Distinguished Alumni

Mr. Keylon Gholston (Bachelor of Science in Animal Science 1978) is the Distinguished Fellow for the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences. The Baldwyn, Mississippi native has spent 44 years in agriculture. He is currently CEO of Gholston Consulting, LLC, and Gholston Farms, LLC. He served as Cotton Product Manager for Bayer U.S. and Monsanto for a combined 15 years. He oversaw the Delta & Pine Land Co. as Vice President of the Eastern Division for 10 years. Prior to that, he held leadership roles for Paymaster Cottonseed and Northrup King Seeds. He is Past President of both the Mississippi Seedsmen Association and the Mississippi Agriculture Industry Council. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Bayer Crop Science Commercial Impact Award in 2020, the Bayer Crop Science Spirit of Collaboration Award in 2019, and the Monsanto Company Above and Beyond Award, 2018. Gholston and his wife, Teresa, whom he met while attending MSU, live in Baldwyn and have four children and 12 grandchildren. All their children are MSU graduates, and the couple looks forward to their grandchildren attending MSU as well.