Senator Joyce Elliott

Senator Joyce Elliott was elected to the Arkansas State Senate in 2008 where she currently serves as the Majority Leader. Prior to her service in the Senate, she was elected as State Representative in November 2000 where she served three consecutive terms until December 2006.

Along with her duties as Majority Leader, Elliott currently serves as a member of the Senate education committee. During her tenure in the House of Representatives, she has served on the Committees for the Judiciary; Aging, Youth, and Families; Education, where she chaired the Subcommittee on Higher Ed; State Agencies; and Budget. In her final term, she was Chair of the Education Committee and served on the committees for Insurance and Commerce, Budget, Personnel and Energy.

For thirty-one years, Elliott taught high school juniors and seniors. In June 2004, Elliott left the classroom and began working for the College Board, focusing on expanding access to Advance Placement curriculum for students underrepresented in AP classes: African American, Latino, rural and low-income students. Until February 2010, she was the Director of Government Relations for the Southwest Region of the College Board.

Elliott was born in Willisville, Arkansas, where she graduated from high school. She earned an undergraduate degree in English and Speech from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia in 1973 and a graduate degree in English from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in 1981.

Awards and Recognition for Joyce Elliott

• Named one of the Ten Most Influential Arkansas Legislators in 2009 by Talk Business
• Named one of the Ten Best Legislators of the 2003 and 2005 General Assembly by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
• Recognized by Women and Children First: The Center Against Family Violence for her legislative and personal activity on behalf of families
• Awarded the Legislative Friend of Children Award in 2006 by the Arkansas
• Advocates for Children and Families
• Past recipient of the Gressie Carnes Democratic Woman of the Year Award in 2006
• 2006 Humanitarian Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice for her work on civil rights
• One of four individuals named to Governor Beebe's Transition Team
• Received the Arkansas Spirit Award from the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners in 2004
• Given the Impact Award from the Arkansas Regional Minority Supplier Development Council in 2004