The 2026 Northwest Soiree: A Garden Gala Honorees Announced
Senatobia, MS (10/27/2025) — The Northwest Mississippi Community College Foundation has officially announced the honorees for the Northwest Soiree. The event will be April 11, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Heindl Center for the Performing Arts in Senatobia, MS. This is the fourth annual Soiree, which benefits the students of Northwest Mississippi Community College.
"We have four deserving award winners that we are excited to honor at our 2026 Northwest Soiree - A Garden Gala," said Patti Gordon, Northwest's executive director of Institutional Advancement. "Each exemplifies the values of Northwest and we are proud to celebrate their dedication and impact on our college and communities. Their achievements reflect what it means to transform students' lives, enrich our communities, and strive for excellence, which is the vision of our college".
The Alumni Professional Achievement Award will be awarded to Mississippi's first female attorney general, Lynn Fitch. Attorney General Fitch has done groundbreaking work as a lawyer and now as attorney general. She was sworn in on Jan. 9, 2020 as the state's 40th attorney general. She was re-elected to her second term in 2023.
Satsha Burden was chosen to receive the Young Alumni Professional Achievement Award for his outstanding career as an aerospace engineer for Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Burden received his associate degree in engineering from Northwest in 2020 while being Cheer Captain for the Ranger Cheerleaders.
The Spirit of Northwest Award will honor John Lamar of Lamar & Hannaford, P. A., Attorneys at Law. Lamar has been a been a long-time supporter of the college. Before becoming an attorney, he was a student at Northwest who transferred to Delta State University for his bachelor's degree and received his Juris Doctorate at Mississippi College School of Law.
The Outstanding Corporation Award is going to Sayle Oil Company for their amazing work as a company and their support of the college. Sayle Oil specializes in petroleum-based products, particularly fuels, lubricants for consumers and industries, a propane business and a quick lube chain, Dipstix. Sayle Oil started in 1947 in Charleston, Mississippi as a family business and has been serving the midsouth for over 75 years.
The Northwest Soiree is a formal event, and this year's theme is "A Garden Gala." The Soiree promises an evening of fun and celebration featuring a social hour, an online auction, and live entertainment.
Stay tuned for future information and updates about the Soiree, including the headlining performer, the ticket announcement date, and headlining sponsor(s), which will all be announced in the coming months.
Sponsorships are now available! For sponsorship opportunities or more information, please visit our website: northwestms.edu/soiree or call Patti Gordon 662-560-1103.
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