Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr. will serve as the first executive in residence at Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach.
McCullough will be available for one-on-one mentoring opportunities for the more than 100 student start-ups at MSU. The inaugural session is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14, from 1:30 p.m. until 3 p.m. in the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, which is housed in MSU’s College of Business. The CEO is located in Suite 101 in McCool Hall.
“Mr. McCullough brings an amazing amount of business, management and communication skills to the table that we feel will complement the technical knowledge the students are getting in the classroom,” CEO Director Eric Hill said. “Governor Bryant has branded Mississippi the ‘Start-Up State.’ Who better to talk with our student start-ups than the state’s top business recruiter?”
McCullough said serving as an executive in residence is a great way to give back to the university and at the same time help develop the next generation of Mississippi business leaders.
“Young people are one of Mississippi’s greatest resources,” McCullough said. “By helping them succeed in starting their businesses, we can do our part in creating more and better careers in communities across the state.”
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, which opened in the spring of 2016, has over 2,000 square feet where student entrepreneurs can network and receive professional guidance in starting their businesses. They also can participate in monthly pitch competitions for funding. One key component built into the new facility is an office to house an executive to give students feedback based on real world experiences.
McCullough is an MSU graduate, former mayor of Tupelo and former chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority. He was named executive director of the MDA by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2015.
For more information on the executive in residence program, contact College of Business Director of Outreach Jeffrey Rupp at 662-364-7021 and jrupp@business.msstate.edu.
For more on the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, visit www.ecenter.msstate.edu. More information on the College of Business can be found at www.business.msstate.edu, facebook.com/MSUBusiness and twitter.com/MSUBusiness.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.