Funeral arrangements have been announced for Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, a former journalist, educator, and interim president at Jackson State University.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. inside the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the Jackson State campus. Interment will follow at Natchez Trace Memorial Park Cemetery in Ridgeland. A scholarship fund has been set up by Jackson State in her honor.
Hayes-Anthony’s passing was confirmed by Jackson State on March 5. She was 77 years old.
“As we mourn the passing of Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, we remember her career as she remained deeply committed to the success of our students and to the advancement of journalism and media education at Jackson State,” Jackson State Interim President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory said. “Her leadership in the classroom and across the institution helped shape a generation of communicators and storytellers. On behalf of the Jackson State University family, we extend our sincerest condolences to her family, former students, and colleagues.”
After graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jackson State University, Hayes-Anthony started her career as an intern at WJTV before becoming the Jackson-based TV station’s first Black female news anchor. She was an anchor for four years before returning to school to obtain a doctorate in organizational communication and broadcast law from Southern Illinois University.
She stayed in education, working as an assistant superintendent of public information for Jackson Public Schools and as a spokesperson for the Jackson School Board before accepting a position at Belhaven University. While at Belhaven, she was a professor and later chair of the Department of Communications. Hayes-Anthony returned to her alma mater, Jackson State, in 2015 as a professor and chair of the HBCU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies.
In 2023, she took on the role of interim president at Jackson State and held the position until former president Marcus Thompson was selected for the job. Following that, Hayes-Anthony again made history and became the first Black woman hired to lead the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters.
Hayes-Anthony was also a member of the Mississippi State Board of Health, working under three governors from 2007 until her passing.
A native of Jackson and graduate of Jim Hill High School, Hayes-Anthony earned numerous accolades across her career in both academic and civic involvement, including receiving the 2014 Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award and the 2023 Woman of the Year award from the Jackson Advocate.