From Wall Street investment banker to farmer CEO, Cindy Ayers Elliott specializes in bringing people together to have the most impact in her community and state in multiple aspects of social and environmental impact.
Cindy is the CEO of Foot Print Farms in Jackson, Mississippi, where she has farmed since 2010 in high tunnels for long season growing, and other best practices. Cindy has the largest urban farm in the state of Mississippi where she specializes in bringing access to food deserts in her community and the state. She has partnerships with the large pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, Mississippi public school systems, churches, communities, groups, non-profits, and individual CSA group members within the communities that she serves. Before becoming a farmer, Cindy was in investment banking in New York. She always says, “I gave up my red bottoms for work boots and I have not looked back.”
In This Episode:
- As a leader, there’s a line you don’t cross with your integrity.
- Working at the problem from several angles, all the way from policy to grassroots, has significant impact.
- Believe in people: we can do this together.
In this interview, we’ve got a prime example of someone who has leveraged all aspects of herself and her circle of connection to create significant impact. Cindy Ayers Elliott has brought all of her experience and expertise to bear on her particular realm of impact, including the people she’s come to know over the years. It’s inspiring to see someone who is so passionate about what she is doing, AND puts that passion to practical use in so many ways. That practical application is what a lot of intended impact fails to address, and therefore it just doesn’t happen. Cindy and I also get into legacy, one of the three aspects of the Impact Trifecta (listen to Episode 237 for more on that), and how she is building a bigger impact by influencing others.
Resources:
Cindy’s website: Foot Print Farms
Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.
