Forty Under 40: Elise S. Mitchell
Elise S. Mitchell, 37, has worked in marketing and public relations for 16 years, owning her own firm in Fayetteville for the past four years.
In 1983, Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. In 1991, she received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Memphis.
From 1983 to 1987, Mitchell was an account executive and publications editor for Dye, Van Mol & Lawrence Public Relations in Nashville, Tenn.
She spent the next eight years in Memphis, working at advertising agencies, Mud Island Theme Park (as public relations manager) and Promus Hotel Corp. (as corporate communications director).
Mitchell organized the community advisory board last year for the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas. She also worked on public relations for last year’s Ozark Race for the Cure.
She is chairman of the convention and visitors committee of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and is joining the gala committee for the Washington Regional Medical Center Foundation.
Mitchell says having two small children hasn’t slowed her down.
“It’s a juggling act,” she says. “I gain a tremendous amount of satisfaction by having an impact on someone’s business. That’s what I tell my clients: If you succeed, I succeed.”