(JACKSON, Miss.) – Dr. William McHenry, executive director of the Mississippi e-Center @JSU and a professor of organic chemistry at Jackson State University, has been appointed one of five new members of the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau serving Mississippi. McHenry will serve a three-year term.
“We are excited for the addition of these new members joining us to promote the BBB mission and help us improve our reach throughout the state,” said John O’Hara, president & CEO of the BBB serving Mississippi. “We look forward to the expertise and enthusiasm each of our new members brings to our organization.”
Serving as the supervisory body of BBB, the Board of Directors is comprised of executives from accredited businesses of the BBB. New board members are nominated by the Board’s Executive Committee and voted on by the full board and all accredited businesses.
Among the new board members, McHenry is the only member who represents an institution of higher learning. Other appointees include Johnny Baker, Baker Insurance Services, Columbus, Miss.; Don Glidewell, Think Anew, LLC, Ridgeland, Miss.; Karen Preston-Morf, ERA Advantage Real Estate, LLC, Oxford, Miss.; and Langston Rogers, Audibel Hearing Healthcare, Hattiesburg, Miss.
Before his appointment as executive director of the Mississippi e-Center @JSU, McHenry served in the executive office of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. He has also served as an assistant commissioner for Academic and Student Affairs for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning and as a National Science Foundation program officer.
McHenry has received more than $55 million in grants and contracts during his career. He has published in scientific journals and was awarded a patent for the control of the imported fire ant. He has also published papers on broadening participation in science, technology and engineering.