Alumni Fellows - 2019
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Becky Murphy
Mississippi State University will always be a part of Becky Murphy. She was born and raised a Bulldog in Starkville by her parents, the late Werner Essig and Alice Essig, who were longtime dedicated MSU employees. Growing up, they taught her the value of being a responsible individual and the impact of positively touching the lives of others.
Although she divides her time between Dallas, Texas, and Starkville, Becky maintains the passionate Bulldog connections she began earlier in life. Everywhere she goes, she happily finds fellow MSU graduates since the network of alumni is worldwide. And her passionate ties to Starkville include both the university and the family she loves.
MSU has always been a second home for her. She recalls attending picnics on campus and enjoying the Lyceum Series – just spending time engaging with the community. And her parents were great influencers in her life, instilling the importance of an education and challenging her to make good choices.
Her fondest memory of her time spent as an MSU student revolves around the great friendships she made. MSU prepared her for success as she learned about leadership, teamwork, time management, and hard work. And despite a very fun-filled freshman year, she stayed the course and graduated with honors in 1983, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in home economics through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
After graduation, Becky began her career in the technology field with IBM and held several leadership roles in sales over the next 20 years. The last six years of her time there, she serviced one of IBM’s top partners, Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc. By 2007, Becky joined the Sirius company, where she progressed to senior vice president of sales for the Southwest Region before her retirement earlier this year. As a sales leader, she believes her greatest accomplishment was developing young and aspiring employees.
Becky has been a champion for education during much of her lifetime—a trait stemming from what her parents encouraged in her. In Texas, she was actively involved in the community, where her passion was helping “at-risk” children. For 16 years, she was part of Communities in Schools in Dallas, which focuses on keeping at-risk students in school, and she dedicated time serving that organization’s board. Her support of education also extends to her hometown and her university. A planned gift from her will create an endowment for the Starkville Oktibbeha Partnership Middle School at MSU, slated to open for fall 2020. She also generously supports scholarships in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Since retirement, Becky looks forward to both reconnecting with friends and cultivating more through active involvement with the MSU Alumni Association. Of the Alumni Fellow selection, she is grateful and humbled to be acknowledged with the esteemed honor from among thousands of deserving graduates.
College of Architecture, Art and Design
Cindy West Simpson
The passion Cindy West Simpson has for her work with Gensler, the world’s largest architecture and design firm, began at an early age. Her father was a contractor and highly skilled carpenter with a precise eye for design, and his influence was quite impactful on her.
In enrolling at Mississippi State University, Cindy felt immediately at home. Her fondest memories of MSU involve the strong culture and supportive sense of family. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in interior design from the College of Architecture, Art, and Design (CAAD) in 1996 and began her successful career with Gensler.
Having spent almost 20 years in various roles with Gensler, Cindy is now the co-managing director of the firm's Dallas office, a member of the firm’s board of directors, and a Fellow in the International Interior Design Association. Named one of the 500 Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth for three years by D CEO Magazine, Cindy has inspired a dynamic culture of collaboration and design excellence founded upon her people-first leadership approach. A dedicated client advocate, Cindy serves on Gensler’s Firmwide Client Relationships Management Committee, working across the firm to strengthen client partnerships.
The selection as Alumni Fellow at MSU is a platform that aligns with Cindy’s passions, values, and beliefs as a design professional. She has dedicated her career to elevating her profession and to ensuring that design matters in peoples’ lives, communities, and environment. Her dedication extends to inspiring and fostering the brightest minds at colleges and universities like Mississippi State for her industry, to elevate the visibility of her profession and of college graduates, and to create a better world through the power of design.
For a number of years, at MSU, Cindy has served the College of Architecture, Art, and Design advisory board and has been a member of the MSU Foundation board of directors. In 2010, she was honored as the college’s Alumna of the Year for her many accomplishments and the Bulldog spirit she embodies in her personal and professional life.
Dedicated to numerous philanthropic initiatives, Cindy is especially proud of the two MSU scholarships she created. The Cindy W. Simpson Loyalty Scholarship provides financial awards to incoming freshmen who exhibit academic excellence and leadership potential, and the Cindy W. Simpson Endowed Scholarship in the Interior Design program will create financial awards in perpetuity. Along with supporting MSU, Cindy passionately assists women’s and children’s charities and serves on the board of directors of HopeKids, which provides ongoing events, activities, and a support community for families who have a child with cancer or other life-threatening medical conditions.
Originally from the Mississippi town of Aberdeen, Cindy resides in Plano, Texas. She has one child, daughter Aston.
College of Arts and Sciences
David E. Seago
A crowning achievement for Dr. David E. Seago has been his selection as an Alumni Fellow by the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University. He is very appreciative of being honored by the university he loves.
A native Mississippian, David grew up in the Jackson area. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in general science from MSU in 1997. He credits MSU with teaching him how to be a successful student.
Following his time at MSU, David attended the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry and obtained his D.M.D. in 2000. He continued his studies in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. He received his certificate in the summer of 2005. While in Galveston, David received extensive training in all aspects of oral and maxillofacial surgery with special emphasis on trauma, pathology, orthognathic surgery, and dentoalveolar surgery. He also participated in the Shriner Hospital’s Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic.
David feels one of his greatest professional accomplishments has been obtaining and finishing an oral and maxillofacial residency. He also did a mini residency in temporomandibular joint surgery with an emphasis in arthroscopy. For his achievements, David is a recipient of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
For 13 years, David practiced oral and maxillofacial surgery with his father, Donald Seago, a fellow MSU alumnus, and credits him as a great influence on his personal and professional life. Today, David is a partner of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, P.A. On a daily basis, he operates offices in Flowood and Madison while providing a full scope of traditional surgical services.
Outside of his practice, David maintains a physically fit lifestyle. He has run multiple marathons and completed three Ironman triathlons, two in Tennessee and Texas in the United States and one in Canada. He also remains active in his community through his membership in dental societies. Locally, he volunteers with Mission First Dental Clinic, where he provides free care for patients and oversees dental students, providing training for them in oral surgical procedures.
Beyond local volunteerism, David has participated in numerous foreign mission trips. As an active MSU alumnus, David led dental mission trips to Mexico and South Africa for nearly a decade with fellow Bulldog alumni as part of the special Doctor Dawgs effort. This passionate initiative helped grow the MSU impact internationally.
David resides in Jackson with his wife of 20 years, Stacy, and their four children – Bryant, Mary Grace, Ellie, and Annie Lou. The couple serve as marriage mentors at their church.
College of Business
Shawn M. Hunter
Shawn M. Hunter of Mobile, Alabama is owner and CEO of Industry Services Company, Inc., a specialty, industrial contractor supplying technical services, equipment, and field crews to combat heat and corrosion problems for customers throughout the United States. He credits his peer group and mentors, combined with leadership and business skills he gained while pursuing his degree, with providing the background necessary to launch and grow his successful businesses.
Shawn graduated from MSU in 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in real estate and mortgage finance. After graduation, Shawn joined his family’s business, Lynn Whitsett Corporation, in Memphis, Tennessee. Then, in 1995, he purchased his first company, D.A. Collins Refractories, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, Shawn purchased Industry Services Company, Inc. and moved the headquarters of his entire business to Mobile, Alabama. Since that time, through additional purchases and organic growth, the company has become a leader in refractory services, operating six offices throughout the U.S.
Shawn credits MSU and the College of Business for giving him a great foundation in academics. For his professional achievements, the college saluted Shawn among the Top 100 business alumni on its centennial anniversary. Now, he is honored and humbled to be recognized again by his university – this time as a 2019 Alumni Fellow.
While attending MSU, Shawn learned how to deal effectively with all types of people by serving in leadership roles in his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, and later by working in the service industry. The friends he met at MSU are still his closest confidants.
Shawn also acknowledges his parents for their great influence. He learned from them the importance of working hard, giving back, and leaving a place better than when he found it. He has tried to instill those same priorities of faith and family in his own children, Ann Mason and Walker. Shawn is especially proud to receive the Alumni Fellow honor while Ann Mason and Walker are enrolled as MSU students. Ann Mason is a senior, and Walker is a freshman, both following in their parents’ Bulldog footsteps.
Shawn and his wife, Catherine Chatham Hunter, a 1991 MSU graduate, have been married 26 years and reside in Mobile, Alabama. They share many wonderful memories of their time spent at MSU. Besides meeting Catherine, some of Shawn’s fondest campus memories include camping outside at The Hump the night before the MSU vs. LSU basketball game in 1991, traveling to all the away SEC football games, playing intramurals with his Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brothers, and of course, earning his MSU degree.
College of Education
John. W. Jordan
For John W. Jordan, recognition as an Alumni Fellow at Mississippi State University after a 35-year career in education is a very meaningful honor. MSU helped him grow into a dedicated, serious student and placed him on a great path toward a rewarding and inspiring career. And he’s taken the opportunity afforded to him by way of his degrees and worked to bring about positive impact and educational reform in his home state of Mississippi.
John is a three-time Bulldog graduate – proudly boasting his degrees from the university’s College of Education. He earned a Bachelor of Science in social studies education in 1976, a Master of Arts in education in 1980, and a Doctor of Education in school administration in 1982.
As a young adult, John’s MSU degrees allowed him to be seriously considered for professional leadership positions in Mississippi. He began his career as a classroom teacher at E.E. Bass Jr. High School in Greenville and then later at Woolfolk Elementary School in Yazoo City. Following these positions, he returned to MSU and earned master’s and doctoral degrees and worked as a technical writer for the land-grant institution’s Research and Curriculum Unit.
By 1983, John moved into his first public school administrative role as principal of Natchez Cathedral School, where he served for four years. He would follow that role with seven years as an assistant superintendent at Jackson School District. Then in 1994, John spent eight years as Superintendent of Education for the Oxford School District. He then joined the Mississippi Department of Education as Deputy State Superintendent of Education and later in an interim position of State Superintendent of Education.
All these roles have provided John an impressive resume that’s still growing. In 2006, John served as the first executive director in the pre-construction phase of the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Since 2012, John has been executive director of Core Learning, LLC, an educational consulting firm he founded.
In John’s personal and professional life, two individuals have been a great influence. Dr. Robert Fortenberry and Dr. Joseph Haynes – both educators he served with in Jackson. He also cites the College of Education faculty at MSU as being influential to him in his career.
During his career, John has been saluted by MSU on two previous occasions – induction into the MSU Hall of Fame in 1981 and an MSU College of Education Circle of Excellence Award for contributions to the field of education in 1998. Also, in 1998, he was honored as the American Association of School Administrators Mississippi Superintendent of the Year. Additionally, John received the Golden Lamp Award for Service to the Field of Education in 2010 by the Mississippi Association of School Administrators.
John is a native of the community of Carter near Yazoo City. He and his wife, Lou, now reside in Madison. They have three children.
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering
Gavin W. Rees
Gavin Rees was recruited to play college football and with a number of offers in hand, he chose Mississippi State University for its excellent engineering school and promising football program. Following graduation and a long career that took him outside of Mississippi, he is now back in Starkville and actively involved with his university.
Gavin’s father was a civil engineer and career U.S. Army officer in the Corp of Engineers, and his honesty and work ethic greatly influenced Gavin’s life. Gavin grew up in various locations throughout the country before his family located in Mississippi with his father’s appointment as the Vicksburg District Engineer. Gavin’s older sister, also a civil engineer, helped influence his educational path.
Gavin attended MSU as the recipient of the James P. Applewhite Scholarship for engineering students. He acknowledges that MSU prepared him for success by helping him learn time management through balancing the workload of engineering coursework and football. He recalls “tromping” the fields behind Herbert Hall for surveying class, attending big name concerts at The Hump and McCarthy gymnasium, playing frisbee in the hall at McArthur and enjoying Friday nights with teammates waiting for The Midnight Special to air on television. Being named first-team Academic All-SEC as a wide receiver for the Bulldog football team in 1976 and 1977 were proud moments. He now adds the Alumni Fellow honor among those great moments.
In 1978, Gavin earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from MSU. After earning his degree, he began a productive 36-year career with The Procter & Gamble Company.
During the first decade of his career, Gavin managed a variety of manufacturing operations at plants in St. Louis, Missouri and Frostproof, Florida. He transferred to Customer Service/Logistics and worked with Publix and other customers to help optimize their supply chains within the Florida market. He was then appointed as Southeast Customer Service Center Manager in Augusta, Georgia. Following his assignment in Augusta, Gavin helped lead the consolidation of all regional customer service centers into Cincinnati, Ohio, the headquarters of Procter & Gamble. He then assumed responsibilities for the company’s U.S. import and export businesses. In one of his final roles, Gavin helped lead the development, implementation, and support for the company’s integrated information system, SAP, to all 130+ manufacturing sites around the world. He retired as a global manager in 2015.
Gavin and his wife, Sheila, also an MSU graduate, have been married for 40 years and now reside in Starkville. Together, they enjoy attending sporting events and other campus activities. They have one child, Jennifer Rees Wilkinson.
College of Veterinary Medicine
Taylor D. Lyne
Dr. Taylor Lyne proudly helms the company his father passionately founded 50 years ago, continuing the family legacy of service to the community. And his Mississippi State University veterinary degree has enabled him to achieve a new dimension of success.
A Richmond, Virginia native, Taylor worked in his father’s veterinary practice beginning at age 10 and later became a kennel assistant there. After completing his undergraduate education at Emory and Henry College and Virginia State University, Taylor began veterinary school at Ross University. However, he was tenacious in his quest for a veterinary degree, transferring to MSU because its curriculum enabled him to gain clinical knowledge earlier – passing the national boards in his junior year and working in private practice in his senior year. In fact, one of Taylor’s fondest memories was bringing his new bride, Kimberly (K.C.), to his last rotation of senior year in Starkville.
The Lyne family practice was dependent on Taylor’s success at MSU. The surgical and clinical experience and education he received and the ability to train at veterinary practices and hospitals were pivotal. These surgical and clinical opportunities also allowed Taylor to effectively utilize mentors, build lasting relationships with professors, and hone his professional skills.
In 1994, Taylor graduated from MSU with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. With DVM in hand, he returned to the family business and became veterinarian-in-charge and eventually owner. He now owns and operates Lyne Enterprise, LLC, which consists of Chester Animal Clinic, Courthouse Road Animal Hospital, and West Chester Pet Resort – all around Chester, Virginia.
His legacy also extends to MSU, where a client consultation room honors his endowment-level support. The Dr. and Mrs. Taylor Lyne Client Consultation Room is one of four private waiting rooms for clients in the CVM Animal Hospital that provides advanced care, support, and state-of-the-art treatment. Taylor understands the prime need for consultation as it relates to successful care and treatment of animals and his generous support of MSU emphasizes this.
Taylor loyally volunteers his time and gives of his resources because CVM helped prepare him for the successful veterinary career he enjoys today. And, the Alumni Fellow honor, he feels, validates his commitment to MSU and his desire to be a mentor to future veterinary students. In working with new graduates, in particular, he imparts best practices to the next generation of veterinarians. Not only has he mentored senior students at MSU, but also at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and through Blue Ridge Community College near him.
Taylor and K.C. live in Chester, Virginia, where she works alongside him in the family business, devoting time to managing their clinics. They have three children.
Footer Ads
