Reveille 25 Honorees 2022

A two-time MSU mechanical engineer graduate, Jamel Alexander came to MSU to continue his education. The New Orleans native graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a bachelor’s in physics and subsequently earned a master’s in applied physics from the University of New Orleans. At MSU, he earned a 2013 master’s and a 2017 PhD, both from the Bagley College of Engineering.

MSU gave Alexander a dedication to excellence, teamwork, family integrity, initiative and accountability that he has carried throughout his life after Starkville. He takes pride in giving back to MSU through mentoring, working with the Summer Bridge Program, the National Society of Black Engineers Student Organization, the Mechanical Engineering Minority Organization (MEMO) and MSU’s ROTC Leadership Program.

Alexander now works as a general engineer for the Department of Defense in Huntsville, Alabama. He has extensive research experience and publications and has been a guest speaker and panelist for STEM-related events across the Southeast. He currently mentors more than 20 MSU students and professionals and is passionate about bringing STEM education and helping youth in underserved communities. He and his wife Vemitra live in Huntsville, Alabama.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture in 2020, Morgan Alexander continued her involvement with her alma mater on a professional level, assuming the role of admissions counselor for the Mississippi Delta and Jackson Public Schools regions. The Jackson native credits her successful college experience to the support of MSU faculty and staff and hopes to offer similar support to incoming members of the Bulldog family.

As a student, Alexander was involved in and out of the classroom. She was as an ambassador for the College of Forest Resources (CFR) and also was a member of the CFR Dean’s Council, where she assumed the roles of community service chair and newsletter editor for the college. Alexander also was actively involved with the Society of African American Studies (SAAS), serving as the program director from 2016-2018 and as president from 2018-2019. Upon being selected for the William A. Demmer Scholars Program, Alexander spent the 2018 summer semester as an intern with the United States Forest Service in Washington, D.C.

Prior to assuming her current role as an admissions counselor, Alexander served as an administrative assistant and public relations and programming coordinator for the university’s African American Studies Program. During this time, she created SAFE SPACE, a campus-based fellowship program for students to engage in discussions regarding social issues. She also launched SAAS’s annual Girls Just Want Fundamental Rights Bakesale in 2017, curated the organization’s Imitation of Life Art Exhibit in 2018 and was involved with SAAS-hosted Black Boy Joy event in 2019. She accepted the President’s Commission on the Status of Minorities Diversity Award on behalf of SAAS in 2019. Committed to furthering her support for current and future students, Alexander works closely with the Black Alumni Advisory Council to improve student retention, specifically for underrepresented student populations.

Outside MSU, Alexander has employed her CFR education to promote nature and science. She is the co-founder of Culture and Conservation LLC, a social media platform and podcast that seeks to increase conservation education while creating representation for women and people of color in the natural resource profession. The organization recently partnered with A&S Interiors to launch a line of pollinator-inspired pillows. A portion of the proceeds from pillow sales will be donated to pollinator conservation efforts. Additionally, she has published a chapter on Artiodactyla Life History in the Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior and previously volunteered at the J.L. King Center in Starkville to teaching students in grades K-10 about different aspects of the ecosystem. She currently resides in Starkville.

Whether leading a student organization, pursuing an internship or planning her professional career, third-generation Bulldog Shelby Baldwin means business. The Ridgeland native earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing in 2019 and is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Rocketing Systems Inc., a Starkville-based business that developed Software as a Service (SaaS) solution Buzzbassador. A marketing automation and social media engagement platform that helps online brands run influencer marketing campaigns, Buzzbassadors software is used by over 500 businesses and 70,000 influencers around the world. It has driven over $6.2 million in influencer-generated revenue for its customers since launching in 2020 and has taken home top honors from countless pitch competitions, including being named among the Southeast’s Top Technology Startups by Venture Atlanta in 2020. Similarly, Rocketing Systems has raised just under $1,000,000 in investment capital from angel investors around the Southeast, many of whom are MSU alumni.

In 2017, Baldwin interned at Glo, a Starkville-based business created by former MSU students with support from MSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center). Through that experience, she realized her passion for business and changed her major from education to business. She also became involved with the E-Center, which led her to co-create two companies as a student. The first was an online women’s clothing company and the second was Rocketing Systems.

In addition to pursuing her degree and launching two businesses during her time at MSU, Baldwin also was involved with the Student Association, was selected as the 2018 Miss MSU, served as an ambassador and recruitment intern for the College of Business, and also as a counselor, programming staff member and executive director for New Maroon Camp. In 2017, she also co-founded MSU’s Undergraduate Women in Business organization to advance the individual and professional development of women in business.

Baldwin received the 2019 Spirit of State Award and the 2019 President’s Commission of the Status of Women Student Leadership Award. She also led her startup company to win the 2019 SEC Student Startup of Pitch Competition. She continues to support other aspiring entrepreneurs by volunteering on the MSU E-Center’s Peer Review Entrepreneurship Panel, speaking at programs like the iCreate Camp and serving as a mentor with the Women’s Business and Enterprise National Council. In 2020, she helped launch and manage Baddies in Tech, a free online community resource aimed at educating and empowering women of color who are pursuing careers in technology-related fields. Baldwin currently resides in Starkville.

Graduating in 2009 from the Bagley College of Engineering with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, Brian Barnes’ career has taken him across the Southeast. From working with Georgia-Pacific in Arkansas to the Tennessee Valley Authority in Tupelo, he credits MSU for providing him every opportunity. He was active with the college and helped with recruiting efforts as an undergraduate. He was a co-op ambassador, secretary of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering and more.

The Tremont native returned to the Bagley to earn his master’s in engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers and has numerous professional certifications and skills training. He currently is an engineering manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Tupelo. He and his wife Kristen make their home in Saltillo.

Barnes recognizes the university’s land grant mission as a foundation for helping him in his professional career to help the betterment of people from all walks of life across the state, country and world. As an alumnus, he is a member of the Bulldog Club, the Alumni Recruiting Network and Bulldog Network mentor. He views MSU as a family and aims to live its mission everywhere he goes.

Joseph M. “JoJo” Dodd is a man of many talents, and he continues to use and expand them to benefit others. After beginning his college career at Pearl River Community College, Dodd quit school and moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career as a comedy writer and stand-up comedian. After several months, he went on to serve as a strategy/media intern for the Romney For President campaign in Boston, Massachusetts, and then interned in the office of Senator Roger Wicker in Washington, D.C. The Picayune native returned to his Magnolia State home the fall of 2013 and enrolled at MSU, where he continued to build upon his entertainment experience as a member of the Bully mascot team. The 2016 MSU economics major also was a writer for The Reflector student newspaper, a Pi Beta Phi Houseboy and president of the Student Association.

During his time in Starkville, Dodd became interested in emergency medicine and began working as an EMT for Starkville’s OCH Regional Medical Center. As a result, he continued his education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he earned a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and is now a fourth-year medical student. A recipient of the United States Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program, Dodd was sworn into the U.S. Navy in 2018 and holds the rank of ensign while in medical school. He will serve as a physician in the U.S. Navy upon completion of his medical training.

In addition to medical school, Dodd also is chairman of the board and chief operations officer for the Jackson Free Clinic (JFC), a nonprofit that provides free healthcare to the uninsured population of Mississippi. Serving as the leader of JFC’s executive board and 40-member general body, he recently guided the implementation of a financial and organizational overhaul to protect the long-term success of the clinic. Dodd also co-founded the JFC Health Ambassador Program, which has established chapters on multiple college campuses across the state, including MSU.

For his exceptional leadership and service, Dodd has received several distinguished honors. They include the 2021 Robert Clayton Maynor Jr. Leadership Award, selection to the Gold Humanism Honor Society, the Mississippi Legislature’s HEADWAE honor, and MSU’s 2016 Spirit of State award, among others. Dodd is active in his community, serving as a health policy associate for the Bower Foundation, and has also maintained his connection to MSU as a member of the Young Alumni Advisory Council, Alumni Recruiting Network and Maroon Mail Writers.

Matthew Doude is a three-time MSU graduate. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering in 2007 and 2014, respectively, followed by a doctoral degree in industrial and systems engineering in 2020. He began his career at MSU’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) in 2007 as a student, assuming progressive roles as research engineer in 2009, business development officer in 2015 and associate director of corporate engagement the following year.

While at CAVS, Doude led MSU’s ChallengeX, EcoCAR, and EcoCAR2 teams to a string of national championships in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012 as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s ongoing Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions. Doude also led the MSU Car of the Future team as program manager and chief engineer. The Car of the Future program produced a concept car showcasing CAVS’ advanced technology in lightweight materials, energy efficiency, additive manufacturing and others, demonstrating a fuel economy of 104 mpg. Doude was also principal investigator for the 2017-2020 MSU Halo Project, developing an off-road, all-electric SUV focused on autonomy in unstructured environments.

Doude co-founded Spark Automotive Engineering in 2015 and served as the company’s president until 2018. In 2020, he moved to Huntsville, Alabama, to continue his career with Dynetics, Inc. He currently supports programs for NASA’s Artemis mission to return humans to the moon, including Program Management for NASA’s Human Landing System.

For his innovative work, Doude was named MSU’s 2009 Outstanding Graduate Student Research and 2011 Outstanding Staff Researcher. He holds 11 patents and has co-authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications. Doude also serves on the board of directors for FIRST in Alabama.

A resident of Biloxi, Jeffery Ellis has made a 15-year career at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula. He graduated from Mississippi State with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 2006 and is currently an engineering manager.

During his time at MSU, he was part of the MSU Student Association (SA), American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Foundry Society, and the Lambda Sigma honor society, among other organizations. In 2006, he received MSU’s Spirit of State Award. Among Ellis’ proudest achievements during his time as a Bulldog student was the opportunity to serve as the SA director of athletic affairs. In that role, he was instrumental in the conceptual design and resulting construction of The Junction in the heart of campus.

As an alumnus, he has served the MSU Alumni Association in multiple capacities, from a chapter board member to chapter president of the Gulf Coast Alumni Chapter and the Harrison-Stone County Alumni Chapter. Ellis is active in his community. He served in multiple capacities for the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum and the Biloxi Yacht Club. He is dedicated to MSU through recruiting, mentoring and community outreach. He and his wife Dallas have two sons, Banks and Conner.

A 2012 MSU business administration graduate, Michael Ferril is CEO of Rosy Rings, Inc., a craft-focused fragrance brand based in Denver, Colorado. He joined the company in 2017 as chief operation officer and assumed his current position in 2020.

Driven to excel in business, Ferril started his career as production manager at DPM Fragrance before even graduating from college. Ferril quickly moved up the ranks of the company and was named operations director in 2014. During his junior year at MSU, he also founded CleanCrete Exteriors, a pressure washing business, which he sold upon graduation.

As a student, Ferril volunteered with the Adopt-A-Highway program and the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. He also participated in the MSU-affiliated Habitat for Humanity projects. Ferril has maintained his connection with his alma mater as an active alumni member. He currently serves on the Management and Information Systems advisory board in the College of Business and previously was involved with the college’s Young Alumni Advisory Board, which he chaired from 2016-2017. Ferril was named on the 100 for 100 list of distinguished alumni for the College of Business during its centennial celebration. He resides in Broomfield, Colorado.

With a 2007 industrial and systems engineering degree from Mississippi State and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law, Elliott Flaggs has worked for more than 10 years to serve his community. He has worked with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and interned with Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, served as the special assistant in the Mississippi Attorney General’s office and currently is a vice president at Cornerstone Government Affairs’ Jackson office.

Flaggs has been involved with many organizations and causes during his undergraduate and post-graduate career. At MSU, he was director of minority affairs with the Student Association, vice president of the Eta Upsilon chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi and the Black Student Alliance, and served on the Dean’s Leadership Council in the Bagley College of Engineering. As an alumnus, he has served as a volunteer for MSU’s Black Alumni Weekend and its Advisory Council in multiple capacities.

In Jackson, Flaggs is a chairman for the Ronald McDonald Charity House of Mississippi, an incorporator and board member of The First Tee of Central Mississippi and Made MENtoring, and a board member of the American Cancer Society and Special Olympics of Mississippi. He is also a member of the Mississippi Bar Association, 100 Black Men of Jackson and other organizations. Additionally, Flaggs was a 2019 Mississippi Top 50 honoree and was recognized as a top 10 finalist in the 2018 Mississippi Business Journal Top 50 under 40 class. He and his daughter Lianne Marie reside in Jackson.

After graduating from Mississippi State with a degree in biological engineering in 2009, Darvin Griffin continued his education and career in clinical research within the medical device sector. The Shuqualak native received his master’s degree in 2013 and PhD in 2015, both in biomedical engineering from the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. Today, Griffin is the director of clinical development in medical aesthetics for AbbVie, Inc., based in Irvine, California.

At MSU, Griffin was among those self-motivated and academically focused who was keenly interested in improving the quality of life within his milieu. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., MSU Residence Life (RA) and an active leader for MSU’s Region V Science and Engineering Fairs. As an International Science and Engineering finalist, Griffin mentored and coordinated programs at local elementary schools for students interested in science and engineering. He transferred those initiatives during his tenure at Cornell and altruistically continued outreach work within STEM education.

Griffin has received numerous awards and accolades over the years. He also has many peer-reviewed publications surrounding articular cartilage repair and biomechanics. While his education and career have taken him around the globe, Griffin has remained challenge-driven in everything he does.

When he was five years old, Cody Hardin decided that he wanted to be an aerospace engineer and attend Mississippi State University. Both of those came true for the 2008 Bagley College of Engineering graduate. He was a founding member of the MSU Space Cowboys rocket design team, a member and officer in both the MSU Block and Bridle Club and the MSU August Raspet Chapter of AIAA.

The Batesville native now works for Aurora Fight Services, a Boeing Company, as a lead manufacturing engineer and is an adjunct instructor for introduction to aerospace composites at East Mississippi Community College. Hardin received his master’s in engineering management from Arkansas State University. He is committed to fostering and encouraging an early interest in Mississippi’s aerospace and STEM-related career paths. He co-founded the Magnolia State Rocketry Association, a National Association of Rocketry section, is a merit badge counselor for STEM programs for the Boy Scouts of America and is a 4-H club volunteer for rocketry and robotics.

Hardin is passionate about giving back to his alma mater. He continues to work with the Space Cowboys as a technical advisor, advisor to the senior class aerospace projects, speaks at MSU AIAA events and attends recruiting fairs from every organization he has worked for in his 13-year career. Hardin, his wife Joy and their daughter Carrie Ann make their home in Eupora.

Seanicaa Edwards Herron believes success requires personal transformation, and her own transformation began the moment she arrived at Mississippi State University. She credits her MSU education and student experience with helping her find her voice and becoming an outspoken and passionate leader. The Hernando native earned a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness in 2004 and a master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2008.

As a student, Herron was involved in several student organizations, including the National Agri-Marketing Association, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences, Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education, Committee on the Opportunities and Status of Blacks in Agricultural Economics and the Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics. She also served as a graduate research assistant in the agricultural economics department from 2005-2007.

After graduation, Herron began working for the University of Missouri-Columbia. There, she served as a swine extension economist for the university’s Commercial Agriculture Program, while also serving as a teaching assistant in the Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics. She later assumed progressive roles as an agricultural economist and analyst at Doane Advisory Services in St. Louis, Missouri, Informa Economics in Memphis, Tennessee, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economics Research Services in Washington, D.C.

Since 2016, Herron has served as an agricultural economist and livestock commodity analyst for the USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist and the World Agricultural Outlook Board in Washington, D.C. She presently serves as co-founder and executive director of Freedmen Heirs Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes prominence, profitability and expansion of African-American farmers in the U.S. by providing agricultural advisory services and expertise through education, collaboration and advocacy across all sectors. Herron is also a peer-reviewed published author and former USDA radio contributor on livestock markets and weekly briefings for top USDA officials, the Secretary of Agriculture and Chief Economist. A pioneer and trailblazer, Herron was the first African-American woman to serve in the capacity of agricultural economist for USDA’s World Agricultural Outlook Board, Missouri Commercial Agriculture Program and Informa Economics. She is a highly respected agricultural economist with 20 years of domestic and international experience in agricultural economics spanning across the academic, private and government sectors. A 2009 recipient of the Albert R. Hagan Awards for excellence in agricultural economics, Herron makes her home in Clarksburg, Maryland.

Whitney Lipscomb has a passion for improving the lives of Mississippians and has established a reputation as a relentless hard worker and a strong advocate for policies that promote economic opportunity and the rule of law. As a deputy attorney general for the Mississippi Attorney General’s office, the 2009 political science alumna oversees the Opinions and Policy, Civil and Solicitor General Divisions. Prior to this, she served as deputy chief of staff and counsel for Governor Phil Bryant, providing strategic counsel to the Governor on a wide range of policy and legal matters and playing an instrumental role in many of the successes of his administration. Lipscomb previously practiced law in Gulfport where she did civil defense work and regularly represented state entities.

As a student, Lipscomb was selected as the 2008 Miss MSU, was involved with MSU Roadrunners, was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority and served as secretary of the Student Association and president of the Stennis Montgomery Association. She was a Stennis Scholar, a 2009 Spirit of State honoree and Greek Hall of Fame Award recipient, and a summa cum laude graduate.

Before earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law summa cum laude, Lipscomb worked as the finance director for Congressman Stephen Fincher’s first campaign and served a stint on Capitol Hill as a Running Start Fellow.

The Gulfport native is on the boards of directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mississippi and Mississippi Public Broadcasting and is a member of the TVA Regional Resource Stewardship Council. In 2019, she was named among Mississippi’s Top 50 Most Influential. Lipscomb resides in Ridgeland with her husband and fellow MSU alumnus, Hunter, and their son/future Bulldog, Meyer.

As an orthopeadic surgeon, David Macias has had an extensive career working with individuals worldwide. He graduated from Mississippi State in 2004 with a bachelor’s in biomedical engineering and completed his Doctor of Medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in 2009. He interned and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins University and completed fellowships in Boise, Idaho, and Liestal, Switzerland.

As an undergraduate, the New Orleans native was part of the university honors program, the men’s club soccer team and several honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key and Gamma Beta Phi. After graduating from medical school, Macias worked as a team physician for the Baltimore Orioles and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Macias has loved mentoring and providing care to people of all ages. He worked with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery Safe and Accessible Playground Build Team to build equipment for accessible playgrounds and has assisted with orthopeadic care at the Shriner’s Hospital in Honolulu, which provides care for children around the South Pacific. He is an adjunct professor at MSU’s Department of Kinesiology, where he contributes to project development, grant writing and publishing. He is currently an orthopaedic surgeon at OrthoVirginia in Alexandria, Virginia, where he provides operative and non-operative care to his patients. Macias, his wife Leah and their children Isabel and Emerson reside outside of Washington, D.C. in Vienna, Virginia.

Lyndsey Miller has put her MSU experience and education to work in a career designing environments of purpose and potential. The Biloxi native is a two-time MSU graduate, earning a 2005 bachelor’s degree in human sciences with an emphasis in interior design and a 2007 master’s degree in architecture. As a student, Miller was a part of the university’s honors program, participated in two study abroad experiences in Europe and served as a graduate assistant for the School of Architecture. She began her career as an interior designer for Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback and Associates in Atlanta in 2005. She served in various roles within the industry for several years before joining the MSU faculty full-time. In 2018, she was promoted from assistant professor to her current position of associate professor of the Interior Design Program.

A 2021 recipient of MSU’s John Grisham Master Teacher Award, Miller has been involved in a number of committees and working groups at the university. Since being appointed by the MSU Provost in 2019, she has served on two special task forces for the evaluation of teaching and faculty development. She also represents CAAD as a member of the MSU Faculty Senate Executive Committee, serving as the chair of the student affairs sub-committee. In addition, she serves on many college-level and departmental committees and task force working groups. Committed to excellence in her work and the work of her students, she is the faculty advisor for the MSU Collegiate Society of Interior Designers student organization and annually coordinates a distinguished trip for senior-level interior design students to visit the nation’s largest design trade show in Chicago, Illinois. Recently, one of her senior-level interior design students was acknowledged as one of five semi-finalists in a national design competition, of which there were 900 submissions from which the student was selected. This speaks to the effectiveness of Lyndsey’s teaching and her commitment to the development of future design professionals. In 2017, she was awarded the CAAD Non-tenured Faculty Teaching Award.

Miller has been involved in design and renovation projects and proposals for several facilities on campus, including Howell Hall, CAAD Art Gallery in the Cullis Wade Depot, and McCool Hall including the College of Business Dean’s Office, Department of Marketing and E-Center. Serving as the sole-proprietor for Studio M Interior Design, her work off campus has elevated many spaces in the community as well, earning multiple Best of Mississippi awards for developments she worked alongside Tabor Construction and Development to complete. Some of those include The Lofts at Central Station, Belle Grove Condominiums, Central Station Grill, Boardtown Bikes and other properties and businesses in the Golden Triangle area. She also was integral in the development of the interior design for Martin Oral and Facial Surgery center. She received both Gold and Silver Awards from the American Society of Interior Designers South Central Chapter, respectively, for her professional work on the former Beef O’Brady’s Restaurant and The Lofts at Central Station.

Miller is a member of Interior Design Educators Council, for which she received a Service Award in 2016, and is the former director-at-large of the American Society of Interior Designers South Central Chapter. In 2014, she was named Educator of the Year by the American Society of Interior Designers South Central Chapter and was also awarded a Presidential Citation in 2015 and two Service Awards in 2013 and 2014.

Outside her work in in the classroom and design industry, Miller also is the director of Starkville’s Academy of Competitive and Performing Arts APEX Dance Company. She also serves as the Ancillary Affairs Chair for the Distinguished Young Women of Starkville Scholarship Program. Miller resides in Starkville with her husband and fellow MSU alumnus, Dalton, and their two children.

After graduating from Mississippi State in 2009 with a bachelor’s in technology education, Alphaka Moore has dedicated her life to teaching and coaching in Mississippi schools. In 2014, the Laurel native received her master’s in educational administration and supervision from the University of Southern Mississippi.

During her time at MSU, she was an avid volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, highway clean-ups, reading at local nursing homes and volunteering at local elementary schools and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She committed hundreds of hours to her community. Currently, Moore is the athletic director and head girls’ basketball at Natchez High School in the Natchez Adams School District.

As an athletic director, Moore ensures the use and upkeep of all athletic facilities, travel for athletic competition, coordinates the uniforms, equipment, staff and management, budget, safety procedures and marketing for her district. As a coach, she prepares and implements practice and game plans, works with individual players, mentors student-athletes, schedules games, ensures that all athletes are NCAA eligible and builds relationships with her current and future players. Moore has received many team and individual achievements, but she is thankful for MSU giving her a place to grow in a safe, encouraging environment.

Matthew Priddy believes MSU has been immensely instrumental in his success, both professionally and personally. The Columbus native earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from MSU in 2008 and 2010, respectively. He also completed his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

In 2016, Priddy returned to Starkville to join the mechanical engineering faculty in MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering where he serves as an assistant professor. Upon his return, he also became involved with the J.L. King Center. He currently serves on the center’s board of directors and helps grow support for educational and vocational training for members of the Starkville community to gain employment in local industries through the center’s Path to Prosperity Program. He also is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS).

Priddy has served on various committees at MSU and published numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations throughout his professional career. He is also proud of his work as chief faculty advisor for the Mississippi Alpha student chapter of Tau Beta Pi (TBP) at MSU since 2018. Under his leadership, the engineering honor society has become more mission-driven to support the Bagley College and MSU community through outreach activities, including volunteering with organizations that provide hands-on STEM education. Through efforts to organize a networking event that connected TBP students and alumni, Priddy was instrumental in the establishment of the TBP Alumni Advisory Board. He also reestablished a scholarship program for TBP members that was initiated by then-Dean Harry Simrall in the 1970s and has helped grow support to further TBP scholarship and outreach opportunities into the future.

Since 2016, he has led the Computational Mechanics and Materials Laboratory (CMML) at MSU as principal investigator. With a goal of improving the understanding of scientific phenomena and engineering applications related to computational solid mechanics, Priddy has served as principal investigator for over $6 million in research expenditures, as well as mentored and advised more than 50 undergraduate researchers and 30 graduate students. Last year, he earned the Bagley College’s Distance Teaching Award. Priddy and his wife Lauren, fellow MSU alumnus and Bagley college faculty member, make their home in Starkville with their son Walter.

Stephen Reichley is a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian who earned a doctoral degree in veterinary medical science from MSU in 2017. He earlier completed his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Findlay and his DVM at The Ohio State University.

A native of Stow, Ohio, Reichley currently serves as an assistant clinical professor and the associate director of the Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security in MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. In this role, he provides support for the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation, Recovery, and Monitoring Program and collaborations with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He also serves in CVM’s Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine and is the risk mitigation specialist for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish.

Prior to joining the lab, Reichley was the director of R&D and fish health for Clear Springs Foods, the largest producer of freshwater rainbow trout in the United States. In addition to his career, Reichley is the immediate past president of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association and is director-at-large for the American Association of Fish Veterinarians. He also serves on the Technical Standards Committee of the American Fisheries Society Fish Health Section. He has experience in the production of many aquatic species, numerous scientific publications related to aquatic animal health, and has given lectures and seminars throughout the world.

At MSU, Reichley facilitated the inaugural student-led Watershed Cleanup event to engage MSU community members in clearing trash near watersheds to improve the environmental health of the local ecosystem. He also co-leads the MSU Tropical Veterinary Medicine and One Health study abroad program in Uganda. As a Bulldog student, Reichley received the 2017 CVM Graduate Student Research Award.

Since graduating from Mississippi State University in 2018, Alivia Roberts has reached numerous milestones. She was recently appointed special assistant to the director of public affairs with the U.S. Department of Justice. She previously worked as a paid media associate for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Campaign, as Deputy White House Liaison for the Department of Justice, Deputy Press Secretary for U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce and as a press intern for the House of Representatives Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

The Shannon native received a bachelor’s with distinction, summa cum laude, in communication with a concentration in broadcast and public relations, as well as a minor in political science. As an undergraduate, Roberts was heavily involved in campus activities and throughout the community. She served on the MSU Student Association Senate, was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, worked voter registration rallies for MSU students and volunteered with the Longest Student Health Center as a certified community advocate, appointed by former Gov. Phil Bryant through the Healthy Teens for a Better Mississippi (HTBM) initiative. She also was a member of various honor societies, including the Society of Scholars, Lambda Pi Eta, Phi Theta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi. Roberts’ service to the university community and community at-large earned her prestigious awards, including the Dr. Jimmy Abraham Service Award, the Congressional Gold Medal Award, and the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

In 2020, Roberts graduated as a Wolcott Scholar from The George Washington University (GW) with a Master of Public Administration and Nonprofit Management Certificate. During her graduate tenure, Roberts served as external relations chair for the GW Trachtenberg Student Association, was a Pi Alpha Alpha inductee and mentor at Thurgood Marshall Academy. She also studied abroad at The University of Oxford, England, and received a certificate in Entrepreneurial Leadership for the Global Marketplace.

Roberts credits her undergraduate experience at MSU for giving her the knowledge and a foundation on which to amplify her public service for the greater good. She holds true to her family’s principles and the guiding tenets of 4-H, both of which instilled in her the virtue of serving others. Realizing the value of service, Roberts is active in her community in Washington, D.C. She is an active member of the Mississippi Society of Washington, D.C.’s board, the Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals, Junior League of Washington and Kappa Delta Sorority’s National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Roberts also volunteers as a 4-H youth advisor and as a Girl Scouts ambassador promoting The D.R.E.A.M. Impact, a mentoring and empowerment program undergirded by her published book.

Jackson native Dr. Nashlie Sephus is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tech evangelist for Amazon, focusing on fairness and identifying biases in AI technologies. She formerly led the Amazon Visual Search team in the design and implementation of computer vision algorithms, deep learning models and testing on the Amazon shopping app. In that role, she was integral in the launch of Part Finder, a technology resulting from Amazon’s acquisition of former Atlanta-based startup, Partpic, for which Sephus was the chief technology officer.

Prior to working at Partpic, Sephus spent a year with Exponent, a technical consulting firm in New York City. Her core research areas were digital signal processing, machine learning and computer engineering. She has participated in internships and research experiences around the world with companies including IBM, Delphi, the University of California at Berkeley, GE Research Center, GE Energy, Miller Transporters, and Kwangwoon University in Seoul, South Korea.

Adding to her resume, Sephus became the founder and CEO of The Bean Path in 2018. The Jackson-based, nonprofit organization assists individuals and startups with technical expertise and guidance. Over 1,000 people across Mississippi have been impacted by The Bean Path’s programming since it was established. She recently began development on a 14-acre project deemed the Jackson Tech District, near the downtown area. The space will bring tech training and workforce development to prepare the next generation of technologists from Sephus’ home community.

A 2007 MSU computer engineering graduate, she also holds master’s and doctoral engineering degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology. At MSU, Sephus is a member of the advisory boards for both the Bagley College and the electrical and computer engineering department. For her outstanding professional achievements and contributions, she received the Young, Gifted, Empowered 2018 Innovator of the Year Award, MSU’s 2019 Young Emerging Leader Award and was named among Georgia Tech’s 2020 Top 40 Under 40 and Mississippi Business Journal’s 2021 Top in Tech. This year, she also was awarded the Mississippian of the Year Award by the Jackson Chapter of the Computing Technology Industry Association of IT Professionals. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Starkville native Zechariah P. Smith is using his MSU education to engineer a better life for himself and others. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering in 2010 and currently serves as project engineer manager for Integra LifeSciences, a global leader in neurosurgery and regenerative tissue technologies. He is also currently pursuing his MBA from Delta State University.

At MSU, Smith was involved in a number of organizations and activities, including Toastmasters International, the National Society of Black Engineers, Student Association and the Bagley College’s I.M.A.G.E. Summer Bridge program. Selected as the 2005 Scholar-Athlete Award by the Mississippi State University Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Smith also was a senior resident advisor for MSU’s Day One Program and mentored students in the local school district and through participation in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Mississippi organization.

Smith completed his MSU engineering co-op experience at Baxter Healthcare in Cleveland, where he gained first-hand experience in healthcare-based manufacturing and engineering. He began his engineering career at Joerns Healthcare, Inc. in Baldwyn and later joined Ecolab, Inc.’s healthcare division in Columbus and Alpharetta, Georgia, as the senior product development engineer. In that role, he received stellar ovations from medical device companies for his engineering performance. In 2017, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to manage the INBONE™ Total Ankle portfolio for a vendor company of Wright Medical.

As an alumnus, Smith frequently serves as a guest speaker on campus, maintains involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers student organization and serves as an engineering mentor in the Bagley College. He also is an active member of the Memphis Maroon Club alumni chapter and served on the Black Alumni Weekend Executive Committee for the 2022 event. An avid volunteer and experienced evangelist, Smith is a strong advocate for others through his dedicated service and leadership in churches of Christ, with the Mid-South Food Bank, Memphis Urban League of Young Professionals, and Manehood365, a global initiative he launched in 2012 to provide faith-based mentoring to young men in urban and suburban communities. Through his ministry, Smith seeks to justify the convictions recorded in Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV).

A 2005 graduate of the Bagley College of Engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences, Adam Telle has made a name for himself in Washington, D.C. Graduating with his Bachelor of Science in computer science and a Bachelor of Arts in communication, he has spent the past 16 years in public service with 12 dedicated to the service of Mississippians.

During his time at Mississippi State, Telle was elected Student Association (SA) president and Mr. MSU and was deeply involved in organizing the annual Bulldog Bash and the Old Main Music Festival events. During his tenure as SA president, he was an instrumental leader in initiatives that established the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery statue on The Drill Field, transformed The Junction into the iconic gameday tailgate space and expanded the student transit service from campus into Starkville. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Society of Scholars, Shackouls Honors Program and MSU Roadrunners.

Since relocating from Starkville to the nation’s capital, Telle has held several roles, including serving as the top staff member at the White House responsible for interfacing with the Senate, top staff member on the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee and top policy staffer and national security advisor for the late Senator Thad Cochran. The Northport, Alabama native currently serves as the chief of staff to U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee. As the top aide to Hagerty, who serves on the Foreign Relations, Banking, Appropriations and Rules Committees and previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Telle oversees the Senator’s staff and operations encompassing eight offices and more than 40 outstanding congressional professionals.

With more than 15 years of experience, Crystal Vincent has made a mark in several industries, including banking, manufacturing, IT consulting and transportation. Graduating in 2005 with a business administration degree in marketing, she has held titles like senior project manager, senior managing consultant, program manager, product success manager and most recently, president and CEO.

During her time at Mississippi State, Vincent was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the university honors program, was a women’s basketball team member and served on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. As an alumna, she is Texas director for the MSU Alumni Association national board of directors, served as co-chair for MSU Black Alumni Weekend in 2020 and 2022, established the Jordan Kingsley Sanders Memorial Endowed Scholarship and is a founding member of the Dawg Pound Grads of Dysfunction Junction, a tailgate that helps ensure minority students have a place to get a meal and fellowship with MSU alumni.

Vincent received her MBA in computer information systems from the University of North Alabama. An avid “serial entrepreneur,” she currently serves as president and CEO of both K Kaz Transport, Inc. and Prestige Quality Consulting LLC. She also holds the role of product success manager at ServiceNow. She and her husband Branden, a 2005 MSU graduate and former MSU basketball letterman, reside outside of Dallas in Wylie, Texas, with their children B.Michael, G’Tavis and Brayle.

A native of Coventry, Rhode Island, and a 2009 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, Ashley Wynne found herself in Starkville to continue her education. She received her Master of Science in chemical engineering in 2012 from the Bagley College of Engineering and her MBA in 2018 from the College of Business.

Wynne and her husband Zach, a 2009 and 2014 MSU chemical engineering graduate, make their home in Reidville, South Carolina. She has been active with the Mississippi State Alumni Association and is a founding member and current president of the Upstate South Carolina Alumni Club, which began in 2015. Wynne hosts events like watch parties, volunteering opportunities and networking meetings with alumni in the area. She is also president of the Western Carolina section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Here, Wynne works with her community and women engineers with mentoring, professional development, community service, speaker sessions and more.

Wynne knows that Mississippi State is the reason for her success. She is currently a principal product development engineer for Sealed Air Corporation. All the opportunities she received and the people she met at MSU helped transform her into the engineer she is today. She notes that the female and male role models and the caliber of education at MSU are assets she could not have experienced anywhere else.

Jennifer Sloan Ziegler is a three-time MSU graduate who will always call Mississippi State “home.” She made many lifelong connections, including meeting her husband, and solidified the foundation of her career during her time as a student. The Sturgis native earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering in 2010, 2012 and 2013, respectively. She later earned a master’s certificate in coastal engineering from the University of New Orleans.

At MSU, Sloan Ziegler was an Engineering Student Council Representative, an ambassador for the Bagley College of Engineering, a Dorman Blaine Congressional Fellow, served in leadership roles with MSU’s Habitat for Humanity project and was a member of several engineering honors societies. She also assumed the role of graduate research assistant and was a founding member Engineers without Borders, serving as the project manager for the Simwatachela Drinking Water Project that established water wells in Zambia. As a doctoral student, she earned a 2014 National Sea Grant College Program Dean John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, which enabled her to serve as a legislative fellow and congressional advisor on marine policy during a yearlong internship on Capitol Hill.

With nearly a decade of experience in civil and environmental engineering focusing on water resources, Sloan Ziegler currently assists with business development efforts and serves as a project manager and engineer for Cypress Environment and Infrastructure, a small woman-owned science, engineering and planning firm in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Cypress has recently been named the 75th fastest-growing company in the Southeast by Inc Magazine. There, she works on a diverse portfolio of projects for public and private clients, including coastal structures, water resources and environmental planning. She previously worked as a project engineer for Waggoner Engineering, Inc. and as a civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District.

Continuing her involvement as an alumna, Sloan Ziegler has served as the advisor to the National Association of Engineering Student Councils and MSU’s Tau Beta Pi chapter and is a mentor for MSU’s chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In addition to being named to the Bagley College’s Student Hall of Fame in 2010, Sloan Ziegler was honored as the 2021 ASCE Mississippi Section Young Engineering of the Year and as a National Society of Professional Engineers Emerging Leader. In 2021, the Shepard State Markshwalk Pier, a project led by Sloan Ziegler, was named a 2021 Regional Best Project by Engineering News Record (ENR). She, her husband Brett, a fellow MSU alumnus, and their daughter Laurel make their home in Ridgeland.