Mississippi State husband and wife Greg and Becca Thorn work in two different areas of the university, but both help students discover their own voices.

Greg crafts stories through light, theater and live production as a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences, while Becca shares them through her role in the Division of Strategic Communications and its Office of Public Affairs. Though their communication careers have taken separate forms, they intersect in surprising and meaningful ways.

“Our approaches to work are quite similar,” Greg said. “We both focus on planning and preparation, mentoring students and telling stories in our own ways.”

“I think that our shared students would agree that we’re ‘similar animals,’ meaning they know what to expect from one of us based on working with the other,” Becca said. “It’s what makes us compatible in life as well as work.”

Married for nine years and together for 12, the Thorns have found a professional home at MSU. Greg joined the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre in fall 2024 as an assistant teaching professor and also lighting and audio designer for Theatre MSU.

Becca followed in January 2025 when she became general manager of 91.1 The Junction, the university’s noncommercial community radio station, which has operated as WMSV on campus and in the Golden Triangle region since 1994. The station is under the supervision of OPA Associate Director David Garraway, who also oversees the University Television Center. Garraway and Thorn have worked together to create additional experiential learning opportunities for MSU students while increasing the station’s community presence in Starkville and beyond.

Becca’s favorite part of her radio broadcasting work may be watching students as they develop new skills and expand their capabilities. Along with overseeing the station’s day-to-day operations, she mentors students in on-air work, production, marketing, sales and social media, helping them build confidence they can carry into their futures.

“I love when a student starts their college radio journey purely for fun, and by the time their first semester comes to an end they’re passionate about broadcasting and looking for more ways to get involved or even considering a career in the field,” she said.

Also a lighting designer for Davis Wade Stadium and Dudy Noble Field, Greg’s theater background helps him with shaping a mood and heightening an audience’s emotional response. Before each football game, he studies the music and videos planned for the gameday experience, looks for the story arc in each selection and designs lighting effects to match. During the football home opener against Arizona State last fall, he said there were a lot of expectations in the new lighting system.

“We did not disappoint when a few of the songs pumped life back into the crowd after ASU went ahead in the last few minutes. When we scored the final touchdown, and the place went nuts while my lights were going crazy, that was probably the coolest moment of my professional career,” he said.

But the most meaningful moments for him often happen in the classroom. “On National Theatre Day during my first year here, our department asked on Instagram for students to share what they love about Theatre MSU. One post said, ‘Professors like Greg Thorn––he truly wants his students to succeed!’ I was so moved by that one comment. It’s still in my camera roll. It made me realize that I’m on the right track with my students.”

The couple’s own professional paths began together while working with summer theater for their county arts council. Their shared passion for communication is part of what brought them to MSU and has kept them here.

Becca said, “The Mississippi State community has been so welcoming and helpful to us. It’s an easy place to love!”

Greg agreed, “My gut reaction during my interview here turned out to be true: the people are awesome. Equally as important, this is the first time that I’ve heard Becca refer to her work as her ‘dream job.’ When I heard that, I knew we were staying in Starkville for the long haul.”