Contact: Addie Mayfield
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University Alumni Association is announcing 25 outstanding young alumni who are being honored as the 2024 recipients of The Reveille 25 awards program.
Launched in the fall of 2021, The Reveille 25 seeks to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of the university’s growing number of young alumni. The familiar name of the program derives from MSU’s former yearbook, The Reveille, which chronicled student life throughout the institution’s history, and pays tribute to the university’s foundational military history.
Accordingly, the signature program annually honors 25 high-achieving young alumni who are “answering the call” of the university’s mission for excellence, and inspiring others through the positive impact they are making in their communities and professions.
Chosen from more than 200 applicants, the 25 honorees will be recognized on campus March 2 during banquet ceremonies. The special event is sponsored by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. The 2024 Reveille 25 class includes:
Ashlee Drake Berry of Seattle, Washington. Born and raised in Iowa, Berry is a two-time MSU graduate with a 2009 bachelor’s and 2010 master’s degree. She later earned a second master’s degree from the University of Washington and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law, currently serving as an immigration attorney at Vialto Law.
Rayquotez Butler of Dallas, Texas. He earned two MSU degrees—a 2017 bachelor’s in communication and a 2019 master’s in public policy and administration. While holding advanced certificates from Cornell and the University of South Florida, the native of Shelby in Bolivar County serves as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion consultant for global business consulting firm Deloitte.
Tyler Camp of Fulton. The Mantachie native earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from MSU in 2014 and serves as chief of staff and special assistant to the president of Itawamba Community College.
John Clemmer of Madison. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bioengineering from MSU in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Clemmer later completed a doctoral degree in physiology and biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he now serves as an assistant professor.
Rashad Cockrell of Clarksville, Tennessee. The Pontotoc native is a 2017 MSU business graduate who also holds a master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas and is pursuing a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. He serves as director of the Wilbur N. Daniel African American Cultural Center at Austin Peay State University.
Ameka Coleman of Brandon. A 2009 MSU biological sciences graduate, she later earned a master’s in business administration from the University of West Georgia and a master’s in clinical research from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. She is the founder and CEO of Strands of Faith beauty brand.
Megan N. Costilow of Brandon. The 2017 MSU graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in political science followed by a Juris Doctorate from the Mississippi College School of Law. She serves as director of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Information Center.
Stephanie Cummins of Brandon. She graduated from Mississippi State in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is the broker associate and owner of Front Gate Realty LLC.
Roderick Erby of Chicago, Illinois. The New Albany native is a 2016 business information systems graduate of MSU’s College of Business. He also earned an MBA from Louisiana State University-Shreveport and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor. He is an information technology audit advisor for International Paper and also works as an adjunct professor at DePaul University’s Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media.
Dr. Blake Forte of St. Louis, Missouri. The Brandon native is a 2014 biological engineering graduate of MSU. He later earned a master’s degree in biomedical sciences from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, followed by both a master’s degree in health sciences and Doctor of Medicine from Meharry Medical College in Tennessee. Dr. Forte is a third-year emergency medicine resident physician at Barnes Jewish Hospital.
Dr. Seth Ladd of Laurel. The 2009 kinesiology graduate of MSU completed his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from William Carey University and a general surgery residency at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Queens, New York. He practices as a general surgeon at Laurel’s South Central Regional Medical Center and also is an adjunct clinical professor in the William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Richard Y. “Trey” Leonard III of Starkville. He is a three-time MSU graduate who earned double bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics in 2018, and a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering. The Huntsville, Alabama native is the founder and CEO of Standard Mechanics testing services.
Anne Hollis Lipscomb of Starkville. The Pontotoc native earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the MSU College of Education in 2015, 2017 and 2020, respectively. She is a Licensed Behavior Analyst and psychology fellow currently working at MSU’s T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability.
Audrey Jarvis McCarty of Madison. She graduated in 2018 with an MSU bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising and now owns and manages The Bridal Path in Jackson.
Ian T. McKay of Columbus, Ohio. After completing his undergraduate education at Ohio University, he earned his MSU master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology in 2019 and 2021, respectively. He serves as a pediatric acute treatment psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and as a clinical assistant professor at Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Mary Chase Breedlove Mize of Atlanta, Georgia. A 2013 communication graduate of MSU, she continued her education in clinical mental health counseling at Georgia State University, where she earned two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree. The Somerville, Tennessee native now serves as an assistant professor of clinical mental health counseling at Agnes Scott College and as director of counseling and supervision at Seek and Find Counseling and Consulting, LLC.
Chelsea Ladner Morea of Virginia Beach, Virginia. A two-time MSU graduate, she earned a 2015 bachelor’s degree in business administration and a 2016 MBA. The Brandon native is a manager in strategic marketing at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/ALSAC.
Victoria Parker of Nashville, Tennessee. The Madison native graduated with an MSU architecture degree in 2011 and works as a senior project manager for ESa.
Shemeka Phipps of Houston, Texas. The Mound Bayou native earned an MSU bachelor’s degree in educational psychology in 2013. She later earned a master’s degree in human environmental sciences from the University of Alabama and a doctoral degree in professional leadership from the University of Houston. She is a Certified Family Life Educator and faculty member at Lee College.
Missie Smith of Redmond, Washington. A two-time MSU graduate, she holds a 2010 bachelor’s degree and 2012 master’s degree, both in industrial engineering. The Starkville native later earned a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech and currently serves as a senior research scientist on the user experience research health and safety team for Reality Labs (Meta).
Bianca Thomas Stamps of Houston, Texas. A native of Gautier, she earned an MSU bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2018. She later earned an MBA from Loyola University and currently serves as a process simulation and control engineer at Chevron.
Mark Talley of Ocean Springs. A 2010 architecture graduate and native of Southaven, he is the principal architect and co-founder of Tall Architects.
Jacob Tschume of Starkville. A two-time MSU graduate, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics in 2010 and 2012, respectively. The Olive Branch native is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in higher education leadership while serving as an instructor in MSU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Mandy Wallace, DVM of Watkinsville, Georgia. The Jackson native is a two-time MSU graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2006 and a DVM in 2010. She also earned a master’s degree in veterinary medical sciences from the University of Florida and currently serves as an associate professor in small animal surgery at the University of Georgia.
Kimberly Renee Watson of Raymond. She obtained bachelor’s degrees in history and Spanish with a minor in political science in 2011, followed by a master’s degree in secondary education in 2013. She is a secondary teacher in the Rankin County School District.
To learn more about The Reveille 25 program, visit www.alumni.msstate.edu/reveille25 or contact Orly Hardin, associate director of the MSU Alumni Association, at 662-325-3444 or ohardin@alumni.msstate.edu. More detailed information about the individual accomplishments of the honorees also will be added to the website prior to the awards ceremony.
The MSU Alumni Association was founded in 1885 by the first three graduating classes of then Mississippi Agricultural and Mechanical College. The full-service organization aims to serve the university’s more than 155,000 living alumni and currently includes more than 100 chapters and clubs. For more information about the association, visit www.alumni.msstate.edu.