Dr. Portia Ballard Espy

She is a native of southeast Louisiana and has been a resident of Mississippi for the past 22 years. Prior to joining the Mississippi Urban League, Portia served as Executive Director of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, where she also served as Director of Community Building.

She has held positions with the Children’s Defense Fund Southern Regional Office, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Mid-South Delta Initiative, Royal Dutch Shell, Entergy Corporation, and Raytheon Aerospace. Portia holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University, an M.B.A from Loyola University, New Orleans, and B.A. in Communications from Southern University, Baton Rouge.