In the bright lights of Gallagher-Iba Arena, three Ferguson College of Agriculture alumni stood in front of a crowd receiving applause they never expected. Jered Davidson, Myriah Johnson and Wyatt Swinford were three of the 11 recipients of the inaugural Oklahoma State University Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

This award recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who represent the university’s excellence in teaching, career preparation and public service, said Ann Caine, OSU Alumni Association president.

“They are always willing to give back, whether it is their time, their resources,” said Cheryl DeVuyst, professor and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics. “Whatever it is, they are always willing to give back, to come to the classroom, to meet with a student organization. They are servant leaders.”

While Cowboy alums are always loyal and true, the Alumni Association wanted to find additional ways to engage new and recent graduates and honor their accomplishments as young professionals, Caine said.

The inclusion of an Outstanding Young Alumni Award, modeled after the association’s existing recognitions, was well received by staff and association leadership, she added.

Recipients are awarded for excelling in their communities and careers, said Jamie Schuermann, Alumni Association chief of staff. All applications, received by self or outside nomination, are evaluated by a panel at the Alumni Association, Schuermann added.

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Jered Davidson ‘09

Public Finance Law Group PLLC

Jered Davidson received his undergraduate degree in agricultural economics in 2009.

During his time at Oklahoma State University, Davidson was involved in clubs and organizations, such as Aggie-X and was a member of the Farmhouse fraternity.

Over time, Davidson developed a close relationship with his academic adviser, Bailey Norwood, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Davidson said.

Norwood is the reason he decided to attend law school at the University of Oklahoma, he added.

“I had a great professor — Bailey Norwood really encouraged me to branch out,” Davidson said.

Norwood said he knew that Davidson would be a good candidate for law school.

After Davidson graduated from OU College of Law in 2012, he took a position at The Public Finance Law Group PLLC in the fall of the same year, Davidson said, and was later made partner in 2020.

Davidson now serves as a lawyer for the firm in Oklahoma City.

Through this role, he has the opportunity to oversee the progress of the new OKC Thunder arena along with other projects in the area.

“I get to work and use my ag econ degree every day right alongside my law degree, which is really, really cool,” Davidson said.

“I’m probably one of the only lawyers in the state who can use Excel, and I use it every single day. So, whether on a water line project or trying to calculate economic impact analysis or sales tax numbers, it affects every single day of my life.”

Myriah Johnson ‘09

Farm Credit Service of America

Myriah Johnson graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics. She was involved in many organizations, including the Freshmen in Transition Living Learning Program, Alpha Delta Pi and the Cowboy Marching Band.

Johnson was also on the homecoming executive board, she said.

Johnson said she is grateful for the OSU faculty and the time they poured into her.

“The faculty were amazing,” Johnson said. “They were so willing to develop relationships and to invest in the students and to give so much time, and I think that’s the one thing that still strikes me.”

Bailey Norwood, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, also served as Johnson’s academic adviser.

Many professors saw Johnson excel within her classes, Norwood said. Each of them knew Johnson would be a great candidate to further her education after receiving her undergraduate degree, he added.

“She had this really raw academic talent,” Norwood said. “There are all different types of smarts, and she’s got two really good types of smarts going for her. One is academic talent, but also a lot of agricultural common sense.”

Johnson went on to earn her master’s degree in agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. She remained at Texas A&M to further her education, earning a doctoral degree in animal science.

After obtaining her doctorate, Johnson accepted a position at the Noble Research Institution in Ardmore, Oklahoma, as an agricultural economics consultant, she said.

This position allowed her to assist farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma and Texas with risk management, marketing and budgets, she added.

In 2020, Johnson received the opportunity to work for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, helping drive research funded by the Beef Checkoff for more sustainable practices for beef cattle producers across the United States, she said.

Now, Johnson works for Farm Credit Services of America as the vice president of corporate sustainability.

Through her role, Johnson conducts research and works closely with producers to improve their production outcomes.

Wyatt Swinford ‘11

Elias, Brook, Brown & Nelson

Wyatt Swinford graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2011 with a degree in agribusiness. Although he started with an emphasis in  
pre-veterinary medicine, he changed the emphasis to pre-law with the help of Shannon Ferrell, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Swinford’s academic adviser.

While at OSU, Swinford was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and also served as the university’s 78th Pistol Pete, he said.

“It’s really fun, at least at one point in your academic career, to advise Pistol Pete,” Ferrell said.

“Wyatt was just an outstanding student,” Ferrell said. “He was one of my teaching assistants and has really made a meaningful impact in helping the agriculture law practice in Oklahoma.”

Swinford decided to further his education and applied to law school at the University of Oklahoma because of his strong interest in energy law, more specifically, oil and gas.

After applying, he decided to defer OU for a year and instead worked as an intern in Washington, D.C., for the House of Representatives, he said. Through this experience, Swinford had the opportunity to work alongside the House Committee on Agriculture, collaborating on different projects, including the Farm Bill, he added.

Once Swinford’s time interning in Congress was over, he attended OU, where he was able to work with Ferrell again by taking one of his law classes, Swinford said.

He also had the chance to travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to compete in the agricultural law quiz bowl, which Ferrell advised, he added.

“At different points in my career and academic career, Shannon has been there and been a great encouragement and a source of wisdom,” Swinford said. “He was excellent.”

Since graduating, Swinford has worked at Elias, Books, Brown & Nelson, a law firm in Oklahoma City, as a litigator. There, he works specifically with property and tax law.

“It’s rare to find lawyers who can do math,” Swinford said. “My background in ag econ unexpectedly was very valuable in tax law. So, being able to know and understand how journal entries work, but value change may not be useful to lawyers, but is very useful for a tax attorney.”

Ferrell reflects on his time mentoring Swinford and watching his success play out.

“The greatest joy you get as a teacher is watching people flourish after you’re their teacher,” Ferrell said. “Obviously, you want them to have success while they’re here, but what’s more important to you is that they have that success after they’re gone.”

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Story by Kendall Schakel | Cowboy Journal