Alumni Fellow of the Year
Every fall, each of Mississippi State University's 8 academic colleges selects a notable alumni to represent the "quality of its alumni." The group is honored by the MSU Alumni Association Alumni Fellows Program, which recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers.
The Alumni Fellows return to campus to meet with students both in the classroom and informally, and are tasked with sharing their extensive knowledge and real-world experience from their respective fields with students.
"These outstanding alumni are willing to talk about specific competencies, attitudes, and efforts needed to succeed. The program is an exciting and stimulating way to blend the interests of the accomplished professionals, the students, and the professors."
The MSU Alumni Association welcomed the 2018 class of Alumni Fellows on campus Oct. 25-27, 2018. The group was honored in conjunction with the MSU vs. TAMU football game. As Alumni Fellows, these graduates will hold the distinction for life.
College of Ag and Life Sciences Alumni Fellow
Brenton S. Brasher
Brenton S. “Brent” Brasher places earning his two MSU degrees among his greatest accomplishments. And at this point in his life, Brent acknowledges he is incredibly humbled to be recognized by MSU as an Alumni Fellow since the university and the community of Starkville have meant so much to him.
A Mississippi native, Brent began his higher education at Northwest Community College, where he earned an associate’s degree. From there, he enrolled at MSU. During his time at MSU, he received great advice and mentoring from his professors, and he still carries the positive impact with him every day.
On campus, Brent fondly recalls game days spent cheering the Diamond Dawgs from Left Field Lounge with friends, along with much time devoted to his studies. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture economics in 1985 and 1991, respectively.
Brent has experienced much success in his professional career. He is currently the president of the Charleston, Mississippi-based Kengro Corporation. Earlier, Brent was a research associate with Mississippi State, and he believes he could not have developed the Kengro Corporation without continued partnerships with MSU. He feels his greatest professional accomplishment involved “taking a risk to grow kenaf [a tropical plant] and establishing a business through that risk.” Outside of the Kengro Corporation, Brent spends his time as a self-employed farmer.
In his volunteerism, Brenton proudly served as a board member of the MSU Alumni Association and as president of the association’s Tallahatchie County Chapter. He has held membership with the boards of the Grenada School District, the South Delta Workforce Development Area, the Duncan Gray Center, and the USDA Crop Insurance and Advisory Committee. Additionally, he was chairman of the Mississippi Biomass Council.
Brent and his wife, Gabriela, live in the Mississippi town of Holcomb.
This article originally appeared at https://www.alumni.msstate.edu/s/811/alumni/interior.aspx?sid=811&gid=1&pgid=347.
For more on the MSU College of Ag and Life Sciences, visit http://www.cals.msstate.edu/