Janice S. Ellis, M.A., M.A., Ph.D., a native daughter of Mississippi, grew up and came of age during the height of the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Dr. Ellis has been an executive throughout her career, first in government, then in a large pharmaceutical company, and later as a president and CEO of a marketing firm and a bi-state non-profit child advocacy agency. In addition to those positions, she has been writing columns for more than four decades on race, politics, education, and other social issues for newspapers, radio, and online. Her commentary can be found at janicesellis.com.
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Janice Ellis — Award-Winning Author and Columnist
For nearly four decades, Janice Ellis has analyzed educational, political, social, and economic issues across race, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts, and two Master of Arts degrees, one in Communications Arts and a second in Political Science, all from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. Her memoir, From Liberty to Magnolia: In Search of the American Dream (2018) won national and international awards.
Her second book, Shaping Public Opinion: How Real Advocacy Journalism® Should be Practiced (2021), won the Nellie Bly Nonfiction Journalism Award. Restoring honesty and civility must be the priority among journalists and commentators if we are to serve a dependent and vulnerable public and safeguard a fundamental tenet of our Democracy–that is the focus of the book.
In her new book, Using My Word Power: Advocating for a More Civilized Society (2022), Ellis tackles some of the most difficult and enduring issues of our time. It is Book I of three books in the Real Advocacy Journalism® series.
The books have received and continue to receive great editorial reviews and endorsements as well as customer reviews.
Janice Ellis, a native daughter of Mississippi, grew up and came of age during the height of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. Born and reared on a small cotton farm, she was influenced by two converging forces that would set the course of her life. The first was the fear and terror felt by blacks because of their seeking to exercise the right to vote along with other rights and privileges afforded to whites. The second was her love of books, the power of words, and her exposure to renowned columnists, Eric Sevareid and Walter Lippmann, whose work solidified her belief that the wise use of words is what advances the good society.
Janice Ellis became determined to take a stand, and not accept and allow the conditions of that farm life, or the strictures of oppressive racial segregation and entrenched sexism limit what she could become. She became determined to use whatever talents God had blessed her with and the power of words to help improve the human condition.
Janice Ellis As Columnist
Janice Ellis has been an executive throughout her career, first in government, then in a large pharmaceutical company, and as a President and CEO of a marketing firm, and a bi-state non-profit child advocacy agency.
Along with those positions, she has written a column for more than three decades on race, politics, education and other social issues for a major metropolitan daily newspaper, The Kansas City Star, a major metropolitan business journal, The Milwaukee Business Journal and for community newspapers The Milwaukee Courier, The Kansas City Globe, and The Kansas City Call. She has written radio commentary for one of the largest ABC radio affiliate, WISN, in Wisconsin and subsequently wrote and delivered a 2-minute spot on the two largest Arbitron-rated radio stations in the Greater Kansas City area. She has also written for national trade publications focusing on healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry. Writing her doctoral thesis for a Ph.D. in Communication Arts has been outstanding preparation for her work as a writer.
Currently, she writes a column for the Missouri Independent, a statewide publication sponsored by the States Newsroom, a non-profit, nonpartisan news agency based in Washington, D.C. with publications in the capital of nearly all 50 states to keep the public informed about what is occurring in their state government. Also, you can find her commentary on this site.
Janice Ellis As Publisher
Janice Ellis published USAonRace.com, an online educational magazine about race and ethnicity. The mission of USAonRace™ is to help bridge racial, ethnic and cultural divisions in American society. Janice Ellis also published the companion site, RaceReport.com, which gathers and covers race relations news and events across the United States and around the world. Both magazines are still available online. Here is a copy of the USAonRace magazine (PDF – 3.7MB).
Janice Ellis holds a Ph.D. in Communication Arts, and two Master of Arts degrees, one in Communications Arts and a second in Political Science, all from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin.
