Contact: Addie Mayfield 

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The Mississippi State University Foundation is announcing 2021 leaders and incoming members for the board of directors that guides the fundraising arm of the nearly 143-year-old land-grant institution. 

Incoming officers with new one-year terms that began Jan. 1 include three alumni returning to offices held in 2019 and 2020. They are: D. Hines Brannan of Atlanta, Georgia, as board chair; Anthony L. Wilson of Gulfport as vice-chair; and Mike M. McDaniel of Houston, Texas, as treasurer. 

A native of Woodville, Brannan has loyally been a member of the MSU Foundation board for more than a decade, earlier serving as vice president for three terms and treasurer for three terms. At MSU, Brannan also was a founding member of the advisory board for the James Worth Bagley College of Engineering and an executive-in-residence for the college. He earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering in 1970 and a Master of Business Administration the following year, both from MSU. He is a retired managing director of Accenture, one of the world’s largest management consulting firms. 

Wilson hails from D’Iberville and earned his electrical engineering degree in 1987 from MSU and later a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. He currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of Mississippi Power Company. Earlier, he was executive vice president of customer service and operations for Georgia Power. 

McDaniel, who holds a 1979 bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MSU, is a Cleveland native. He is president of Saber Power Services LLC, having earlier served as CEO of M3Resources LLC. McDaniel also has previously served as a board member. 

Rounding out the remaining board officers are MSU personnel. John P. Rush, vice president for development and alumni, is the board’s president and CEO; Janet H. Carraway, executive director of finance, is chief financial officer; and Jack McCarty, executive director of development, serves as board secretary. All are MSU graduates. 

New members beginning inaugural three-year terms are: 

—Boyce E. Adams Sr. of Columbus. A 1980 MSU marketing graduate, he is a special adviser for BankTEL, the company he co-founded and where he served as president and CEO for many years. At MSU, Adams is a member of the College of Business Executive Advisory Board, the MSU Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board, and the Bulldog Club Board.  

—Walter D. “David” Purvis of New Orleans, Louisiana. A 1983 MSU chemical engineering graduate, he is a retired vice president of engineering for BHP Billiton and owner of Purvis Consultants LLC. At MSU, he serves as a member of the Petroleum Engineering Departmental Advisory Board in the Bagley College’s Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.   

—Charles R. “Charlie” Stephenson of Tulsa, Oklahoma. A 1981 MSU petroleum engineering graduate, he is CEO and a director of Bravo Natural Resources. He presently serves the university’s Bulldog Club Board as vice president.  

Seven members who have previously served are returning to the board in new three-year terms. They are:  

—Thomas G. “Tom” Hixon Sr. of Ridgeland. A 1967 MSU accounting graduate, he is chairman of Phoenix Development Company LLC. At MSU, he presently serves as a member of the Bulldog Club Board.  

—Herbert V. Johnson of Houston, Texas. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from MSU in 1978 and 1981, respectively, and is president of HVJ Associates Inc. At MSU, Johnson has served as a member of the advisory board for the Bagley College of Engineering.

—Linda F. Parker of Bolton. She is a longtime friend of MSU and the retired secretary of Sunbelt Wholesale Supply.  

—Richard H. Puckett Sr. of Madison. A 1977 MSU business graduate, he is chairman and CEO of Puckett Machinery. At MSU, he has served the Bulldog Club Board and the College of Business Executive Advisory Board.  

—Gregory C. “Gregg” Rader of Columbus. A 1984 petroleum engineering graduate of MSU, he is executive chairman of Columbus Recycling Corporation. He serves as a member of the Bulldog Club Board and the Bagley College of Engineering dean’s advisory council. 

—Richard A. Rula of Ridgeland. A 1970 MSU civil engineering graduate, he is president of Hemphill Construction Company Inc. At MSU, Rula serves the Bulldog Club Board and the Bagley College of Engineering dean’s advisory council. 

—Michael W. “Mike” Sanders of Cleveland. A 1964 MSU physical education graduate, he is the retired president and CEO of Jimmy Sanders Inc. At MSU, he has served as a member of the Bulldog Club Board. 

Also joining the board as members, by virtue of position, for 2021 are Sherri Carr Bevis of Gulfport, president of the MSU National Alumni Association board of directors, and David Abney of Atlanta, Georgia, president of the MSU Bulldog Club. Bevis earned a 1986 communication degree from MSU and currently works as community relations liaison for Singing River Health System. Abney, a friend of the university, is the retired CEO and executive chairman of the United Parcel Service (UPS). 

Chartered in 1962, the MSU Foundation administers most of the campus-based fundraising activities and endowment funds. More information is available at www.msufoundation.com and on social media @MSU_Foundation. 

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