Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony has been a woman of many “firsts,” and now she is the first educator and the first African-American to be selected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters.
Anthony, named the director of Mass Communications at Jackson State University in January, has been lauded as a leading media educator who has blazed trails in both academia and local news reporting. She began her MAB board tenure Thursday at the association’s convention in Biloxi.
The Mississippi Association of Broadcasters is one of the nation’s leading state broadcast associations. With 100 percent of Mississippi TV stations, and 85 percent of Mississippi radio stations as members, the MAB represents the Mississippi broadcast industry in Washington and at the state and local levels, and has been representing and serving Mississippi radio and television since 1941. Its purpose is to assist members with broadcast industry and general business-related challenges. The association serves as a catalyst on national and state issues in matters affecting the broadcasting industry through a close working relationship with our state and federal legislators, the FCC and other important parties.
Anthony, a Jackson native who made a name for herself as the first African-American female news anchor on WJTV Channel 12, said of her appointment to the board:
“It is indeed an honor to be a member of the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors. I have seen the work of this board over the years, and I am pleased to be a part of an organization that represents the entire broadcast industry for the state of Mississippi. As the first educator on the board, I am pleased to represent Jackson State University and aspiring broadcasters. MAB provides industry leaders with the latest news relevant to the broadcast industry, cutting-edge information on technology, programming and promotion.”
Dr. James C. Renick, provost and senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at JSU, said he is not surprised that Anthony received this honor.
“Dr. Anthony is a well-respected communications and media professional who has helped to educate and train this generation of aspiring broadcasters and journalists. We are delighted with her selection to this important board and applaud her distinguished career as a broadcast journalist and educator,” Renick said. “She has been first at this and first one at that. Not only is she going to be the first person to create a School of Journalism at Jackson State, now she is the first educator to share her expertise as an MAB board member.”
Prior to becoming professor of Communications and chair of the Department of Communications at Belhaven University in 1998, Anthony previously served at JSU for 10 years, first as director of Graduate Studies for the Department of Mass Communications and later as head of the department. Under her leadership, the department received national accreditation from the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
She was appointed assistant superintendent of public information for the Jackson Public School District and spokesperson for the Jackson School Board, before accepting the position at Belhaven.
Anthony earned both her bachelor of science and master’s degrees at JSU, and obtained her Ph.D. in Organizational Communication Broadcast Law at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
She has received a number of accolades for her work and civic involvement, including being named the 2014 recipient of the Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award.
She has served on the Mississippi Board of Health since 2007, appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour. Anthony was reappointed in 2013 by Gov. Phil Bryant to another six-year term. In her second six-year term, she has served as co-chair of the Audit Committee and chair of the Communication Committee for the Board since 2009.