14 graduate from MSU staff development program

Contact: Jim Laird

2011 Learning Experience for Aspiring Professionals graduates are Summer Mord (front, l-r) Barbie Hampel, Brandy Akers, Courtney Blaylock, Edie Irvin, Meggan Franks; and Angie Waller (back, l-r), Karin Lee, Katie Echols, Dan Whatley, Darrell Easley, Amanda Seymour, Terri Johnson and Diane Alexander.
2011 Learning Experience for Aspiring Professionals graduates are Summer Mord (front, l-r) Barbie Hampel, Brandy Akers, Courtney Blaylock, Edie Irvin, Meggan Franks; and Angie Waller (back, l-r), Karin Lee, Katie Echols, Dan Whatley, Darrell Easley, Amanda Seymour, Terri Johnson and Diane Alexander.

More than a dozen Mississippi State staff members are graduates of the university's 2011 Learning Experience for Aspiring Professionals.

After receiving awards at a recent ceremony in the Colvard Student Union's Foster Ballroom, class members gave presentations detailing what they had learned. Each came to the training program through a competitive nomination and selection process.

Jerry Gilbert, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, provided the ceremony's welcome and introduction.

Formerly known as the Staff Leadership Program, LEAP is designed to enhance professional skills by providing advanced training and direct, practical work applications for selected employees.

During the 10-month training, this year's 14-member class met with campus and community leaders to discuss, explore and better understand goals and priorities of the land-grant institution and its departments. Campus operations, effective team-building and employee performance management, and strategic thinking were among topics covered.

"I can't say enough about the support we received from the university," said Meg Arnold, learning and development manager for MSU's human resources management department.

"We are very grateful for the administrators who took time to speak to and mentor the class; their contributions really made the program a valuable experience," she added.

The 2011 LEAP graduates include:

--Brandy Akers, senior accountant, High Performance Computing Collaboratory;

--Diane Alexander, director of academic fiscal affairs, Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President;

--Courtney Blaylock, accountant, Office of the Dean of Engineering;

--Darrell Easley, MBA programs director in the College of Business' graduate studies and outreach department;

--Katie Echols, education and outreach coordinator, Office of Research and Economic Development;

--Meggan Franks, program coordinator, Office of Student Leadership and Community Engagement;

--Barbie C. Hampel, director of annual giving, MSU Foundation;

--Edie Irvin, senior coordinator, Career Center;

--Terri Johnson, treasury services specialist, Office of the Controller and Treasurer;

--Karin H. Lee, graduate programs manager, Office of the Graduate School;

--Summer C. Mord, access services coordinator, Mitchell Memorial Library;

--Amanda Seymour, assistant project director, Coastal Research and Extension Center;

--Angie Waller, assistant director/business operations, facilities management department;

--Dan Whatley, construction administrator, facilities management department.

Arnold said a campus-wide request for nominations to the 2012 program will be made in January. For additional information, contact her at marnold@hrm.msstate.edu or 662-325-3713.

Mississippi State University is online at http://www.msstate.edu/.