August 7, 2025
Rebecca Geiger calls Purvis home now, but her story literally began at Pearl River Community College; a claim few Wildcats can make. Decades later, her journey from a determined accounting student to a respected business leader and community advocate is a testament to the power of hard work, family, and the enduring impact of a Pearl River education.
Geiger’s connection to PRCC started at the beginning of her life, as she was born while her parents were living in married student housing. Her mother, Lisa Smith Cox, played basketball and graduated from the nursing program. Her father, Patrick (Eddie) Cox, was on the football team while earning his electrical technology degree. Other relatives attended PRCC, including her uncle, David Earl Johnson, who, with his wife Nancy, helped her parents juggle school, work, and childcare needs.
“The experiences of your parents help shape who you are,” said Geiger. “Having me while they were in college and just getting their feet under them; they worked really, really hard to provide a good life for me and my brother. It really helped me see them work hard, fight for their family, and teach us good values and the importance of family and a strong support system.”
Geiger started her education at Pearl River Community College in 2003 with a mission – to get her accounting degree as quickly as possible. Accounting was her goal as she liked the options it gave her, that it involved math, which she loved, and that it is the language of business. Beyond attending classes, she served as a work-study for Dr. Barbara Taylor Gandy, who was Director of Recruitment and Orientation at the time. She joined Phi Theta Kappa and received a Ted J. Alexander Scholarship.
“Dr. Barbara Taylor Gandy was wonderful,” said Geiger. “She was definitely a positive influence on my life. The department helped with many events and met new students, helping them become comfortable on campus. It was a lot of fun; I really enjoyed that job.”
Dr. Gandy remembers Geiger fondly, “As you get older, you tend to forget students from years past, but rarely do you forget the great students, Rebecca was a great student and amazing student worker, who started in the Office of Recruitment and Orientation with her best friend and made an immediate impact. She was willing to help out with any assignments we had to tackle for the day and did it to perfection and loving disposition.
“Great student workers are hard to find and Rebecca always went above and beyond without complaining. She had a strong work ethic that never quit. I knew she would be successful in whatever was ahead for her in life.”
Geiger transferred after three semesters to the University of Southern Mississippi, where she went on to earn her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accountancy. While in school, Geiger worked part-time for accounting firms to gain valuable experience and served as a graduate assistant while working on her masters degree.
“If I had any advice for myself from whenever I was in college, it would be to ask why finish it so fast,” said Geiger. “Why didn’t I savor those moments a little bit more?”
She has been married to Josh Geiger for 20 years. They first met at the Good Hope Baptist youth group when she was in seventh grade and he was in tenth grade. He also attended PRCC for a year before moving to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for the lineman technology program, as it was not yet available at PRCC.
Upon graduation, she joined HORNE, where she spent 11 years working in the assurance department with a focus on public and middle markets. She served some of Mississippi’s largest, most complex companies, with her job requiring travel to client sites. She was exceptionally driven when she joined the firm with the goal of becoming a partner. Even after their daughter, Avery Claire, was born, Geiger continued to work hard towards the goal with the assistance of family members.
“Working at HORNE was a great experience learning how other companies approach business and how they approach leadership, cultures, processes, and internal controls,” said Geiger. “I came to the position thinking ‘I’m driven and I’m focused and I’m career oriented and I want to achieve all these great and grand big things in my life’.”
Geiger’s priorities began to shift when her son, Zane was diagnosed in utero with a heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) that would require multiple open-heart surgeries.
“My focus was still on partner when God had a different plan,” said Geiger. “The ultrasound showing HLHS rocked our world. We have a strong faith, and our church rallied around us, praying for Zane.
“When he was born, they no longer classified him as HLHS. He still had some abnormalities that required two open-heart surgeries during his first year of life. I believe that it was a miracle that that God changed the outcome.”
Returning to work after six months and a very spiritual, impactful experience had her no longer seeking a partnership. Instead, she began asking God what she was being called to do.
Then an opportunity to join Parish Tractor dropped in her lap when her husband mentioned it as a cool place to work after he repeatedly ran into Chief Operations Officer, Joey McClinton. When she saw a posting for a financial person in an email from USM, she applied and quickly heard back from Lee Parish.
“Whenever I met Lee, I was like, this feels exactly right,” said Geiger. “I grew up on a farm and doing rodeo stuff. This was part of who we were, and so I was able to take both worlds of my corporate background in public accounting and my family background.”
When she began with Parish Tractor, the company had two locations: Hattiesburg and Poplarville. In the past five years, the company has created a central office that supports the seven locations across three states that it now owns and operates. Geiger oversees accounting, human resources, marketing, and information technology services.
“We are not making the decisions for each dealership,” said Geiger. “Instead, we look for how to do it better and faster, be more profitable, how to maximize, how to use the systems, how to train people, and all that kind of stuff.
“Also, we try to pour back into our communities and give our employees a way to serve. Lee cares about people, so he sets the tone at the top for caring about people genuinely.”
PRCC has received financial support from Parish Tractor over the years.
“Pearl River Community College is deeply grateful for the generous support Parish Tractor has provided through scholarships and athletic sponsorships,” shared Delana Harris, Executive Director of the Development Foundation/Alumni Association. “Their commitment to investing in our students and athletic programs makes a lasting impact on the lives of our Wildcats and the future of our college community.”
Beyond work, Geiger is active with her church, First Baptist in Purvis, coaches her daughter’s sports teams, actively participates with the youth rodeo association, and serves on the University of Southern Mississippi College of Business and Economic Development’s Business Advisory Council. Previously, she served on the United Way Board of Directors.
Geiger highly recommends that high school students consider Pearl River as the starting point of their college career.
“Pearl River was a great transition into a big university for me,” said Geiger. “It had that small town feel where a lot of you know a lot of people.
“Also, it is easier on a parent’s heart and a parent’s mind for their child to go somewhere like Pearl River.”
For the latest news on Pearl River Community College, visit PRCC.edu and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter (@PRCC_Wildcats), Instagram (PRCCWILDCATS), Facebook (@PRCCMKTG),and TikTok (@prcc_wildcats).
Article by Laura O’Neill. Photography by Laura O’Neill and supplied by Rebecca Geiger.
