The Mississippi Christian University Department of Communication has named Laura Pickard Johns the recipient of its 2026 Cliff Fortenberry Distinguished Alumna Award. Johns, a 2005 cum laude graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, is the founder and CEO of The Business Growers, a marketing agency that serves technology companies.
The department honored Johns at Mississippi Christian University homecoming in October with a reception and recognition at the 2026 Homecoming Awards Brunch. Since 1996, the department has presented its Distinguished Alumni Award each year. In 2021, the honor was renamed the Cliff Fortenberry Distinguished Alumni Award for Cliff Fortenberry, a communication professor and former department chair who has spent more than 35 years on the faculty. The department itself was founded in 1950 by Drs. Hollis and Julia Todd.
"The communication department at Mississippi Christian University taught me to write clearly, speak with purpose and listen first. I use those skills every day in building The Business Growers," Johns said. "Being recognized by the department that gave me that foundation, with an award that carries Dr. Cliff Fortenberry's name means the world to me."
Johns built The Business Growers for companies in the technology sector. Inc. Magazine has recognized the agency as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the Southeast.
In 2024, she received a Gold Stevie Award in the Best Female Entrepreneur-Small Business category at the Stevie Awards for Women in Business in New York. In 2025, she received a Silver Stevie Award for Achievement in Developing and Promoting Women, a cause she has made a personal priority. The Mississippi Business Journal has named her to its Top 50 Under 40 list and its list of the Top 50 Leading Women in Business.
Johns has stayed closely connected to Mississippi Christian University since graduating and recently served as president of the MC Alumni Board. In addition to leading the agency, she works as a speaker, author and communication consultant.
"I hope current students, especially the young women in the program, see that a degree from MC can take them anywhere, including running their own company," Johns added.
She and her husband, Jay, a worship pastor at The Way church in Brandon, have two sons, Levi and Wyatt.
The recognition matters because it highlights the role of communication education in producing business leaders and underscores the university's commitment to honoring alumni who embody the values of clear communication and purposeful leadership. Johns' success as an entrepreneur and her advocacy for women in business serve as a model for current students, particularly young women, demonstrating that a communication degree can lead to executive leadership and company ownership. The award also reinforces the legacy of Cliff Fortenberry, whose decades of service have shaped the department and its alumni.
