The Ole Miss Alumni Association has unveiled its inaugural 40 Under 40 class, which includes University of Mississippi graduates in a broad range of fields. All of them are providing leadership and making a difference in their industries and communities.
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Alumni Association has unveiled its inaugural 40 Under 40 class. This program celebrates the personal, professional and philanthropic achievements of successful University of Mississippi graduates under the age of 40.
Recipients will be recognized with a ceremony on March 25 as part of Young Alumni Weekend, which includes a crawfish boil at Swayze Field when the Ole Miss baseball Rebels take on Tennessee.
The 2022 group of young alumni includes an NBC News producer, a U.S. Space Force commander, a specialist for talent relations and awards at Netflix, and a director of the National Security Council.
“We are thrilled to unveil this first year’s class of 40 Under 40 and welcome them back to campus to honor their accomplishments,” said Kirk Purdom (BA 93), Ole Miss Alumni Association CEO. “These outstanding individuals exemplify leadership in their industries and communities, and I’m happy we were able to launch this program of recognition.”
Nominations for 40 Under 40 were open from October to December, and more than 500 nominations were received for this year’s class.
Honorees must be active members of the Alumni Association, have made a significant impact on their industry or field, have civic or professional achievements, aspire to uphold the core values of the UM Creed, have earned an undergraduate degree from the university and demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a lifelong relationship with the university and the OMAA.
“The Class of 2022 truly represents the young alumni from Ole Miss with careers in television, government affairs, philanthropy and even the outdoors,” said Sunny Brown (BSFCS 09, MA 11), assistant director of alumni affairs who organized the awards. “It will be so special to award them in March and allow our current students to network with all that our group has to offer.”
Members of the 2022 class of 40 Under 40 are:
- Sumner Abraham (BA 12, MD 16), of Oxford, chief medical operating officer for Relias Healthcare
- Julie Howell Addison (BA 07, JD 10), of Oxford, assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. Department of Justice
- Jessie Austin (BAccy 11, MTax 13), of Washington, D.C., audit liaison, U.S. Mint
- Reed Barrett (BBA 07), of Houston, Texas, software executive and co-founder, CampusOptics
- Cody Berrey (BSME 15, MS 17), of Oxford, senior mechanical engineer, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
- Erika Berry (BA 08), of Nashville, Tennessee, senior director of policy, TennesseeCAN
- Casey Butts (BAccy 04, JD 07), of Laurel, staff attorney, Sanderson Farms Inc.
- Vince Chamblee (BA 10, BAccy 10), of Oxford, senior financial adviser, Hardy Reed
- Martha Frances Dalton (BS 11), of Corinth, assistant clinical professor of veterinary pathology, Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Kimbrely Dandridge (BAJ 13), of Seattle, corporate counsel/entertainment attorney, Amazon
- Addison Edmonds (BBA 09), of Nashville, founder, Gunner Kennels
- Christin Gates-Calloway (BA 11), of Verona, Wisconsin, programs and policy manager, The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness
- Billy Glasco Jr. (BA 05), of Greenville, archivist, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum-National Archives and Records Administration
- Davis Horton (BBA 12), of Memphis, sports agent, Creative Artists Agency
- Melissa King (BBA 07), of Tupelo, Victims of Crime Act staff attorney, North Mississippi Rural Legal Services
- Quadray Kohlhiem (BBA 14), of Seattle, senior vendor manager, Amazon
- Col. Dex Landreth (BBA 04), of Viera, Florida, commander, National Reconnaissance Office, U.S. Space Force
- Lauren Lyles-Stolz (BPSC 13, PharmD 16), of Alexandria, Virginia, health legislative assistant, U.S. House of Representatives
- Gresham Hodges Meek (BA 12), of Dallas, CEO/creative director, Gresham
- John Monteith (BAJ 14), of Los Angeles, specialist – talent relations and awards, documentary – publicity, Netflix
- Betsey Mosby (BAccy 07, MTax 08), of Jackson, owner-principal, Betsey Mosby Interior Design
- Phelton Moss (BA 12, PhD 20), of Washington, D.C., professor of education policy and leadership, American University and senior TA consultant, National Center on Great Teachers and Leaders
- Ian Navarro (BFCS 07), of Denver, COO/senior VP sales, What Chefs Want
- Ty New (BBA 11, MBA 12), of Memphis, co-founder/president, Project Apoyo
- Joshua Norris (BA 09, BAccy 09), of Jackson, owner, LeFleur Financial Wealth Management
- Chase Parham (BUS 18), of Oxford, editor-podcast host and co-owner, Rivals.com/MPW Digital
- Sarah Bracy Penn (BA 15, BAJ 15), of New York, producer, NBC News
- EJ Presley (BA 10, MEd 12, EdD 19), of Oxford, assistant director of career development, University of Mississippi
- Daniel Roberts (BA 14), of Washington, D.C., head of communications, BrightDrop
- Anna Rubinstein (BA 11, BA 11, BSChE 11), of Arlington, Virginia, director of test and evaluation, MORSE Corporation
- Ashley Sheils (BAEd 05, MEd 06), of Madison, director, MiSsion Acceleration, UM
- Tywanna Smith (BBA 04, MBA 05), of West Memphis, Arkansas, president, The Athlete’s Nexus
- Mollie Spencer (BSPSC 08, PharmD 11), of Senatobia, owner-pharmacist, Community Pharmacy
- Grace Sturdivant (BA 06), of Ridgeland, founder and owner, OtoPro Technologies
- Nicole Tisdale (BA 06, JD 09), of Washington, D.C., director, National Security Council, the White House
- Collins Tuohy Smith (BA 09), of Memphis, co-owner, Whimsy Cookie Co., CEO Collins Closets
- Jenny Ann Urban (BA 11, MBA 13, JD 15, LLM 16), of Oxford, consultant, GoCrisis and adjunct professor of aviation law, Eastern New Mexico University
- Kyle Veazey (BA 04), of Memphis, senior vice president/executive operations, ALSAC
- Marc E. Walker (BS 06), of Jackson, professor of plastic surgery and orthopaedic surgery, division director of adult and pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery, and fellowship program director of surgery of the hand, UM Medical Center
- Charlie White (BBA 06), of Tupelo, director of safety, environmental and human resources, B&B Concrete Co. Inc.
To register for the awards ceremony, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. March 25 at The Inn at Ole Miss, visit https://www.olemissalumni.com/events/.