MC School, Department Alumni of the Year inspire current Choctaws to follow in their footsteps

Each fall, individual schools and departments at Mississippi College select the most accomplished graduates of their respective programs to be recognized as Alumni of the Year.

These graduates have excelled in a number of professional disciplines, from business, healthcare and the law to academia, ministry, and the arts. They have inspired countless students to follow in their footsteps and one day surpass their many achievements.

They have represented Mississippi College with distinction, personifying the University’s values while serving others and modeling their Christian faith, and embody the best characteristics of the MC Family. 

The 2024 School and Departmental Alumni of the Year recipients are:

ART: Katie Jo Collins Chane ’02

After honing her skills at acclaimed design corporation Ted Moudis and Associates and leading hospitality firm Jeffrey Beers International of New York City, Katie Jo Collins Chane has made a name for herself as a Mississippi Certified Interior Designer for Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons/Ltd. Architects and Engineers of Jackson. The 2002 MC graduate has helped shape interior design at some of the most recognizable venues in the Jackson area—including Thalia Mara Hall, the two Mississippi Museums, the Jackson Planetarium, and Children’s of Mississippi—and at Mississippi College, including Alumni Hall, the Gore Arts Center, the Latimer House, and the MC School of Law. Katie Jo and her husband, Ron, have two sons, Seven and Mercer. She credits her relationship with God for all of her achievements, calling Him, as the writer of Psalm 73:25-26 describes, “the strength of my heart.”

ART YOUNG ALUMNA: Sarah Beth “SB” Fouts ’12

Good graphic design lies at the intersection of artistic creativity and logical order, and Sarah Beth Fouts has the rare ability to bring both of those skill sets into every project as senior graphic designer and layout specialist for Crema Design Studio, Morgan White Group, in Ridgeland. She honed her immense talents as an undergraduate at Mississippi College, where the Dean’s List scholar placed first overall for drawing in the Student Juried Show and first overall for fine art in the Arrowhead Creative Arts Magazine. The Department of Art’s Graphic Design Student of the Year served as a media liaison for Earth Aware and as vice president of Senior Art Exhibit at MC. Inducted into the Delta Beta Chapter of the Kappa Pi Art Fraternity, Sara Beth obtained her B.S. in graphic design from MC. She serves as a senior portfolio reviewer for Mississippi College.

BIOLOGY: Dr. Lamar Davis ’01

A summa cum laude graduate of Mississippi College, Dr. Lamar Davis received a Barksdale Medical Scholarship and earned his M.D. at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He had residency training in pediatrics and a fellowship in child neurology at UMMC and a fellowship in neuromuscular medicine at the Houston Methodist Neurological Institute in Texas. Lamar serves as an associate professor of pediatric neurology and neuromuscular medicine at UMMC and is the only board-certified practitioner in both child neurology and neuromuscular medicine in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Throughout his career, Lamar has remained active in research—he has authored several articles in peer-reviewed professional publications and has given numerous presentations at scientific meetings. An active member of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine, Lamar and his wife, Ammy—also an MC alum—have a daughter, Elle.

BUSINESS: Dr. Walter N. “Chip” Stevens ’94, ’20

Walter N. “Chip” Stevens became the 23rd senior pastor of First Baptist Church Jackson in March 2018. After receiving his B.S. in business administration from Mississippi College, Chip earned his M.A. in Christian education at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He was awarded the Doctor of Divinity at MC in 2020. Chip was ordained to ministry at First Baptist Church Biloxi, where he served as minister to students before eventually becoming senior pastor. During his 30 yearsin ministry, Chip also served as senior pastor at First Baptist Church Starkville. A Mississippi College Board of Trustees member, he received MC’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award in 1996. He served the Southern Baptist Convention as a member of the Teller Committee and the Committee of Nominations. Chip and his wife, Sandra, have three children, Reid (Natalie), Emory (John Clyde) and Graham.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY: David Chilton Mitchell ’78

An accomplished biotech executive with extensive strategic and operational experience, David C. Mitchell has lent his talents to nationally recognized companies throughout the United States and Canada. After obtaining his B.S. in chemistry from Mississippi College, David began his career as a research chemist at Mississippi Chemical Corporation in Yazoo City. When there was a significant downturn in the industry, he joined the Upjohn Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, which launched his 40-year career in pharmaceuticals. While working full time, David earned his M.S. in bioscience regulatory affairs from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. During his career, he provided regulatory support to drug development teams that successfully developed and commercialized new drugs for oncology, rare disease, and other therapeutic areas. He and his wife, Anne Rothfeder of Montgomery, Alabama, have two children, Sara and John Mark, and two grandsons, Max and Grey.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY YOUNG ALUMNA: Dr. Claire Nettles Gilliam ’05

After obtaining her B.S. in chemistry medical sciences summa cum laude from Mississippi College, Dr. Claire Nettles Gilliam earned her M.D. and completed residency training in pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where she was chief resident. Claire serves as a pediatric neurologist and associate professor at Children’s of Mississippi. Course director for UMMC’s Residency Advocacy Rotation, she sponsors the Pediatric Interest Group, an organization for medical students interested in pediatrics. In 2024, Claire was selected as a faculty Gold Humanism Society honoree after having been chosen as a medical student honoree in 2009. Secretary treasurer and Education Committee chair for the Mississippi State Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she is an active member of Morrison Heights Baptist Church. A member of Mississippi College’s Football Statistics Crew, Claire and her husband, David, have four children: Kate, Caleb, Eleanor, and Maggie.

CHRISTIAN STUDIES: Dr. William “Rory” Lee ’71, ’73

A longtime pastor at Antioch Baptist Church in Hazlehurst, Rory Lee entered the world of academia and rose to the presidency of two Christian colleges. After obtaining his B.A. in Bible and his M.Ed. in counseling from Mississippi College, Rory became dean of men at MC. While serving as director of development at MC, he obtained his Ed.D. in higher education from the University of Mississippi. Promoted to vice president for development, he later became vice president for institutional advancement at MC before assuming the presidency at William Carey College. The following year, Rory was named president of Louisiana College and later served as executive director of the Baptist Children’s Village. He has served as commissioner for the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges, among other appointments. In 2024, he was named to the Mississippi Baptist Historical Commission Board of Trustees.

COMMUNICATION: Dr. Dylan Michael McLemore ’08, ’10

A mass communication professor who practices what he preaches—working for ESPN+ and serving as a public scholar discussing media law, innovation, and impact for news outlets in the U.S. and around the world—Dylan McLemore is an associate professor of sports media in the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Before arriving at OSU, Dylan taught in the School of Communication at the University of Central Arkansas. He obtained his B.S. in communication with a concentration in public relations and his M.S. in communication from Mississippi College, where he got his start as a broadcaster calling Choctaws athletics for WHJT-FM radio. He obtained his Ph.D. in communication and information sciences from the University of Alabama, where he was a National Communication Association doctoral honors scholar. Dylan is married to Dr. Heather McLemore, an emergency room physician and MC graduate.

COMMUNICATION YOUNG ALUMNUS: Micheal Joseph Walley ’14

A native of Waynesboro, Micheal obtained his B.S. in communication with a concentration in public relations at Mississippi College, where he received the Scott-Swor Founder’s Award. A Trustee Scholarship recipient, he participated in the London Semester Program and served as Council president and on the Student Government Executive Council. Micheal now serves as a team leader for live creative for camps and events at Lifeway Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee. He leads in developing, writing, and producing live stage content for Lifeway camps, including CentriKids, Fuge, and Student Life, which serve more than 120,000 young people from churches across the country. He has served as the emcee and host of Lifeway’s company-wide biannual conference and works with family ministry conferences, vacation Bible school preview events, and company-training events. He also freelances as an actor, writer, and voiceover artist. Micheal is married to Anne Marie Parks Walley, a 2015 MC graduate.

COMPUTER SCIENCE: Kenneth “Wayne” Brown ’02, ’06

After receiving his Bachelor of Science from Mississippi College, Wayne Brown started his software engineering career, working for numerous smaller organizations while obtaining his Master of Science from MC. He joined Oracle as a demo architect and, six years later, moved to Cisco AppDynamics as a demo architect. Soon afterward, he began supporting the largest cloud providers as a channel solutions engineer. Named FY16 Solutions Consulting MVP by Oracle in 2016 and FY22 Channel Solutions Engineer of the Year by Cisco AppDynamics in 2022, Wayne is a three-time Cisco Live Distinguished Speaker. He now serves as a senior global technical partner manager with Splunk, a Cisco company that guides some of the world’s leading organizations to getunparalleled visibility across their entire digital footprints.

COUNSELING: Heather Murray Norton ’99

A licensed professional counselor with RiverTree Counseling in Clinton, Heather Norton retired from the Mississippi Public School System as a former math educator at Morton High School and Pearl High School. After receiving her B.S. in math education from Mississippi State University and her M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Mississippi College, Heather created a successful school counseling program at Sumner Hill Junior High School in Clinton, where she served as the ninth grade school counselor for 21 years. She obtained her Ed.S. in school counseling from Delta State University and went on to obtain grants for the Grief Sensitive SchoolsInitiative and the Community Grant for Grief Sensitive Schools. Recipient of the 2017-18 Mississippi Counselor Association’s School Counselor of the Year Award and the 2020 Mississippi Association of Partners in Education Governor’s Award, she is president-elect of the Mississippi Counseling Association. Heather and her husband, Clay, have a daughter, Breana.

ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY: Dr. Robert Preston Sellers ’67

Robert P. Sellers has been a respected theology professor and leader in the interreligious movement. For 25 years, he and his wife, Janie, served as missionary teachers in Indonesia. He obtained his B.A. in English and psychology from MC and his M.Div. and Ph.D. in theological ethics, New Testament theology, and world religions from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a visiting professor at Baylor University and as a professor of theology and Connally Professor of Missions at Logsdon Seminary of Hardin-Simmons University. Rob has been a commission member of the National Council of Churches and Baptist World Alliance and chair of trustees of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. His mission is to help Christians accept the importance of interreligious friendships that enable meaningful dialogue and teamwork to help create a better world. He and Janie have two children, Tyler and Marnie, andfive grandchildren.

HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: Kathryn Wyatt Daniels ’11, ’13

A national board-certified teacher from Petal, Kathryn Wyatt Daniels earned her B.A. in history and her M.Ed. from Mississippi College. During her 14-year tenure as an educator, she taught in the Clinton, Pearl, and Petal school districts. She currently teaches history and research classes and senior-level U.S. history remediation at Petal High School. Kathryn serves as the Social Studies Department chair and on her school’s leadership team, facilitates a daily professional learning community, and sits on the Mississippi Superintendent’s Advisory Council. Petal High School’s STAR Teacher for 2017, 2019, and 2023, she was named Mississippi’s Milken Educator for 2020. A teacher-coach with the South Mississippi Writing Project, she has led workshops in disciplinary literacy for the Mississippi Department of Education. She directs the Distinguished Young Women of Petal Program, tutors students for the ACT, and serves at Petal-Harvey Baptist Church. Kathryn and her husband have two children.

KINESIOLOGY: Dr. Hayden “Brooks” Fortenberry ’15

Clinic director of Performance Therapy Clinton, Brooks Fortenberry oversees a clinic that provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy services for the community. A graduate of the Simpson County School District, he majored in kinesiology at MC, where he played varsity baseball for four seasons. A three-time academic all-conference honoree, Brooks was named the 2014-15 Mississippi College Alpha Chi Scholar Athlete of the Year. He obtained his D.P.T. from the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Physical Therapy Program. Brooks is committed to the Mississippi College community, employing and mentoring MC students and alumni at his clinic. Brooks and his wife, Christian, a nurse practitioner at St. Dominic Neurology in Jackson, have two children, Mary Virginia and Arche.

LAWYER OF THE YEAR: C. Joyce Hall ’84, ’87

A member of Watkins & Eager in Jackson, C. Joyce Hall practices in the health care, general business, and commercial/public finance areas. A leader in her firm’s healthcare practice group, she serves as chair of Watkins & Eager’s Management Committee. Admitted to the Mississippi Bar and the Louisiana Bar associations, Joyce is active in the Health Law Section of the American Bar Association. The author or coauthor of several articles in health law, she is a frequent speaker at health care conferences. Recognized in the Best Lawyers in America and in Chambers USA, she was included in the Mississippi Business Journal’s list of 50 leading business women in 2009 and as a top ten recipient of the MBJ’s Leadership in Law Award. An active member of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, Joyce and her husband, Daniel, have three children—Dan (Claire), Drew (Kate) and Alyssa (Caleb)—and five grandchildren.

YOUNG LAWYER OF THE YEAR: Karmel L. Keeton ’20

Since graduating from the Mississippi College School of Law, Karmel L. Keeton has served as managing attorney for the Mitchell Firm in Ridgeland. An honors college student at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, she obtained her B.A. in sociology and her M.B.A. from Mercer University. At MC Law, Karmel received the William B. Lovett Jr. Excellence Award, was an Order of Barristers inductee, and was a national semifinalist in the American Bar Association’s Arbitration Competition. A Dean’s Ambassador and class senator in the Student Bar Association, she served on the Moot Court Board and Executive Board. Admitted to the State Bar of Georgia and the Mississippi Bar, Karmel serves as diversity and social justice chair for the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi Bar, social chair of the Capital Area Bar Association and treasurer for the Magnolia Bar Association. She is the incoming president of the Jackson Young Lawyers Association.

MATHEMATICS: Dr. Jerome Goddard II ’04, ’06

Professor of mathematics at Auburn University Montgomery, Jerome Goddard II received his B.S. in mathematics summa cum laude and his M.S. in mathematics summa cum laude from Mississippi College. He obtained his Ph.D. in mathematical sciences from Mississippi State University, where he received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award, and the 2011 Graduate Doctoral Student Research Award. At AUM, Jerome was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2015 and to full professor in 2021. He received the School of Sciences Junior Faculty Award, the Excellence in Service to Students Award, and the Outstanding Faculty Award for the Department of Math, among many other honors. Coauthor of his father’s medical book Goddard’s Physician’s Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance, Seventh Edition, his research has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation since 2015. Jerome and his wife, Lindsey Goddard, have two children, Millie and Braxton.

MODERN LANGUAGES: Dr. Kerri Stanley Jordan ’97, ’99

Kerri Stanley Jordan earned her B.A. at Mississippi College after completing majors in modern languages, history, and English and studying abroad at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. She earned her M.A. in English at MC and her Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric at Louisiana State University, where she was a Board of Regents Fellow. Kerri joined the Mississippi College faculty in 2002 and serves as associate professor in the Department of English and Philosophy, teaching Introduction to Research Methods, Advanced Research, Creative Writing/Prose, and Language and Diversity. Kerri has served as Faculty Council presidentand director of the MC Writing Center and has been honored as the University’s Distinguished Professor of the Year. A Carol West Faculty Advocate Award recipient, she has served on the executive board of the Mississippi Writing Centers Association and on the Board of Directors for RideABILITY.

MUSIC: Ross Carlton Johnson ’99, ’01

Worship and communications pastor at First Baptist Church, Madison, Ross Carlton Johnson’s objective is to passionately lead God’s people in worship to the throne of God and effectively serve the Lord through full-time music ministry. While attending MC, Ross served as minister of music at Wildwood Baptist Church in Clinton and at Daniel Memorial Baptist Church in Jackson. After receiving his Bachelor of Music in church music magna cum laude and his Master of Music in conducting summa cum laude from Mississippi College, Ross became minister of music at First Baptist Church in Florence and served as associate pastor of worship at First Baptist Church in Zachary, Louisiana, before joining First Baptist Madison. Three-time conductor for the American Gospel Music Celebration at New York City’s Carnegie Hall, he has coauthored three devotion books on worship and has produced two choir albums. Ross and his wife, Anna, have two sons, William and Carlton.

MUSIC YOUNG ALUMNA: Jordan Carol Langworthy ’12

Jordan Carol Langworthy ignited her passion for music education at Mississippi College and has flourished as director of choral activities at Germantown High School in Gluckstadt. Recipient of the Music Education Award and president of the American Choral Directors Association, Collegiate Chapter, Jordan obtained her Bachelor of Music Education at MC and earned her Master of Education, Secondary Education, summa cum laude at William Carey University. The Madison County School District’s 2023 High School Teacher of the Year and Germantown High School’s 2023 Teacher of the Year serves as the Mississippi High School Activities Association/Mississippi Music Educators High School Division president. This year, she adjudicated Alabama’s State Choral Performance Assessment, and in 2024 alone, her choir won Grand Champion at the inaugural Athena Festival, the Bluff City Choral Festival, the Choral and A Cappella Categories of the Spirit of Southern A Cappella Competition, and the Riverland Choral Competition.

NURSING: Dr. Mary Ellen Reeves Stewart ’95

An assistant professor in the School of Nursing at Mississippi College and program chair for the MC Public Health Program, Mary Ellen Reeves Stewart’s areas of expertise include cardiac nursing, hospice and palliative care, disaster preparedness, and organizational leadership. After earning her B.S.N. at Mississippi College, she obtained her M.S.N. from the University of Mississippi and her Ph.D. in nursing leadership from the University of Southern Mississippi. The class of 2015’s choice for Faculty Member of the Year serves in the college ministry and hospitality ministry areas of Fondren Church. She enjoys spending time in the classroom with students, teaching and becoming involved in their day-to-day lives. Mary Ellen and her husband, Dr. Jimmy Stewart, an MC alum and associate dean for graduate education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, have two sons, Connor and Braden, who are both Choctaws.

NURSING YOUNG ALUMNA: Dr. Ra’Kedra Ameshia Ford ’19

A clinical registered nurse who provides stability, safety, and patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary team, Ra’Kedra Ameshia Ford serves as a staff registered nurse-P.R.N. and medical-surgical nurse in the Abdominal Liver and Kidney Transplant Unit at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Working her way up from charge nurse to staff nurse, she manages pre- and post-operative care for kidney and liver transplants, performs patient assessments in gastrointestinal, hepatic, and genitourinary areas, and develops care plans to ensure patient satisfaction. She received her B.S.N. from Mississippi College and her D.N.P. from Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing. An inductee into the Eta Gamma Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Ra’Kedra holds a Mississippi Compact Nurse License. She is trained in basic life support and advanced cardiac life support and has obtained her Tuberculosis Surveillance and Testing Certification.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT: Carly Yelverton Tunberg ’11, ’14

A certified physician assistant at the MEA Medical Clinics and the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center’s emergency room in Jackson, Carly Yelverton Tunberg previously worked for Mission First, a Christian nonprofit in Jackson, Pearl, and Madison. She earned her B.S. in biology cum laude and her M.S.M. in physician assistant studies at Mississippi College, where she received the Spirit of MCPA Student Award. A Leadership Scholarship and Dean’s Scholarship recipient, Carly was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board and was a Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities selection. Since graduating, she has served on the MCPA Advisory Board, interviewed applicants, served as preceptor for MC’s physician assistant and School of Nursing programs, and become involved in Junior Auxiliary. Carly and her husband, Thomas, are active members of Morrison Heights Baptist Church. They are the parents of four children: Jackson, Ellis, Lucy, and Sybil.

PSYCHOLOGY: Rikki Otts Harris ’01

Chief executive officer for Tennessee Voices, a nonprofit mental health organization, Rikki Harris has been named a Top 3 CEO in Tennessee by the Center for Nonprofit Management. The New York Fashion Week runway model obtained her B.A. in psychology from Mississippi College and her M.A. in Christian education and her M.A. in marriage and family therapy from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She joined Tennessee Voices as director of development and marketing; as CEO, she has led the organization through a period of significant growth: in the last 10 years, it has expanded from 20 staff members to about 250. Rikki serves the state of Tennessee as the appointed chair for the Department of Mental Health’s Policy and Planning Council. She and her husband, Clay Harris, an MC alum, have two daughters and serve as student ministry volunteers at their church.

SOCIAL WORK: Daniel Cooper Wilson ’10

An ordained minister with more than 14 years of field experience as a licensed clinical social worker, Daniel Cooper Wilson serves full time as director of the Warren County Children’s Shelter with Canopy Children’s Solutions. He has worked in direct care, case management, ministerial, academic, and clinical roles throughout his career. Daniel earned his B.S.W. summa cum laude at Mississippi College, where he made the President’s List and served as treasurer for the Association of Student Social Workers. A member of Phi Theta Kappa, he obtained his M.S.W. from the University of Alabama. An active member of the Mississippi Conference on Social Welfare and the Mississippi Association of Congregate Care Agencies, he has served as an adjunct faculty member for his alma mater. Daniel and his wife, Meagan, are licensed adoptive and foster parents who are blessed with four children: Ayla, Libby, Mason, and David.

TEACHER EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP: Tamikia Geneva Billings ’10

Tamikia Geneva Billings’ professional career reflects more than two decades in education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal in elementary, junior high, and high schools throughout Mississippi. During her tenure as principal of Clinton Junior High School, the school ranked second overall among junior high schools in Mississippi (2023 and 2024) and first in the state for eighth grade ELA and math (2023). She now serves as director of student assessment and student services for the Clinton Public School District. After receiving her B.S. in secondary education from Alcorn State University and her M.Ed. in secondary education from Belhaven University, Tamikia obtained her Education Specialist and Doctor of Education from MC. An active member of the Mississippi Educational Association, the National Science Teachers Organization, and the National Association of Secondary Principals, among other organizations, Tamikia received the 2021 MC Faculty Award and the 2019-20 Administrator of the Year Award.