The Ole Miss Alumni Association welcomes 16 new board members. Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Communications
OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Alumni Association has named new members of its board of directors. One-third of the board is appointed each year by the association president and serves a three-year term.
New members are: LaToya Green (BBA 02) of Seattle; Ravonda L. Griffin (BAccy 01, MEd 05, JD 12) of Olive Branch; Tiffany Cox Hawkins (BBA 99) of Canton; Lawrence B. Johnson Jr. (BBA 79) of Madison; Stephen D. Johnston (BA 93) of Jackson; Mary Catherine McClinton (BA 11) of New Albany; Lt. Col. Sheldon Morris (BBA 00) of Fort Benning, Georgia; Linda Moore Newell (BAEd 77) of Greenwood; Abb Payne (BBA 98) of Hattiesburg; Forrest C. Phillips Jr. (BBA 82) of Hattiesburg; Bill Reed (BA 72, JD 77) of Jackson; Woody Sample (BBA 79, MURP 72) of Oxford; Ivory Shelby (BS 78, MURP 80) of Laurel; Jody Varner (BAccy 85, MAccy 86, JD 88) of Jackson; Bruce Ware (BBA 99) of Dallas; and Jill Waycaster West (BA 06) of Tupelo.
“We are very fortunate to have these individuals as board members,” said Bobby Bailess (BBA 73, JD 76), Alumni Association president. “They have already contributed invaluable advice and insight, both individually and collectively. They are proven sources of energy and wisdom.”
The new members are set to participate in their first board meeting Friday (April 6) at the Triplett Alumni Center.
Green recently relocated to Seattle with Amazon Consumer Retail. She serves as the global leader of performance for retail systems. She previously was director of technology for Walmart Point of Sale and Payments in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Griffin is a partner at Perry Griffin PC in Southaven. She serves as the city attorney and prosecutor for the town of Como.
Hawkins recently relocated to Madison, where she was promoted to regional vice president for FCCI Insurance Group’s Gulf Coast Region. She is immediate past chair of the Ole Miss Insurance Advisory Board and past president of the Ole Miss RMI Society.
Johnson is the energy efficiency manager for 45 counties and public affairs executive for Entergy Mississippi Inc. He also serves as a lobbyist for the Mississippi Legislature.
Johnston is CEO of Global Development Group, a strategic advisory firm headquartered in Jackson. He is also the producer of “Same Kind of Different as Me,” a feature film released in October 2017 by Paramount Pictures.
McClinton is pursuing a second degree from Ole Miss in elementary education and serves as the Union County Alumni Club president.
Morris recently assumed command of 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia. He previously served as the director of strategic communication for the U.S. Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
Newell is a former communications and public relations officer. She serves as a member of the UM Education Alumni Board.
Payne is CEO and president of Camellia Home Health and Hospice. He is also a founder of InfusionPlus and is the chairman of the Area Development Partnership for the Hattiesburg Chamber of Commerce.
Phillips is a sales representative for the Robert Allen Duralee Fabric Group.
Reed is a shareholder in the law firm Baker Donelson and served as president and COO of the firm from 1998 to 2005.
Sample is a real estate agent for Sample and Poole Properties LLC in Oxford. He previously was founder and owner for 32 years of Sample and Associates, a consulting firm in Jackson.
Shelby is a resource development specialist for the Laurel Housing Authority. She previously served as the executive director for Community Connections Inc. in Hattiesburg and as the deputy chief administrative officer and director of housing and community development for the city of Jackson.
Varner is an attorney with Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes PLLC in Jackson, where he practices tax law.
A native of Newton, Ware is a corporate vice president with DaVita Inc., a Fortune 500 health care company. He also serves as an advisory board member for the UM McLean Institute for Public Service and Community Engagement.
West serves as an adviser for WestGroup, an owner-operator in the garment and textile manufacturing sector. She previously served as a regional development officer for the university.
Terms of the new members expire at Homecoming 2020.