Columbus Doctor Named To College Board

JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed Dr. John W. Starr Jr. of Columbus, Miss., to the IHL Board of Trustees. Dr. Starr will represent the 3rd Supreme Court District. His term begins May 9.

Dr. Starr is a periodontist and owner of Golden Triangle Periodontal Center with offices in Starkville and Columbus.  He has practiced in the Golden Triangle for 29 years.

“Dr. Starr is a Mississippi native and has applied the education he received from the state’s public universities to a successful career as a periodontist and business owner,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “I am pleased to appoint him to the College Board.”

Dr. Starr holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mississippi State University. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry and completed his residency in periodontics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He served on the Mississippi State Board of Dental Examiners from 2004-2010, serving as president in 2007, and is a past member of the Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Dental Association. He is a member of the Columbus Rotary Club and is 2014-2015 president of the Columbus GirlChoir board of directors.

“I am very humbled and honored to receive this appointment by Gov. Bryant to serve on the IHL Board of Trustees.  I appreciate this opportunity to serve the public universities in our state,” Dr. Starr said.  “Serving in this capacity, to better advance Mississippi and its future, is a way for me to give back for the opportunities afforded me by the public university system of Mississippi.”

Dr. Starr. and his wife Lee Ann have two daughters, Breland and Georgia Grace. They are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Dr. Starr’s appointment will be brought before the Mississippi Senate for confirmation.