News

2015 Alumna elected mayor of Elaine, Arkansas

UA-PTC alumna Lisa Hicks Gilbert was recently elected mayor of the southeast Arkansas town of Elaine.

She is a 2015 UA - Pulaski Technical College graduate who earned an AAS in Paralegal Technology. While a student at UA-PTC, Lisa served as President of the UA-PTC Chapter FBLA Collegiate organization where she competed and won state awards in Business Law, International Business Law, Public Speaking, and a national award in Justice Administration.

Currently Lisa serves as Program Manager with the Lee Street Community Center in her hometown of Elaine, Arkansas and is dedicated to addressing economic and social injustices in the Arkansas Delta. Lisa is a descendant and founder of Descendants of the Elaine Massacre of 1919 (DOEM1919) which focuses on educating, protecting, and preserving the history and stories of the Elaine Massacre.

On December 6, 2022, in a runoff election against the incumbent Mayor, Lisa was elected and made history as the first Black, and first elected female Mayor of Elaine, Arkansas. Lisa began serving her four-year term as Mayor on January 2, 2023.