June 24, 2026

By Michael Stewart

Dr. James Rush has been named executive vice president and provost at East Mississippi Community College, while Sharon Thompson has been appointed dean of East Mississippi Community College’s Scooba campus, EMCC President Dr. Scott Alsobrooks announced. Gina Cotton, the executive director of Alumni Affairs and Foundation Operations, will assume new duties with the May retirement of former Dean of Scooba Campus/College Advancement Tony Montgomery.

The changes took effect June 1.

Rush was formerly the vice president of instruction at EMCC and oversaw the college’s instructional programs. 

“Dr. Rush will continue to provide leadership for the College’s instructional programs and initiatives while supporting the institution’s strategic priorities, functions, and comprehensive mission,” Alsobrooks said.

Thompson is the former director of athletics and dean of students on EMCC’s Scooba campus.

“Sharon will continue to serve as dean of students,” Alsbrooks said. “In this expanded capacity, she will provide administrative leadership and oversight of student affairs and campus operations on the Scooba campus.”

Cotton will continue serving in her role as executive director of Alumni Affairs and Foundation Operations.

“Gina will assume leadership of the Foundation’s fundraising efforts while continuing to oversee alumni engagement, donor relations, and foundation operations,” Alsobrooks said.

JAMES RUSH

In his new role, Rush will be working with departments throughout the college’s landscape on priorities identified by Alsobrooks. The newest department added to Rush’s oversight is college athletics. Dustin Cade Wilkerson, who was recently named EMCC's athletic director, will work closely with Rush in this new role. 

“I am thankful and excited about this new opportunity and look forward to working in this new capacity,” Rush said.

Rush was named interim vice president of instruction at EMCC in December of 2019, serving in the role for about seven months until July 1, 2020, when the interim designation was dropped and he officially assumed the role of vice president.

Rush has worked at EMCC for more than 19 years. He was first hired in January of 2007 as a Federal TRIO Programs student support service counselor/instructor. He also served at the college as a GED instructor to inmates at the Kemper Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility.

In September of 2009, Rush accepted a position as an academic advisor/counselor. Additionally, from 2008 to 2014, he was a resident supervisor of student housing on EMCC’s Scooba campus.

In 2011, Rush was named director of Instructional and Student Support Services. In July 2012, he was tapped to fill the position of associate/assistant dean of instruction. Since 2008, Rush has also taught as an adjunct Psychology and Life Learning Skills instructor.

Rush, who is a native of DeKalb, is a 2001 graduate of Kemper County High School and a 2003 and 2004 graduate of EMCC where he earned a double major in Microcomputer Technology and Business Administration.            

After graduating from EMCC, Rush earned A Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in Management from the University of West Alabama. He also earned a Master of Science at UWA in Counseling/Psychology, with 18 additional credit hours in Education. In May of 2020, Rush was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

He is a 2011 graduate of the EMCC Leadership Through Everyday Opportunities program and a Class of 2020 graduate of the Mississippi Community College Leadership Academy. In 2021, he completed the Community College Policy Fellows Program. He has also served on several SACS COC Reaffirmation committees and served on the Commission for Student Success for the American Association of Community Colleges from 2024-2026.

Last year, he was named president of the Mississippi Association of Community College Academic Officers’ Association for the 2025-26 school year.

Rush is married to Kimberly Rush. The couple has four daughters. Rush said he is excited about the new position and the opportunity it provides to improve the quality of education and experience for the EMCC community.

SHARON THOMPSON

In January of 2020, Thompson was named EMCC athletic director and handled day-to-day operations of the college’s sports programs. The following year, she additionally assumed the role of dean of students for the Scooba campus.

Thompson will continue in her role as dean of students, while Cade Wilkerson, the former offensive coordinator for the Lions’ football team, has been named the college’s new athletic director. He will report to Rush.

In her role as dean of the Scooba campus, Thompson will assume campus operations duties of Montgomery.

Prior to her appointment as athletic director, Thompson was EMCC’s most veteran member of the Lions coaching staff, having served 21 successful years as a coach for the Lions women’s basketball team, with 17 of those years as head coach. Her tenure includes three MACJC North Division regular-season titles and an NJCAA Region 23 championship.

A native of Geiger, Ala., Thompson is a former two-time all-state player at Sumter County High School in York, Ala., and a former All-SEC standout at Mississippi State University, where she is a 2021 inductee into the MSU Sports Hall of fame. She was the No. 6 pick overall in the 1998 American Basketball League Draft, becoming MSU’s first women’s basketball player to be drafted professionally. She played the 1998-99 season with the ABL’s San Jose Lasers in California and spent 1999-2000 playing professionally in Italy.

“I was blessed with a God-given talent,” Thompson said of her basketball career. “I always stayed humble regardless of the accolades I received or how much I achieved. It started with a talent, and I worked hard to maximize it.”

Thompson earned her bachelor’s degree in educational psychology from MSU and completed her master’s degree in physical education from the University of West Alabama in 2003.

During her tenure as EMCC’s athletic director, Thompson has overseen the reinstatement of the college’s men’s and women’s soccer teams and the men’s golf team, as well as the addition of a women’s golf team, bringing the total competitive sports programs to 11, an all-time high. She also oversaw improvements to the college’s sports facilities and was instrumental in hiring head coaches in women’s basketball, soccer, softball, and golf.

Also under her leadership, EMCC has earned NJCAA Academic Team of the Year honors in softball (2020-21). In 2020, with Thompson at the helm, the EMCC women’s basketball team earned their first MACJC state championship in 36 years, dethroning three-time reigning state women’s champions Jones College to claim the 2020 MACJC Women's Basketball Championship.

Thompson attributed her success to hard work and to the trust she earned from former women’s basketball head coach Dale Peay and former athletic director Mickey Stokes.

“The four years I spent as an assistant coach under Coach Peay prepared me for the head coach position,” Thompson said. “Under Mickey, I began to view the coaching position from an administrative standpoint, and I grew and matured in the profession. They trusted me to get the job done and that I think that’s what worked for me.”

GINA COTTON

Cotton has served as EMCC’s executive director of Alumni Affairs and Foundation Operations since 2018. Her expanded role will include fundraising efforts for the Foundation.

“I am grateful to our president, Dr. Alsobrooks, for the opportunity to continue serving EMCC in this role,” Cotton said. “Having been part of the EMCC family since 2008, I deeply value the relationships I have built with our donors and friends over the years. I would also like to thank our Development Foundation Board of Directors and EMCC Board of Trustees, whose support has been instrumental in the success of our Foundation.”

The EMCC Development Foundation, a 5013c nonprofit, is a separate entity from the college that conducts fundraisers and handles donations that support EMCC’s academic and athletic programs. Qualified donations that meet federal guidelines are tax deductible.

Among other things, Cotton oversees alumni engagement, donor relations and Development Foundation operations. She helps coordinate alumni events such as those centered around Homecoming and the annual EMCC Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony. 

Annual fundraisers include events such as the Birdies & Boil Golf Tournament and Shrimp Boil, the EMCC-Old Waverly Golf Classic, and the Sporting Clays Challenge. Many EMCC alumni are regular attendees at EMCC events.

“One of the most meaningful aspects of my work is the opportunity to meet people and learn about their stories, histories, and families,” Cotton said. “Many of our longtime alumni and friends who were active when I started are no longer with us. The legacies they leave behind reflect the strong and lasting connections that define EMCC and remain a part of the storied past of our beloved college.”

Cotton said one of her goals is to continue strengthening relationships with younger EMCC alumni and encouraging their involvement in college events and fundraising efforts.

“Many of our younger alumni are focused on building their careers and raising families and may not be in a position to give financially at this time,” Cotton said. “However, I plan to encourage them to stay connected by sharing their experiences and promoting the college within their workplaces and communities. Everyone carries a story or perhaps a meaningful memory that endears them to EMCC.”

Donations to the EMCC Development Foundation have had an outsized impact on the college over the years. Donations have been used for capital projects, such as construction of the Orr Center and Chapel of the Pines on the Scooba campus. Donations have been used to establish 35 EMCC Development Foundation scholarships; many tailored for students entering specific fields of study, such as Surgical Technology, Diesel Mechanics or a math or science field, to name a few.

The foundation houses many different funds that support various groups on all campus including Phi Theta Kappa, nursing, forestry, welding, turf management, athletics, and more. Cotton said questions on how to contribute to a particular fund or scholarship are always welcome. 

“If there is a donation to a dedicated account, it can only be used for that purpose,” Cotton said. “We encourage donations to our general fund because those funds are not restricted and can be used where there is the greatest need.”

Cotton first began work at the Development Foundation as the coordinator of Alumni Relations under former EMCC Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nick Clark, who retired in 2017. Prior to that, she worked for former Dean of Instruction Dr. Teresa Houston.

Cotton and her husband, Chuck Cotton, have two daughters, both of whom are dental hygienists and attended EMCC. Ashley Cotton Cutrer is married to Lance Cutrer, and the couple has a son, Luke, age 11.

Their other daughter, Laura Cotton Chancellor, is married to Dale Chancellor, who is a graduate of EMCC. The couple has two sons: Colt, 5, and Cooper, who is 3. They are expecting a girl to be born soon.

Chuck Cotton is a Utility Lineworker instructor on EMCC’s Scooba campus. The Cottons have served at Calvary Baptist Church in Macon for 35 years.

Gina Cotton said her goal is to continue to build and sustain strong relationships with EMCC donors, alumni, and community partners to advance the college’s mission and support EMCC’s faculty, staff, and students. 

She had the following message for EMCC alumni.

“I encourage you to get connected, give back when you can, and remain a valued part of the EMCC story,” Gina Cotton said. “Your engagement matters — let’s work together to move EMCC forward.”