Contact: Amy Cagle
STARKVILLE, Miss.--The Mississippi State University Foundation is announcing 2013 leaders and incoming members for the 46-seat board of directors that guides the fundraising arm of the 135-year-old land grant institution.
Incoming officers with one-year terms that began Jan. 1 include: Bobby S. Shackouls of Houston, Texas; Earnest W. "Earnie" Deavenport of Kiawah Island, S.C., and Banner Elk, N.C.; and Mary M. Childs of Ripley.
Mississippi native Shackouls begins his first term as board president, following several terms as vice president. Shackouls earned a bachelor of science from Mississippi State in chemical engineering in 1972, and was awarded a 2010 honorary doctor of science. He is the retired chairman, president and CEO of Burlington Resources Inc.
Deavenport, a 1960 MSU chemical engineering graduate, is the incoming vice president. He concluded a successful business career in 2001, retiring as chairman and CEO of Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman Chemical Co. In 2011, he was honored by his alma mater with an honorary doctor of science degree. He also holds a master's degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Childs is the new foundation treasurer. President, CEO, COO, and vice chairman of The Peoples Bank, she is a 1980 banking and finance graduate who is completing a three-year term on the board.
MSU staff members make up the remaining board officers. John P. Rush, vice president for development and alumni, is the board's CEO; David Easley, executive director of finance, chief financial officer; and Jack McCarty, executive director of development, board secretary. All are MSU graduates.
Chartered in 1962, the MSU Foundation has raised more than $1 billion in its history. It closed fiscal year 2012 marking the largest giving year ever recorded for Mississippi State with more than $86 million raised. The organization administers most of the campus-based fundraising activities and endowment funds.
New members beginning three-year terms include:
--Linda F. Parker of Bolton. Secretary of Sunbelt Wholesale and active with many area organizations, she is a longtime friend of the university.
--Nancy Qualls of Little Rock, Ark. President of Qualls and Associates, is a bachelor's and master's degree graduate of Oklahoma City University.
--Wallace L. Seal of Bay Saint Louis. A 2000 MSU geosciences graduate, he manages North Beach Haulers LLC.
--Milton Sundbeck of West Point. President and CEO of Southern Ionics Inc., he studied chemistry at the University of Texas and accounting at West Texas A&M University.
Members may be reappointed after leaving the board for a year after their terms expire. Seven MSU alumni are returning to the board for new three-year appointments, including:
--John N. "Nutie" Dowdle of Columbus. Chairman of the board of Dowdle Enterprises, he is a 1965 marketing graduate.
--Haley R. Fisackerly of Jackson. A 1987 management graduate, he is president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi. He also holds a master's degree in public policy administration from George Washington University.
--Hassell H. Franklin of Houston [Miss.]. Chairman and CEO of the Franklin Corp., he is a 1959 management graduate.
--Wilbert G. "Mickey" Holliman Jr. of Belden. Retired chairman and CEO of Furniture Brands International, he is a 1960 management graduate.
--Richard H. Puckett Sr. of Jackson. Chairman and CEO of Puckett Machinery Co., he is a 1977 general business administration graduate.
--Richard A. Rula of Jackson. President of Hemphill Construction Co., he is a 1970 civil engineering graduate.
--Turner A. Wingo of Collierville, Tenn. A 1967 general business administration graduate, he is the retired owner of Sherry Hallmark.
For more information on the MSU Foundation, visit www.msufoundation.com. Additional information on Mississippi State University is available at www.msstate.edu.