Awards and Recognition

Awards and Recognition

The Alumni Association recognizes outstanding service and dedication to MSU, professional achievement and leadership through our recognition programs. Working with our eight colleges, graduates are selected for College Alumni of the Year and Alumni Fellows. Through our chapters program, recipients are selected for the Distinguished Service Award and Outstanding Young Alumnus. Chapters are also awarded for their service and activities each year through the chapters recognition program. The National Alumnus of the Year award recognizes the achievements of an outstanding alumnus or alumna whose personal life, professional accomplishments and community service best exemplifies the mission of Mississippi State University.

2023 National Alumnus of the Year Recipient

Albert Clark

Albert C. Clark, 1965

Mississippi State University is honoring Albert C. Clark with its highest alumni honor. In a campus ceremony on May 19, the Starkville native will be recognized formally as the university’s 2023 National Alumnus.

A 1965 business administration graduate of MSU’s College of Business, Clark is president and CEO of C.C. Clark Inc., a regional beverage distributor, and vice president of Clark Distributing Co. in Kentucky. He is a leader in the community and within his industry, having served in a number of voluntary roles over the years.

He has served on the board of BancorpSouth Bank Inc. and as former chairman of First Federal Bank for Savings. He is current president of the Gulf State Canners Inc. board. A longtime member of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership, he also has dedicated his time and support to the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority board, Starkville Rotary Club and the Starkville Chamber of Commerce.

At MSU, Clark has a strong history of support and service. He is a member and past president of the MSU Foundation board of directors and previous board member for the Bulldog Club.  He was honored as the College of Business’s Alumnus of the Year in 2004 and was named among the college’s 100 most distinguished graduates during its centennial celebration in 2015.

2023 College Alumni of the Year Recipients

Gus W. Colvin Jr.

Gus W. Colvin Jr.

Alexandria, AL
College of Arts and Sciences

Anne Marie Duvall Decker

Anne Marie Duvall Decker

Jackson, MS
College of Architecture, Art and Design

Dr. Victoria Hall

Dr. Victoria Hall

Minneapolis, MN
College of Veterinary Medicine

Cheryl Prewitt Salem

Cheryl Prewitt Salem

Rancho Mirage, CA
College of Education

Jeff Tarsi

Jeff Tarsi

Collierville, TN
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

F. Lee Temple Jr.

F. Lee Temple Jr.

Madison, MS
College of Forest Resources

Cynthia Anne Tucker

Cynthia Anne Tucker

Houston, TX
College of Business

Anthony L. Wilson

Anthony L. Wilson

Gulfport, MS
James Worth Bagley College of Engineering

2022 Outstanding Young Alumnus

Evan Berry

Evann Darnell Berry

Washington, D.C.

While an undergraduate student at Mississippi State University, Evann split much of her time between working in the Office of the President and her studies as a biological engineering major. Her campus and community involvement included service as an Alumni Delegate, an officer in and as vice president, financial secretary, social chair, and programming chair of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She was also an active member of the National Society of Black Engineers, Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society, Sigma Alpha Lambda Leadership and Honors Organization, Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education (IMAGE), and the Day One Leadership Community. Evann was a regular volunteer at the Brickfire Project after-school program, Second Baptist Church, Palmer Home and Habitat for Humanity of Starkville.

The Jackson native has continued her service to the university after graduation as chair of the Young Alumni Advisory Council (YAAC) and an active member of the Washington D.C. Alumni Chapter Executive Board, where she most recently served as president. Upon joining the board in 2016, Evann played an active role in establishing the DC Chapter Endowed Scholarship and hosting various chapter events aimed at increasing member engagement in the Washington, D.C. area. As YAAC chair and vice-chair, Evann has championed alumni programming tailored to the younger demographic, which has led to the group’s staple “Welcome to the City” networking events, the young alumni travel program, The Reveille 25 Awards and the Young Alumni Newsletter. Evann has also worked to bolster alumni giving among the 25-40 age group by encouraging regular giving through the MSU Foundation and the young alumni scholarship.

As Evann has moved up the ranks in her career on Capitol Hill and in global public relations, she has made it her mission to mentor MSU students and alumni along the way. A true representation of what it means to pay it forward, she has served on panels for student groups such as the Stennis Montgomery Association and successfully helped MSU students and alumni secure internships and employment in the Washington, D.C. area. Through her service to Mississippi State University and its alumni, the state of Mississippi, and her local Jackson and Washington, D.C. communities, Evann exemplifies true servant leadership, and MSU is proud to honor her as the 2022 Outstanding Young Alumnae.

2022 Distinguished Service Awards

Patsy Lynn Fowlkes

Patsy Lynn Fowlkes

Chattanooga, TN

Darlon Necaise

Darlon Necaise

Diamondhead, MS

Nancy Virden

Nancy Virden

Rolling Fork, MS