Contact: Maridith Geuder
Glenn L. McCullough Jr.
The former Tupelo mayor who now heads the Tennessee Valley Authority will address spring graduates at Mississippi State University.
Glenn L. McCullough Jr., named last year by President George W. Bush to chair the nation's largest public utility, is featured speaker for the May 11 commencement in Humphrey Coliseum. Ceremonies begin at 1:15 p.m.
More than 2,200 students are candidates for degrees, including 15 completing bachelor's degrees with perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.
McCullough is a Tupelo native and 1977 Mississippi State agricultural economics graduate. While at the university, the former Tupelo High School student was a member of the Elder Statesmen leadership honor society and the varsity cheerleader squad.
"Glenn McCullough is an outstanding Mississippi State graduate who is making significant contributions to the state, region and nation," said J. Charles Lee, interim university president. "He is in a unique position to comment on issues and opportunities for this graduating class."
In 1992, McCullough was appointed by Gov. Kirk Fordice to head the Mississippi office of the Appalachian Regional Commission, which serves 22 counties in the northeastern part of the state. In close association with members of Congress, local governments, economic development professionals, and civic leaders, he worked to foster technical skills training, physical infrastructure improvements and industrial park development for the area.
After being elected Tupelo's 23rd mayor in 1997, he established citizen-based task forces to improve community safety, streets and drainage. His administration also implemented a community-oriented policing effort and initiated redevelopment of an historic downtown neighborhood.
Under McCullough's leadership, Tupelo was recognized with an All-America City award by the National Civic League and an Innovations in Municipal Government Award by the MSU-based John C. Stennis Institute of Government.
McCullough is a member of the national Electricity Advisory Board for the United States Department of Energy and a director of the Electric Power Research and Nuclear Energy institutes, as well as the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. He also serves on the boards of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.