The 2020-21 officers of the Ole Miss Alumni Association are (from left) Kirk Purdom, Candie Simmons, Bill Reed, Lampkin Butts, Dr. Bob Warner and Johnny Maloney. Photo by Jim Urbanek/Ole Miss Alumni Association
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Alumni Association announced elected officers for 2020-21 at its annual meeting Saturday (Oct. 24) as part of the University of Mississippi‘s Homecoming activities. This year’s meeting was conducted outside in front of the Triplett Alumni Center to provide more space and social distancing.
Lampkin Butts (BBA 73), of Laurel, was named president, a one-year term that changes each Homecoming. Butts is president and chief operating officer of Sanderson Farms Inc.
“I am honored and humbled to serve you and the University of Mississippi as president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association for the coming year,” Butts said. “As I follow in the capable footsteps of Matt Lusco, I am challenged and encouraged by the type of leadership he provided to our association while navigating the unprecedented challenges associated with COVID-19.”
Butts has served as president and COO of Sanderson Farms since 2004. He has been with the Sanderson Farms for 46 years and is a member of the boards of directors of the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the National Chicken Council, the Mississippi Poultry Association and the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art.
Dr. Bob Warner (BA 79, MD 83), of Jonesboro, Arkansas, a surgeon at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center Surgical Clinic, was named president-elect. Bill Reed (BA 72, JD 77), of Jackson, a shareholder in the law firm Baker Donelson, was elected vice president.
Athletics Committee members include Johnny Maloney (BBA 78), of Madison, and Candie Simmons (BBA 02, MBA 15), of Ridgeland. Maloney is executive vice president for Cowboy Maloney’s Home Store, which has 13 locations in Mississippi. Simmons serves as a senior vice president and geography marketing strategist for Regions Financial Corp. in Jackson.
Kirk Purdom (BA 93), the alumni association’s executive director, serves as treasurer.