Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT)
About Us
Mission
Our mission is to engage the talents and resources of Mississippi State University faculty, staff and students off campus and into communities in Mississippi to further community and economic development.
Staff
Dr. Virgil Culver, Director
Dr. Virgil Culver currently serves as director of the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU). In this role, he is responsible for identifying specific expertise and resources of the university relevant to local community issues and facilitating the interaction of teams of faculty and students with community leaders to address those issues.
Prior to becoming director of MSCAT, he was interim assistant director and state program leader with the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES). He also served as a county extension agent, state specialist and department head during his twenty-one years of service with MSU-ES.
Dr. Culver holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in agricultural economics from Auburn University and a doctoral degree also in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee.
LeeAnn Funderburg, Administrative Assistant
LeeAnn Funderburg is the administrative assistant for the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU). She is responsible for managing the business and administrative tasks for the department.
Prior to joining MSCAT, she served as an administrative assistant with the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES) in the Administrative Services department. She also served as an office associate for the Harrison County Extension office.
Mrs. Funderburg is currently pursuing a B.S. degree in interdisciplinary studies at MSU.
Julie Jordan, Project Manager
Julie Jordan is a project manager with the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU) with special emphasis on educational and community projects such as the Mississippi Higher Education Initiative.
Prior to joining MSCAT, she served as the technology coordinator and computer teacher at the Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science for eight years and adjunct instructor at MSU and Mississippi University for Women. She was also founder of an Internet company and acquired three others before she sold the company. She is part owner of four Sylvan Learning franchises in Mississippi and also serves as a trustee on a local school board and is past president of the Mississippi School Boards Association.
Mrs. Jordan holds a B.S. in industrial engineering and a M.S. degree in educational technology from MSU and is currently enrolled in the international development doctoral program at The University of Southern Mississippi.
Chance McDavid, Project Manager
Chance McDavid is a community development project manager with the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU) with special emphasis on those projects related to capacity building and leadership, nonprofit and volunteer management and economic development.
Prior to joining MSCAT, he served as vice president of membership and community development and chief operations officer for the Greater Starkville Development Partnership. He also served as Harrison County Extension agent, area Extension agent in enterprise and community resource development, Extension associate and marketing coordinator/writer in the Office of Agricultural Communications with the Mississippi State University Extension Service (MSU-ES).
Mr. McDavid holds a B.S. degree in poultry science with an emphasis in manufacturing from MSU and a M.S. degree in public relations from The University of Southern Mississippi. He is currently enrolled in the Institute for Organization Management with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Community Development Institute with the Community Development Council.
Jeremy Murdock, Community Planner
Jeremy Murdock is a community planning project manager with the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU) with special emphasis on those projects relating to design and planning. His current work focuses on educating communities about good design and planning principles as well as sustainable community development.
Prior to joining MSCAT, he worked in private practice in a landscape architecture firm in Memphis, Tennessee.
Mr. Murdock holds B.L.A. and M.L.A. degrees in landscape architecture from MSU where he studied community planning and urban design principles as well as Traditional Neighborhood Design.
Jeffrey Rupp, Community Relations Coordinator
Jeffrey Rupp is the community relations coordinator for the Mississippi State Community Action Team (MSCAT) at Mississippi State University (MSU) with special emphasis on municipal government and community development.
Prior to joining MSCAT, he was twice elected mayor of Columbus, Mississippi. In addition, he was the vice president for news for Imes Communications and anchored the nightly news for WCBI-TV in Columbus.
Mr. Rupp holds a B.S. degree in communications from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently enrolled in the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma and the graduate program in public policy and administration at MSU.
