Contact: Amy Cagle

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Herbert V. “Herb” Johnson of Houston, Texas, is Mississippi State University’s 2017 National Alumnus of the Year.

The Como, Mississippi-born engineering graduate will officially receive the honor during campus ceremonies early next year.

Johnson is president of Houston-based HVJ Associates, Inc., with offices throughout Texas. He founded the firm in 1985.

Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from MSU in 1978, followed by a master’s degree from the institution in geotechnical engineering in 1981. He was honored previously by the university’s James Worth Bagley College of Engineering as the academic unit’s Alumnus of the Year for 2014. He serves the boards of the Bagley College and the university’s MSU Foundation. 

Also being honored during the Feb. 3, 2017, banquet will be a top graduate from each of MSU’s eight academic colleges. Like Johnson, they feature careers marked by exceptional personal, professional and community achievements.

Additionally, special recognition will be presented to the 2016 most outstanding alumni chapters, three 2016 distinguished service award recipients, and the university’s Outstanding Young Alumnus.

A complete list of honorees will be available in mid-January 2017.

The MSU Alumni Association includes 101 chapters and clubs worldwide and serves more than 137,000 living graduates. For more about the MSU Alumni Association, see www.alumni.msstate.edu.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.