Contact: Sid Salter 

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum today [May 6] announced Les Potts as the university’s Vice President for Finance and Administration. Potts has served as interim vice president since July 1, 2023. 

“While serving as interim vice president for the past 10 months, Les has provided the university with the critical continuity of operations and stability necessary during a transition,” said Keenum.

“Les has my complete confidence and has a strong and effective working relationship with the entire university community,” said Keenum. “I am pleased with Les's leadership skills and ability to respond to our fiscal operations needs in an effective manner while being a good steward of the resources the people of Mississippi have invested in our university.” 

His appointment is pending formal approval by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. For the past 15 years, Potts has worked in MSU’s Division of Finance and Administration on appropriations and budgets, contracts, efficiencies, and multiple special projects, many of which involved campus operations and infrastructure. 

“I count it a great honor and privilege to serve in this capacity, particularly during a challenging fiscal environment,” said Potts. “I respect and admire Dr. Keenum and my colleagues on MSU’s leadership team. Dr. Keenum’s leadership continues to be transformational for the university, which plays such a vital role in the future of this state.” 

Potts served as MSU’s point person on the $70 Million College View complex that opened in 2018, a first-of-a-kind public-private partnership among Mississippi universities. Since January of 2020, he has served as associate vice president for administration with administrative oversight of all campus operations including facilities, utilities, custodial services, faculty and staff housing, campus master planning, design, construction, landscape, and transportation. 

He serves on various committees at MSU including the Master Plan Development Advisory Committee, Design Review Subcommittee, Parking and Traffic Committee, Crisis Action Team, Transformation Management Team, Game Day and Special Events Committee, and Video Management System Committee. 

He is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, and Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. He lives in Starkville with his wife Holly, an instructor and advisor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. Their daughters, Claire, a pre-med student in her junior year, and Anna Leslie, a freshman majoring in psychology and criminology, both attend MSU. 

For more information on MSU’s Division of Finance and Administration and its programs, visit https://www.finance.msstate.edu. 

MSU is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.