Jones to Lead Southern Miss Alumni Association Executive Committee

Mon, 07/15/2019 - 01:59pm | By: Nicole Ruhnke

On July 1, 2019, the Southern Miss Alumni Association installed its Executive Committee for the 2019-20 fiscal year. The committee is comprised of alumni who are accomplished leaders in their communities and demonstrate a strong commitment to the betterment of the University.

“We are looking ahead to a very influential year for the Association,” said Jerry DeFatta, executive director of the Southern Miss Alumni Association. “Following a successful year of new program development as a result of our organization’s strategic planning initiative, I look forward to even greater alumni engagement moving forward. The Association is fortunate to have outstanding, loyal alumni to lead our organization in these efforts, and others, as we continue in our service to the University.”

Rickey Jones '92, President

As a basketball forward Rickey Jones was part of some of the most impressive Golden Eagles teams to ever run up and down the hardwood. As an alumnus and Life Member of the Southern Miss Alumni Association, he has played an important role on many of the teams that helped contribute to Southern Miss’s success, including on the boards of directors for the USM Foundation and M-Club and as past president of the Hardwood Club.

In 2006, he served as member of the Alumni Association’s Presidential Transition Team, as well as the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning’s Search Advisory Committee, that assisted the IHL Board in its search for the ninth president of the University which ended in the selection of Dr. Martha Saunders. 

In 2007, the Alumni Association honored Jones for his service to his alma mater with the Outstanding Service Award, and he was inducted into the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame in 2010. Jones attends Fairfield Missionary Baptist Church, where he serves as a Trustee and is the Board Chair for the Jackson Hinds Library System. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Southern Miss, a graduate of the Mississippi School of Banking and currently resides in Jackson where he works as a business consultant for Front Court Development.

Pamela Munger ‘03, President Elect

Pamela Munger graduated from Southern Miss in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. While attending Southern Miss, Munger was a member of the USM tennis team and counts her time as a student-athlete among the highlights of her undergraduate experience. Upon graduating, she moved to Atlanta, Ga. And owned/operated two Lenny’s Sub Shop franchises with her family from 2003-08. During this time, she strived to teach her team members leadership and life skills while working alongside them to create a caring culture in their business using values that existed in her own life. 

In 2007, Munger and her husband, Jon ‘02 began their journey with Chick-fil-A. This led them back to Mississippi where they owned/operated Chick-fil-A Sawmill Square Mall in Laurel from 2008-12. In 2012, the Mungers moved to Starkville where they owned/operated Chick-fil-A Starkville. After 14 years of being away from Hattiesburg, Munger and her family moved back home to Hattiesburg in January 2018, where they now own/operate Chick-fil-A Hattiesburg on Highway 98. Munger is also the human resources director and enjoys sharing and teaching Chick-fil-A culture and history to their team members. She is devoted to serving others, from guests and team members, to young people and others in the community. She and her husband have one son, Jon Corbin Munger, and they attend Temple Baptist Church in Hattiesburg.

Christy Sanders Myers, Ph. D. ‘92. ‘95 Vice President

Christy Myers is the Operations Manager at the Children’s Museum of St. Tammany. Her career began as an Admissions Counselor at The University of Southern Mississippi. She served in multiple administrative roles at Southern Miss, Louisiana State University and Tulane University that included first year experience, admissions, orientation and Greek Life. She received her undergraduate degree in finance and master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in student personnel from The University of Southern Mississippi. She received her doctorate from Louisiana State University in Educational Leadership, Research and Counseling.

Myers is originally from Slidell, La. and has lived in Mandeville, La. for the past 14 years with her husband, Ryan, CEO of F.H. Myers Construction, and their son, Brady. She is a Life Member in the Alumni Association, a past president of the Northshore Pi Beta Phi Alumnae organization and the Northshore Society of Human Resource Management.

Kim Bradley ’86, Past President

Kim Bradley owns Taylor Rental in Hattiesburg and is a lifelong Golden Eagle Fan. He was born and raised in Hattiesburg, is a graduate of Hattiesburg High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Southern Miss in 1986. While at USM, he was a member of the golf team and president of Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Bradley served his community on the Hattiesburg City Council as the representative of Ward 1, which includes the northwestern part of Hattiesburg and The University of Southern Mississippi, for 12 years.

His commitment to the University has continued over the years; he is a season ticket holder for every sport, has served on numerous committees and sponsored the creation of Go Gold Fridays in Hattiesburg. Bradley is a Life Member of the Alumni Association, a member of the Circle of Champions and the 2013 recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Service Award. In 2016, he was inducted into the Southern Miss Alumni Hall of Fame.

Bradley attends Venture Church in Hattiesburg. He and his wife, Erin Pittman Bradley ‘85, ‘90 have two daughters, Alex and Abby.

John Erwin ‘00, Finance Committee Chair

John Erwin graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. Originally from Bay St. Louis, Erwin now resides in Mobile, Ala. where he works as a commercial lender with The First Bank. Erwin and his wife, Nancy, have three children, John Charles, Brantley and Ann Colleen.

About the Southern Miss Alumni Association:

The mission of the Southern Miss Alumni Association is to build a feeling of pride and loyalty among the alumni of the institution while strengthening participation in alumni and University programs; to coordinate the efforts of alumni on behalf of the University as a whole; and to provide a unified voice for all alumni in the affairs of the University. To learn more about the Southern Miss Alumni Association, including membership benefits and rates, visit SouthernMissAlumni.com.