In Taylor We Trust
Dr. Hunter A. Taylor has been named one of the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40. Photo By: Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
The East Texas native serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Education Minor Coordinator at the School of Education.
MBJ’s list highlights prominent young professionals for their amazing contributions as leaders in state commerce and honors their long-time civic engagement within their local communities.
With an undergraduate degree from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Mississippi, and a Doctor of Education from Baylor University, Taylor serves the University and local community in multiple capacities. He is a Faculty Affiliate in the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, the Scholar-in-Residence for the Oxford School District, and the founding director of the Mississippi Excellence in Coaching Fellowship.
In these roles, he teaches and advises administrators, teachers, coaches, and policymakers from across the state. Prior to joining UM’s faculty, Taylor was a men’s basketball coach for 10 years, with his career starting in Jackson Public Schools. Taylor credits a couple of trailblazing mentors for helping him increase his confidence in relating to students by creating a meaningful path for all.
“I’m a proud alumnus of the Mississippi Teacher Corps,” Taylor said. “And those first couple of years as a teacher and coach in Jackson under the care of Dr. Andy Mullins (at the University of Mississippi) really set the stage for the kind of impact I always hoped to have. I just didn’t know what arena my best work would come out in. It was also during this time that I was fortunate enough to have a principal named Dr. Freddrick Murray who really invested in me and gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to connect with students from all backgrounds.”
-Dr. Hunter Taylor
After completing his master’s degree, Taylor spent two years serving on U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s staff in Washington, D.C. before his love of teaching and coaching guided his path back towards education. The summer of 2011 presented Hunter with a pivotal opportunity as Spring Hill High School’s head boys’ basketball coach and Geometry teacher, which helped cultivate his foundation for a successful career in education.
“To this day, that first year at Spring Hill was the most fun I ever had in education. I had 14 boys on my varsity roster, and we bonded together as if we were a real family. But it was the atmosphere that we collectively created that always stands out most when I reflect. I sincerely believe we were the most connected team in our region, and I believe that was the biggest reason why we were able to accomplish so much. It’s also why we’re still close to this day (11 years later). Ever since then, I’ve always tried to recreate that type of culture to the best of my ability with whatever group I was entrusted with,” says Taylor.
In 2018, Taylor was one of 59 leaders from across the U.S. to be named a Presidential Leadership Scholar by the Bush Institute and the Clinton Foundation for his work in education. In 2022, nominated by his students, he was one of three finalists for Professor of the Year for the School of Education’s faculty and staff awards.
Dr. David Rock, UM dean of the School of Education feels Taylor’s passion fuels his dedication to student athlete scholars and the mentors that lead them.
“Achieving this recognition is a testament to Dr. Taylor’s hard work and commitment to the success of student athletes and coaches in our state. We are proud to have Dr. Taylor as a passionate clinical faculty member in the School of Education,” Rock says.
Along with his other duties, Taylor also serves on the board of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, the UM Chancellor’s Lecture Series, the Oxford Lodge, and the Presidential Leadership Scholars Alumni.
He is the author of Draw the Line: Jeff Traylor, The Gilmer Buckeyes, and A Season Deep in the Heart of East Texas, and he is the co-author of How to Build a Thick Institution: Organizational Lessons from a Championship High School Football Team. Taylor also manages to serve as a co-host of the sports leadership podcast, “Coach & Doc.”
“The podcast was born out of my work with Chris Cutcliffe, who serves as Oxford High School’s head football coach. We share the mantra that we never want to adopt ideas or practices that might yield professional success but go against our core values. We then came up with the idea of starting a podcast to invite different leaders onto the show that we admire and want to learn from to help facilitate this process,” Taylor says.
However, Hunter feels the recognition from the business journal is one of his biggest awards to date.
“Honestly, being selected for this honor is one of the biggest recognitions I’ve received since joining faculty a little over six years ago. It’s especially gratifying when the award highlights leaders from all types of professions who are doing great work throughout our state. Being associated with (the other recipients) is very humbling, and I don’t take the honor lightly.”
Taylor now lives in Oxford, MS with his wife, Brittany, along with their three sons, Yates, Simms, & Knox.
You can listen episodes of Hunter’s podcast on Apple Podcasts or by visiting their website http://www.coachanddoc.com/podcast.
By: Adrienne Edney