MDC
Elyse Griffin is an accomplished Program Manager at MDC since December 2021, with a strong background in educational equity and administrative support. Prior experience includes an internship at the Center for Racial Equity in Education, where Elyse created surveys, developed online professional development modules, and assisted with class facilitation. Previous roles also encompass positions as an Administrative Specialist at both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University, where responsibilities included document management and project coordination, as well as supporting various student populations. Elyse's initial experience as an Administrative Assistant at the University of Virginia involved managing academic programs and events, contributing to curriculum development, and supporting accessibility efforts. Elyse holds a Master of Arts in Educational Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from Virginia Commonwealth University.
MDC
MDC is a nonprofit founded in 1967 and based in Durham, N.C., that equips Southern leaders, institutions, and communities to improve economic mobility and advance equity. We bring together foundations, nonprofits, and leaders from government, business, and the grassroots to illuminate data that highlight deeply rooted Southern challenges and help them find systemic, community solutions. Our approach uses research, consensus-building, and programs that connect education, employment, and economic security to help communities foster prosperity by creating an “infrastructure of opportunity”—the aligned systems and supports that can boost everyone, particularly those who’ve been left behind, to higher rungs on the economic ladder. Since 1996, MDC’s landmark State of the South reports have shaped the economic agenda of the region, shining a spotlight on historic trends, deep-rooted inequities, and solutions that offer rural and urban communities a path forward. MDC is supported by grants and contracts from foundations, governments, and the private sector. Learn more at www.mdcinc.org.