Ellie Wilson Banks is the Communications Director for the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC).

As Communications Director, Ellie leads MAC’s promotional efforts, sharing the stories of artists and arts organizations through print, broadcast, and digital media. She directs MAC’s signature public events, including Arts Week at the Capitol, which she led the charge to expand from Arts Day to Arts Week in collaboration with advocacy partners, and the Governor’s Arts Awards, which she has elevated by increasing sponsorship and visibility.

Ellie has over 18 years of professional communication experience. After college, she worked as a Customer Service Coordinator and Discover Center Specialist at CSpire. She then joined the Cirlot Agency as a Social Media and Public Relations Strategist. In 2014, she transitioned to public service, holding digital media and public relations positions at Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) and the Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES), before joining MAC in July 2022.

During her time at MDES, Ellie developed key engagement strategies for the Governor’s Job Fair Network, was integral to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis response, and response to the 2019 chicken plant raids. She was selected by leadership for the MDES Leadership Program in 2019 and helped incorporate multiple internal events and staff communication to improve morale and culture. At the end of the program, Ellie was selected by her peers to serve as the Class Representative and to speak at graduation.

Ellie began her work with digital media at MPB as an intern in 2008, where she established the agency’s Facebook account and helped grow its Twitter following. As a contract worker, she produced promotional videos and supported coverage during Hurricane Gustav and the 2008 Presidential Debate in Oxford. In 2014, she returned full-time to lead digital strategy, developing systems for sharing content across platforms and spearheading updates to the MPB Mobile App and website. In 2017, Ellie was selected to participate in the Digital Immersion Project (DIP), a PBS Digital and Marketing program, to help improve digital efforts at local stations and connect digital leaders throughout the system. DIP also included a grant to fund attendance at PBS Tech Con for training.

In 2008, Ellie organized and hosted the first free “New Media” conference in Mississippi. The conference featured speakers who were early adopters of platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in the business community and in higher education. The event attracted over 80 attendees, from students to business leaders from all over the state. In addition, Ellie has presented at multiple conferences over the years about community engagement and digital media, including the NSPARC Smart Cities Conference in 2019.

Ellie was also featured in Chris Brogan’s book Social Media 101. The chapter features her personal blog and the ways she was mixing media to tell stories.

Ellie’s honors include an Associated Press Award for best website at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, a bronze Telly Award for the MAC Grantee Spotlight series, and a Southeast EMMY Award nomination for the 2024 Governor’s Arts Awards. She also served on the Advisory Council for the Mississippi Craftsmen’s Guild in 2019.

Ellie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication from Mississippi College. She lives in Brandon, MS, with her husband, Grant, and their son, Logan.