Name: Dr. Cindy Ayers-Elliot
Graduation Year: 2006
Major: Urban Higher Education
Current Residency: Jackson, MS
Current Employment Status: President & CEO of Footprint Farms in Jackson, MS
Favorite quote: “Everyone makes a difference. What difference are you making today?”
Ayers-Elliott, who received her Ph.D. from Jackson State University in 2006, was featured on Katie Couric’s talk show to discuss her decision to leave Wall Street to start a Mississippi farm operation. Ayers-Elliott was an investment banker for years, managing pension funds and the accounts of high-end companies and individuals. She decided to leave all that behind, begin Footprint Farms.