Don Spann was working in corporate communications for Nissan North America’s Canton, Mississippi, plant in August 2012 the day he first received a call from Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony, who then served as chairwoman of the Department of Communications at Belhaven University. Hayes-Anthony had reached out to him seeking to fill an adjunct faculty position that had recently opened, saying that Spann’s background in media production made him ideal for the role. Spann accepted her invitation to meet with her and the departing faculty member who was vacating the position the next day.
When Spann met with Hayes-Anthony inside Belhaven’s faculty offices, it quickly became apparent that despite his experience the transition from private-sector work to academia would be a major departure from what he knew. It also became apparent that Hayes-Anthony was a driven, dependable leader who would see him through the change, Spann said.
“We talked for a long time in depth that day about the responsibilities of the job and what I’d need to know moving into this new field,” Spann told the Mississippi Free Press. “Everything I knew about working in the private sector was about deadlines and rapid turnaround (came from her). She taught me the importance of pacing myself in academia for both myself and the students, as well as how to engage with the rest of the faculty on tasks like creating a curriculum.”
Spann worked alongside Hayes-Anthony on a media course during the three years they worked together at Belhaven, guiding students in the field to shoot content that the students would then edit. Spann left Belhaven in 2015 but crossed paths with Hayes-Anthony once again at Jackson State University when he took on a position as an assistant professor of media production in the university’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Hayes-Anthony, who graduated from JSU, had since returned to her alma mater as a professor and chairwoman of the same department Spann joined.
“When I came to JSU as a full time faculty member, her commitment to bringing in the right people to accomplish a vision for her department and her students was clear,” Spann said. “She valued adaptability and making sure everyone had the tools to change with the industry. Her aim was making sure her students were successful, getting all the right internships to get them into grad school and beyond, while ensuring faculty members got all the professional development they needed as well.”
Spann’s many years working alongside Hayes-Anthony meant that the news of her passing on March 5, 2026, hit him especially hard.
“She would always talk about how she practically grew up on the JSU campus, and because of that she wanted to do anything she could to shine a light on a place that meant so much to her,” Spann said. “She taught me everything about mentoring, about giving back and about seeing something in someone they might not see themselves. Losing her is hard on everyone here.”
JSU and Beyond
Hayes-Anthony was born in Jackson and attended Jim Hill High School, where her mother, Texanne Hayes, served as a counselor. Her father, Johnny Hayes Jr., was a JSU graduate and her older sister, Gloria Hayes, also enrolled at the university shortly before Elayne enrolled there herself during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in speech communication with an emphasis in broadcasting and a master’s degree in educational technology from JSU, Hayes-Anthony went on to earn a doctorate in organizational communication and broadcast law from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, about six hours away from Jackson.
Hayes-Anthony became an intern at the WJTV television station after graduating from JSU and later became the first African American woman news anchor for the station, as well as a producer and reporter.
She later served as an assistant professor in JSU’s communications department before joining the Belhaven University faculty for nearly 20 years and then returning to JSU as head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. In 2023, the university appointed her as acting president of Jackson State University while JSU sought a permanent replacement following the ouster of former President Thomas Hudson.
“Working closely with her here at JSU made it clear that she was an everyday person even in a position as important as acting president, someone that you could just meet and have a conversation with about life,” Don Spann said. “She always said she wanted everyone to enjoy coming in to work because happy people never mind giving everything their 100%.”
After her time as acting president at JSU, Hayes-Anthony joined the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters, where she sat on the board of directors and eventually became the organization’s first African American woman president.
‘Committed to Recognizing Women in Our Industry’
Amanda Fontaine, the current president of MAB, worked alongside Hayes-Anthony during her time with the organization and fondly remembers her drive to promote women in the broadcasting industry in Mississippi.
“The day she became president of MAB, just before a huge inauguration event we had with the JSU band and a speech from former Gov. Haley Barbour, I remember approaching her and asking her about what her initiatives would be,” Fontaine told the Mississippi Free Press. “She told me she was committed to recognizing women in our industry, and she set about doing exactly that.”
Under Hayes-Anthony’s leadership, MAB organized an annual Women in Broadcasting event in which women in broadcasting fields from across Mississippi could come to MAB’s Ridgeland headquarters to attend workshops, culminating in the organization naming an MAB Woman of the Year. She also started an annual MAB Student Conference, in which college students from across the state gather to meet with guest speakers in the broadcasting industry.
“She truly went above and beyond in everything she did and was just amazing,” Fontaine said. “She was always smiling and had the most passionate laugh. Everyone around her loved her, and she will be greatly missed.”
In addition to her work with JSU, Belhaven and MAB, Hayes-Anthony served as assistant superintendent of communications for Jackson Public Schools, a spokesperson for the Jackson School Board and a member of the Mississippi State Board of Health. She received the 2014 Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher Award and the 2023 Woman of the Year award from the Jackson Advocate.
JSU will hold a celebration of life for Hayes-Anthony on Saturday, March 14, at 11 a.m. inside the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium on the university’s campus prior to her burial at Natchez Trace Memorial Park Cemetery in Ridgeland. JSU has also established the Dr. Elayne Hayes-Anthony Scholarship Fund in her honor.