February 20, 2018

During a state Collegiate DECA competition in which East Mississippi Community College took home a school record number of awards, two EMCC students were selected to the organization’s top two posts.        

Dalton Robison of Batesville, who is a sophomore on EMCC’s Scooba campus, was named the Mississippi Collegiate DECA president. Ackerman resident Clayton Forrester, a sophomore at the Golden Triangle campus, will serve as vice president.

“State DECA officers must pass a rigorous test and undergo an interview to qualify for the positions,” EMCC Business and Marketing Management Technology instructor Dr. Joshua Carroll said. “Then, there is a vote by delegates representing all of the colleges and universities across the state. These are prestigious posts and it is an honor to have two of our students selected.”

Robison, who served last year as the EMCC mascot, “Leo the Lion,” is on the cheerleading squad this year.

“It is huge honor,” Robison said of his selection as the state Collegiate DECA president. “I am excited to represent not only EMCC but the state as well.”

Collegiate DECA is a national organization for college students preparing for a variety of career areas, with emphasis in the areas of marketing, management, merchandising and entrepreneurship. Its local chapters and state/provincial associations are a division of National DECA, Inc. Collegiate DECA, previously known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, is currently active throughout the U.S. and Canada.

This term marks the first that EMCC has offered Business and Marketing Management Technology courses at the Scooba campus.

“The fact that we just stood up the program at Scooba and have a student there elected to serve as the state Collegiate DECA president is remarkable,” Carroll said.

Robison and Forrester were elected to the posts during the Mississippi Collegiate DECA Career Development Conference Feb. 1 at Hinds Community College’s Rankin campus. The annual conference features statewide competitions between DECA members from throughout the state.

During the competition, 33 EMCC students qualified to represent the state of Mississippi April 11-14 in the Collegiate DECA International Career Development Conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.

More than 1,000 Collegiate DECA students will compete in the international championships in categories such as Business Management and Administration, Entrepreneurship, Finance and Accounting, Hospitality and Tourism, and Marketing and Communications.

EMCC DECA members earned a shot at the national championships by placing in the top five in their competition categories in the state competition.

The students brought home a combined 39 trophies, taking first place in five categories; second place in five categories; third place in seven categories; fourth place in four categories; and fifth place in four categories.

“I am really proud of our students’ accomplishments in the DECA competition,” Carroll said. “This represents the most awards the EMCC chapter of DECA has won since its inception in 1976. From what we are told, this is the most awards won by a single college in more than seven years.”

EMCC winners in the state Collegiate DECA competition are:

- First place, Entrepreneurship: Clayton Forrester of Ackerman, William Janssen of Ackerman, and Gissela Perdomo of San Pedro Sula, Honduras

- First place, Event Planning:  Brooke Bradford of Columbus, and DeRayln Smith of Macon

- First place, Financial Statement Analysis: Marcus Black of Killeen, Texas, and Destiny Orr of Macon

- First place, Professional Sales: Jordan Anderson of Columbus

- First place, Banking and Financial Services: James Livingston of Steens

- Second place, Business to Business Marketing: Dalton Robison of Batesville, and Cody Troyer of Macon

- Second place, Business Ethics: Kendrez Shaffer of West Point, and Margaret Toole of Oxford

- Second place, Fashion Merchandising and Marketing: Takiara Malone of Columbus

- Second place, Professional Sales: Haley Tallent of Starkville

- Second place, Sales Management Meeting: Jaycee Stennis, Jr., of Columbus

- Third place, Business to Business Marketing: Isaac Jamerson of Starkville, and Julian Nance of West Point

- Third place, Fashion Merchandising and Marketing: Makayla Sledge of Columbus

- Third place, International Marketing: Clayton Forester of Ackerman, and William Janssen of Ackerman

- Third place, Sports Entertainment Marketing: Joshua Anderson of Columbus, and Hunter Latham of Columbus

- Third place, Marketing Management: Mirage Bell of Starkville

- Third place, Retail Management: Clay Wade of Calhoun City

- Third place, Sales Management Meeting: Brett Chapman of Stewart

- Fourth place, Business Ethics: Kyle Bluitt of Columbus, and Lillie Greenlaw of Columbus

- Fourth place, Event Planning: Christopher Bishop of Starkville, and LaKendria Larry of Starkville

- Fourth place, Marketing Management: Troydeshia Ellis of Columbus

- Fourth place, Travel and Tourism Management: Bailey Shoup

- Fifth place, Business Ethics: Kimberly Mallard of Brooksville, and Gissela Perdomo of San Pedro Sula, Honduras

- Fifth place, Event Planning: Chelsea Bradshaw of West Point, and Ebony Hernandez of West Point

- Fifth place, Human Resource Management: Adam Todd of West Point

- Fifth place, International Marketing, Jacorey Douglas of Starkville, and Malesa Stiles of Starkville