Ellis Liddell to receive Alumnus of the Year Award at MC’s Bicentennial Homecoming

Ellis Liddell, president of ELE Wealth Management, Inc. and 2026 Alumnus of the Year, said MC was 'perfect for who I needed to become in life.'

Throughout Mississippi Christian University’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration, Ellis Liddell '80 has been one of MC’s biggest supporters.

Co-chair of the MC Bicentennial Celebration Committee, along with his wife, Theresa, and Marsha and Bob Holland, Liddell participated in the historic photo recreation at Provine Chapel and hosted the Bicentennial panel discussion, “Success Starts at Mississippi College: Chronicles of MC's African American Contributions to 200 years of Celebration” in February, and delivered the invocation at MC’s Spring Commencement in May.

This weekend, Liddell, president of ELE Wealth Management, Inc., will return to his alma mater for another 200-year celebration: MC’s Bicentennial Homecoming, where he will receive the Alumnus of the Year Award during the annual National Alumni Association Awards Brunch at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Anderson Hall on the second floor of the B.C. Rogers Student Center.

The award expresses recognition and gratitude to MC alumni who have rendered distinguished service to their university, church and community. Mere prominence is not a criterion. The award is limited to those who, through a long period of years, have worked with marked intelligence and success to promote the highest interests of MC and their home communities.

“Ellis Liddell exemplifies the very best of Mississippi Christian University,” said MC President Blake Thompson. “We are grateful for his continued dedication to MC and proud to recognize him as our Alumnus of the Year during this historic Bicentennial Homecoming.”

“This award means the world to me because it captures my body of work and everything that MC prepared me to accomplish,” said Liddell, an award-winning salesman and inspiring motivational speaker and author who built his career in banking and financial services. “MC got me ready for the challenges of tomorrow without getting stuck in the problems of today. You hope to live up to every challenge that is put in front of you, but you also hope to live up to every award that has been given to you.

“Looking at the quality of the individuals who have received this award makes me honored that I was even nominated. Knowing you have done everything in your power to be the best representative of Mississippi Christian University that you can be is a reward in itself.”

The oldest of 13 children in a rural Mississippi family, Liddell’s relentless work as a student-athlete led him to earn a track-and-field scholarship at MC.

“Growing up in a Christian environment, I needed to be around people who could relate to the Lord,” he said. “To be in a college setting where people prayed together and attended Chapel reinforced what I had been accustomed to. The small liberal arts Christian college was perfect for who I needed to become in life.”

As co-captain of the track team his senior year, along with James “JT” Trimble, a 2026 MC Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Liddell scored the second-highest number of points to help his team win the third conference championship of his collegiate career. Many of the relationships he nurtured while excelling on the track and in the classroom have lasted a lifetime.

Liddell’s best friend and teammate, Larry Myricks, helped show him what was possible outside of MC’s Clinton campus.

“Larry made the U.S. Olympic Team his freshman year at MC, and he would tell me about all the places around the world he had gone to compete,” Liddell said. “He told me stories about what existed outside the United States before I had the opportunity to travel there myself. That helped me to set expectations for what I wanted to accomplish in life, and I can say that I have achieved all of the things that I set out to do while at MC.”

“Ellis was always that person who could figure out a way to do things that he really shouldn’t have been able to do,” Myricks said. “That’s because of how much he believes in himself and his abilities. He believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that if he wants to do something, he’ll figure out a way to make it happen. And he’s done that over the course of our 50-year friendship.”

Joyce Beacham and Liddell bonded as students at MC over their shared love of tennis and track; she acknowledged Liddell’s self-confidence and tenacity.

“He’s a fun-loving guy, and he’s got a quick wit,” Beacham said. “He doesn’t shy away from being a Christian, and he’s real outgoing and nice. He is always looking to help people, not just himself. He doesn’t promote himself, but he promotes others. He likes to see that everybody has a chance to succeed, and he gives God credit for his success.”

Liddell credits three individuals for helping to shape his career path while he was an undergraduate student at MC: his track coach, Joe Walker, who is receiving the Order of the Golden Arrow during Saturday’s brunch; Dr. Samuel Gore, the “founding father” of the Department of Art, who guided him to obtain a minor in art; and Dr. Hollis Todd, “architect” of the Communication Department, who encouraged him to consider broadcasting.

“He told me I had a unique voice and that I should do radio,” Liddell said. “That gave me confidence that no matter how I thought I sounded, he had heard something special. That allowed me to not be hesitant to stand on my own and speak, and I’ve been talking ever since.”

Liddell, an education major who took some business classes at MC, has been talking about finance on the radio for more than 25 years. He has been involved in the financial services industry since 1980; in 1990, he established Ellis Liddell Enterprises, which laid the groundwork for ELE Wealth Management, Inc. He has enjoyed a successful career as an inspirational speaker at various events, where he presents complex financial information in understandable terms.

At the core of his philosophy is a deep belief: God empowers those who take initiative. It’s a conviction that fuels both his teaching and his mission.

A distinguished member of the Million Dollar Round Table and the first African American to achieve top producer status at both National Life Group and Investors Capital Corporation, Liddell has made remarkable contributions to the financial sector. He has appeared as an investment expert on various television programs, including in Detroit, Michigan and on public television. He has contributed articles to the Dallas Weekly Newspaper, has been quoted in the Detroit Free Press and the Michigan Chronicle, and has served as a regular columnist for Detroit Smart Pages.

He has received numerous awards, including proclamations from the City of Atlanta and Rutherford County in Tennessee, and a key to the city of Greenville, South Carolina. In 2002, he was named the top life insurance agent at National Life of Vermont, and he made history at Investors Capital Corporation when he became the first African American to be named the top producer at a major investment firm in 2006 and 2007.

Liddell will have plenty of support when he receives the MC Alumnus of the Year Award. Among those attending will be his wife, Theresa, and children, Ellis Darren Liddell, Ellis Nurogar Liddell, Elise Liddell, Shanta Hayes, Sabrina Jackson, Devin Richardson and Jamall Redmond, and family members from Utica. His family, Liddell said, is his proudest achievement.

“We’re very close-knit in times when lots of divisions exist elsewhere,” he said. “I’m happy to say the same about my business. I’m proud that I was able to build a business that has employed more than 32 individuals, 10 of whom have worked with me for over 23 years.

“When I think of that, I think of what MC has given me. MC is home. It was the place where I formed a solid foundation. It was where I had all the promises and dreams about life, and it’s what helped catapult me into something even greater.”