Commission honors outstanding women
Receiving honors this year from the MSU President's Commission on the Status of Women are (from left) Kimberly Kelly, Brittany Perez, Nandita Gupta, Anja Scheib, Mitzy Johnson, and Felecia Brown. Extending congratulations is President Mark E. Keenum, keynote speaker at the campus awards ceremony. PHOTO: Megan Bean | Public Affairs
Five members of the Starkville campus community and a Lauderdale County resident are this year's selections for top recognitions given annually by Mississippi State's President's Commission on the Status of Women.
Those honored during a recent campus reception included:
-- Felecia Brown of Meridian, Outstanding Community Woman;
-- Mitzy Johnson, Outstanding Professional Staff Woman;
-- Kimberly Kelly, Outstanding Faculty Woman;
-- Brittany S. Perez of Louisville, Outstanding Graduate Student Woman; and
-- Senior Nandita S. Gupta of Starkville and freshman Anja C. Scheib of Canton, Student Leadership Awards.
Brown is a certified nurse midwife at the Purvis Clinic, one of Meridian's largest OB/GYN clinics. In addition to founding an organization called "Divas on the Run" to help women get physically fit, she has organized and hosted empowerment seminars for women and routinely volunteers with a number of community organizations.
Johnson is associate director of the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. In addition to campus duties, she is president for the Mississippi chapter of Kappa Kappa Iota, the oldest organization for educators in the U.S. In that role, Johnson has helped more than 200 women to grow personally and professionally. Also, through work with the Business and Professional Women's Club, she has led in organizing individual development workshops for women to enhance their skills in communication, listening and interviewing.
Kelly directs MSU's Gender Studies program and is faculty adviser for Delta Omega Lambda, a sorority for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students. She also is a board member and trainer for the advisory board of Safe Zone that works to educate MSU employees and students about issues faced by GLBT students and provide a safer campus environment for gender and sexuality minorities. Additionally, she is actively involved in the international Sociologists for Women in Society that works to improve the position of women in sociology-related professions and society, in general.
Perez, a graduate student in applied anthropology, has been active in advancing membership in the American Association of University Women by helping established an AAUW student chapter on campus, among other activities. She also works continually in support of the Columbus-based Safe Haven, a shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Gupta is an electrical engineering major with a minor in computer science. She is a member of MSU's nationally recognized EcoCAR2 research and design team and serves as webmaster for the Indian Student Association. The Shackouls Honors College student also is a member of the Society of Women Engineers, Maroon Volunteer Center, Starkville Multicultural Lions Club and International Student Advisory Board.
Scheib, a business administration major, has led fundraiser efforts for St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., and served as a volunteer with the Starkville Pregnancy Care Center. The Shackouls Honors College student also is an officer in MSU Students for Life and director of the Pregnant on Campus Initiative.
To learn more about the commission, visit www.committees.msstate.edu/pcsw/index.php.
Allison Matthews | Public Affairs
