Laura Ann Hoffman Selected Staff Member of the Year

MC Outstanding Staff Member of the Year Laura Ann Hoffman

Laura Ann Hoffman’s family ties to Mississippi College span generations. Her parents and grandparents are graduates of her alma mater in Clinton. Her sons, Corbin and Brooks Hoffman, are alums of the Christian university, too.

Those are a few of her longstanding family connections. MC’s director of event services, Laura Ann Hoffman is doing a splendid job with the institution’s Blue & Gold family. The hard-working Clintonian was selected MC’s Outstanding Staff Member of the Year.

Grateful to receive this notable honor in April, Hoffman shines the spotlight on many colleagues and students making her job much easier.

From audio visual production manager Paul Pruitt to staff member Alfred Daniels of the Physical Plant Office, she cherishes her colleagues. Hoffman also pours on the praise for MC employees with housekeeping, public safety, and Campus Dining, among others.

“They all work tirelessly, yet with great attitudes and a sense of humor. It’s truly a joy to work alongside them,” Hoffman says.

The same is true of students on assignment with the university’s Event Services Team. “These student-worker team members have made my job more light-hearted and heart-felt. We laugh a lot, cry a little and pray for each other – especially during these times.”

In recent weeks, the COVID-19 health crisis has rocked the world. Scores of MC events have been postponed or delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The university’s nearly 5,000 students began taking classes online following Spring Break in March.

During the year, Hoffman stays in charge of scheduling numerous events. That ranges from a Fall dyslexia conference in Anderson Hall to table tennis tournaments at Alumni Gym. Whether it is scheduling Music Department concerts in Swor Auditorium or Faith and Ethics Week programs for the School of Business, the list of MC events is massive.

Vice President for Administration Steve Stanford salutes Hoffman for her energy as she tackles one assignment and quickly pivots to the next.

“While ably serving as our director of event services, Laura Ann is an effective professional,” Stanford says. Hoffman, he said, “reflects the ideals and values of MC. She is also a wonderful person who is a delight to work with.”

Among the university’s 500 full-time employees, Hoffman is “extremely deserving of this recognition,” Stanford adds.

A Clinton High graduate, Hoffman followed in the footsteps of her parents, grandparents and others in the Blue & Gold family. Her great-great grandmother served as dean of women at Hillman College in Clinton. In the early 1940s, Hillman merged with Mississippi College.

Her parents, John and Bettye King, grandparents Coach John and Mary Belle King, her sister, Susan King Leber, are all Mississippi College grads. So the decision was easy for Laura Ann to become an MC Choctaw as well.

“I thank MC for everything you have given me and for being my family,” Laura Ann Hoffman said.

There is a big move coming soon for the Mississippian. She is eager to reunite with her husband, Chris, in Oklahoma. In early 2020, Chris Hoffman became the Botanical Garden director at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Blessed with a wonderful family, Laura Ann looks forward to becoming an Oklahoman in the state’s capital city.

During the COVID-19 crisis, Hoffman turns to her faith for guidance during challenging times.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic has been a surprise to us, it wasn’t to our God. His plans and timing are perfect in every way.”