A Mississippi State faculty member who also serves as business manager of the university's retail flower shop is the overall winner of the 2001 state floral design competition.

Lynette L. McDougald, an MSU horticulture graduate and instructor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, was among seven recently competing during the state convention of the Mississippi Florist Association.

She and other state winners now advance to the next challenge level at the Southern Retail Florist Association Convention, which takes place Aug. 25 in Charlotte, N.C.

Held on the MSU campus with a theme of "Southern Elegance," the MFA convention featured competition in five categories: table centerpiece, sympathy design on a stand, bridal bouquet, corsage, and a surprise package. Jay Morris of Clinton-based Le Fleur Florist was competition supervisor.

McDougald won first-place in the first three categories and second place in the remaining two. Additionally, she received a cash prize from the Mississippi unit of Teleflora for a design vignette featuring a rustic twig chair, dairy antiques and flowers.

Teleflora is the international floral delivery service.

McDougald began work in 1998 at the university florist, the student-staffed business that is a major component of MSU's academic program in retail floristry management.

The floristry management degree curriculum was developed more than two decades ago to help meet the needs of America's multimillion-dollar retail florist industry. The four-year program is the only one of its kind at a Southeastern university.