Alumni Spotlight: Cynthia Henderson

Environmental engineer and Mississippi State alumna Cynthia Henderson leads one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

“I wanted to work and provide great solutions to clients for a more sustainable and resilient future,” said Henderson, who serves as president and principal engineer of the business.

In 2010, she founded Cypress Environment and Infrastructure, specializing in engineering, planning and environmental science.

The Ocean Springs-based business provides civil engineering project design, environmental permitting, water resources modeling, master planning, placemaking and construction administration services to the southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S.

In 2023, Cypress was ranked 897th in Inc. Magazine’s annual Inc. 5000 list, which ranks the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. based on percentage revenue growth over three years. From 2019-2022, the company showed a 651% growth in revenue and moved up from 1803rd on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list.

In 2022, the business was ranked 75th in the Inc. 5000 Southeast Regionals list, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies based in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico.

Henderson said she appreciates the recognition from Inc. 5000, as well as the clients and employees that made it possible.

“I tend to be a head down person, just making sure that employees and clients are getting taken care of,” she said. “It’s nice to stop, evaluate and remind yourself where you’ve come from and the journey you took.”

Henderson, who received her bachelor’s in biological engineering from MSU, said engineering capstone classes at the university allowed her to learn and work with various disciplines, which ultimately played a significant role in her career.

“Those classes really encourage students to do bigger projects, involve other departments and more,” Henderson said. “They were clearly very influential in my development and how this company has developed.”

After 14 years, Henderson said her original goals for the company have evolved.

“We are still very focused on making sure our clients have great solutions, but we also are bringing on a new generation of engineers and scientists and making sure they have the tools to help provide great solutions to clients.”