to present. In 2007, she was selected as one of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women.
Today, Cook remains involved with MSU and the College of Forest Resources, where she serves as an advisory board member. Cook has served as the college’s alumni president and continues to be active in alumni relations. In 2005, she was recognized as Alumna of the Year by the college.
Cook grew up in Canton and currently resides in Seminary. She credits MSU for her professional success, recognizing that her college education significantly enhanced the scope of her forestry knowledge and gave her leadership skills valuable to females in a male-dominated field.
College of Veterinary Medicine
Drs. Jefferson “Jeff” D. Grady and Karen G. Collins
A love of animals and medicine brought Jefferson “Jeff” D. Grady and Karen G. Collins to Mississippi State University as students. The two recall meeting during sophomore year of DVM study and believe becoming classmates is their fondest memory of their time at the university.
The College of Veterinary Medicine is bestowing the honor of 2015 Alumni Fellows to the husband and wife team for their professional accomplishments and for their strong belief in the veterinary profession.
Jeff received his Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Cincinnati in 1986 and then furthered his education at Mississippi State University where he received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1990.
Following graduation from MSU, Jeff began his career working as a small animal veterinarian at his father’s practice, Grady Veterinary Hospital, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent 11 years in the role before assuming ownership of the practice following his father’s death.
“My father, Dr. Karl S. Grady, was the greatest influence on my career,” Jeff said.
The impact of family also plays an important role for Karen Collins. Just as her husband, Karen received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from MSU in 1990.
Today, Collins owns Companion Care Animal Hospital in Fairfield, Ohio. She says purchasing her practice and building a new facility to serve the community and its pets are among her greatest accomplishments.
Collins is proud of the work of her family in the vocation.
“Three generations of my family will be known as veterinarians, and we are grateful for the profession and what it brings to our lives and the lives of others,” she said.
Grady and Collins currently reside in Cincinnati, Ohio, and happily serve the communities around them. They are both active with the Cincinnati Veterinary Medical Association and the Ohio Veterinary Medical Association.
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