National Alumnus of the Year

Born in Tupelo and raised in Fulton, Wilson earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in entomology from MSU in 1982 and 1984, respectively. The path was a natural fit for Wilson, who grew up scouting cotton fields in the summers with his father, a first-generation college graduate who also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural studies from the land-grant institution.

As a student, Wilson was dedicated to his academic studies, graduating summa cum laude. He was an entomology club member and played intramural sports. He also met his wife and fellow MSU graduate Cindy during his first year of graduate school. An education major, she landed a summer job as a student worker in the entomology department, where their paths crossed.

Wilson’s professional journey spans more than four decades and is demonstrated by remarkable success and pioneering leadership in the agricultural industry. He began his career at BASF in field sales. During his 15 years with the company, he grew his skills and entered progressive executive roles in North America and Europe.

In 2002, Wilson joined United Agri Products as president and general manager. He and a few colleagues engineered a buyout of the company from ConAgra Foods the following year, turned around performance and took it public in 2005, trading on the NASDAQ exchange. The company was sold in 2007 to Canada’s Agrium Inc. for $2.65 billion, the largest agricultural retailer acquisition of the time.

Wilson then co-founded Tacoma Ag LLC in 2009. The generic-branded crop protection company rapidly rose to national prominence, reaching nearly $125 million in sales in less than 10 years. He retired from the corporate world in 2018 following the acquisition of Tacoma Ag by Atticus LLC.

Since then, Wilson has spent his time working with private equity groups assessing potential acquisitions in the ag industry and investing in various venture capital enterprises. He also serves on boards of directors for several promising ag technology companies, including FruitScout and Zeakal Inc. For his outstanding career achievements, he was honored by MSU as the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Alumni Fellow in 2014.

Beyond his impressive professional achievements, Wilson has dedicated his service on the board of several local organizations, including the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, North Mississippi Daily Journal, North Mississippi Medical Center and the CREATE Foundation, which he chaired from 2020-2022.

Wilson has served multiple terms on the MSU Foundation board, is a longtime member and current treasurer of the Bulldog Club board and has provided valuable insight to his college as a member of the dean’s advisory board. As an entrepreneur, he is involved with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach in the College of Business, is a member of the Bulldog Angel Network and enjoys working with and serving as mentor for several start-up companies developed through the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach.

The Wilsons’ gifts, benefitting areas across Bulldog athletics, endowed scholarship awards, the T.K. Martin Center’s Project IMPACT program and student activities, reflect the couple’s belief in the transformative power of education and importance of paying it forward.

For Wilson, receiving the university’s highest alumni award is not just a personal honor but a tribute to his family’s journey and the values instilled in him by his parents.