When people talk about the future of technology, the conversation usually points west—to Silicon Valley, venture capital and the engineers building the next wave of innovation.
But technology has never belonged to one place. Across Mississippi—and from Mississippi to the global tech stage—women with roots in the state are shaping how technology evolves, how it’s protected and how it expands opportunity.
Their work spans artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, intellectual property and digital platforms. Some are building tools. Others are protecting the ideas behind them or using technology to transform industries and communities.
What connects them is a shared thread: Mississippi.
As we look back on Women’s History Month, their stories remind us that the future of technology isn’t only being built in tech hubs—it’s also being shaped by innovators whose journeys began here.
Where Creativity Meets Artificial Intelligence
For Mississippi poet, songwriter, and entrepreneur Telisha Nikki Jones, artificial intelligence isn’t just a technological tool—it’s a creative collaborator.
Jones, a native of Holly Springs, Mississippi, is the creator of Xania Monet, an AI-powered R&B artist that merges music, storytelling and emerging technology. The project began with poems and lyrics Jones had written herself. She then used artificial intelligence to transform those words into fully realized songs, generating the vocals and instrumentation through AI-powered music tools.
The experiment quickly became something much bigger.
Xania Monet secured a deal with hit single “How Was I Supposed to Know?,” and the project made history when it became the first AI-powered act to land on the Billboard Radio Airplay chart—a milestone that pushed the conversation around artificial intelligence and music into new territory.
Jones’ work represents a growing frontier in technology: the intersection of creativity, machine learning and cultural storytelling. Rather than replacing artists, her work explores how AI can expand what artists are capable of creating.
A Veteran Innovator in the Tech Industry
Few Mississippi-born innovators have spent as much time navigating the technology landscape as Sheena Allen.
Originally from Terry, Mississippi, Allen entered the tech industry at a young age when she began developing mobile applications—several of which went on to reach millions of downloads. Her early success positioned her among a new generation of entrepreneurs emerging outside traditional technology hubs.
Over the years, Allen has remained an influential voice in technology and entrepreneurship, demonstrating that meaningful innovation doesn’t require a Silicon Valley address. Her work and advocacy have helped broaden the perception of where tech talent can come from—and where it can thrive. CapWay, her fintech startup designed to expand banking access for underserved communities, demonstrating how technology can help close the financial inclusion gap.
Allen’s career reflects the expanding footprint of Mississippi-born innovators in the national tech ecosystem.
Protecting Innovation
Every breakthrough idea—from a mobile app to an AI platform—relies on something less visible but equally important: intellectual property protection.
That’s where Angela J. Grayson, JD comes in.
A registered patent attorney and scientist, Grayson founded Precipice IP, a firm that helps startups, researchers and technology companies secure patents, trademarks and other intellectual property protections. Her work draws on her background in science and law to help innovators protect the discoveries and technologies they create.
Intellectual property law rarely appears in conversations about technology innovation, yet it forms the legal backbone of the industry. By helping founders and scientists protect their ideas, Grayson helps ensure that innovation can move from concept to company.
Expanding the Frontiers of Computer Science
Technology’s future is also being shaped through research and new approaches to artificial intelligence.
Dr. Amber Johnson Avery, a Jackson, Mississippi, native, represents that next frontier.
Johnson Avery made history as the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer science from Purdue University, breaking barriers in a field where representation remains limited. Today, her work focuses on using artificial intelligence to help people better navigate education and career pathways.
She is the founder of NextGenEdu, an AI-driven platform designed to help students identify career opportunities and understand how their skills align with the evolving workforce. By combining data, artificial intelligence and career guidance, the platform helps students make more informed decisions about their futures.
Her work reflects a growing movement within technology: using AI not just for automation, but as a tool to expand access to opportunity.
Technology as a Tool for Economic Transformation
Technology’s influence also extends beyond startups and research labs.
Dr. Aisha Nyandoro has become nationally recognized for her work using data, storytelling and innovative program design to address economic inequality.
Through Springboard to Opportunities, Nyandoro created the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, a groundbreaking guaranteed income program that has helped reshape national conversations about poverty and economic mobility. Recently, the organization received funding for understanding and co-creating equitable AI with low-income Black communities with the goal of understanding how AI affects family life and how it can support family goals.
Her work relies on data analysis, digital communication and storytelling to highlight the lived experiences of families and communities. By combining technology with community-centered solutions, Nyandoro demonstrates how innovation can influence policy and expand economic opportunity.
Turning Research into Innovation
Technology ecosystems depend not only on entrepreneurs and engineers, but also on institutions that help turn research into real-world innovation. At Jackson State University, that work is being led by Dr. Almesha L. Campbell.
As vice president for research and economic development, Campbell oversees Jackson State’s research enterprise, including sponsored programs, technology transfer and innovation partnerships. Over the past decade, she has helped strengthen the university’s role in Mississippi’s growing innovation economy, securing nearly $12 million in federal funding for major research initiatives supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Campbell also co-led the creation of the JSU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, home to emerging technology resources such as an XR Academy, makerspace and eSports Lab, while launching programs like JSU Innovation Fellows to support student entrepreneurs.
Her leadership extends nationally as well. Campbell made history as the first Black person and the first representative from an HBCU to chair the AUTM Board of Directors, the leading international association for technology transfer.
Through her work, Campbell is helping ensure that research developed in Mississippi moves beyond the lab—becoming ideas, technologies and businesses that shape the future.
Building Mississippi’s Technology Infrastructure
Innovation often captures headlines. But sustainable technology ecosystems require something deeper: infrastructure.
At The Bean Path, we see that work every day through the leadership of our founder, Dr. Nashlie Sephus.
Sephus is a Principal Applied Scientist for Amazon Artificial Intelligence, focusing on fairness and identifying biases. Earlier in her career, she served as chief technology officer of Partpic, a startup whose visual recognition technology was acquired by Amazon.
But Nashlie’s impact extends far beyond the global tech industry.
Through The Bean Path, she has helped thousands of residents gain access to technology support, digital training and workforce opportunities. She is also leading the development of the Bean Path Tech District in Jackson—an initiative designed to create new pathways into the technology economy for communities that have historically been left out of it.
At The Bean Path, we often say that access is the first step toward innovation. Nashlie’s work reflects that belief—ensuring that Mississippi’s next generation of technologists have the tools, knowledge, and opportunities needed to shape the future.
Mississippi’s Story of Innovation
Women’s History Month is often about honoring the pioneers who came before us. But it is also about recognizing the leaders shaping what comes next.
From artificial intelligence and digital creativity to intellectual property law and social innovation, the women highlighted here represent different corners of the technology landscape.
What connects them is more than their work in tech. It’s Mississippi.
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
