New director of planned giving named

Meridian native and longtime banking executive Larry Watson is the new director of planned giving in the university's Office of Development.

Watson

Watson comes to campus after more than 25 years in the banking business, including 23 years with Deposit Guaranty in Meridian and Jackson.

He most recently was vice president and senior trust officer for Compass Bank in Birmingham, Ala.

"Much of Larry's experience is in trust administration and regulatory compliance, which will be a great asset to our office," said Tom Stogsdill, executive director of development. "He is a welcome addition to our fund-raising efforts."

Watson, who attended Mississippi State, holds a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in business administration, both from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also has graduated from the National Installment Lending School and the National Compliance School at the University of Oklahoma and the Graduate School of Banking of the South at Louisiana State University.

He and his wife, Carol, have a daughter, Amy, who is a senior accounting major at the University of Alabama.