Board of Directors
Max Arinder, Ph.D.
Max is a Mississippi native and longtime Jackson resident. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.A. degree in general psychology and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees experimental psychology. Max retired in June 2015 after thirty-four years of service to the Mississippi Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER), having served fifteen years as Chief Analyst for Planning and Support, and nineteen years as Executive Director. His experience and knowledge are great assets for Revitalize Mississippi.
Deborah Perkins
Deborah Perkins was appointed in September 2015 as Co-President of John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation, Justice and Christian Community Development headquartered in West Jackson, MS. Deborah directs the finance department, HUD housing renovations for working families, the Wellness Nature Park, internships and community service opportunities. Deborah also works with local community organizations, colleges, churches and businesses to eliminate blight and clean up debris. Deborah believes that “joy is living beyond-self.”
Deborah was born in Los Angeles, CA in January 1960. Her parents Drs. John M. and Vera Mae Perkins – after being called by God to serve and teach the poor in their home state of MS – relocated back home to Mississippi, later that same year. Reconciliation and Community Development have impacted Deborah her whole life: she is committed to restoring, renovating and reviving West Jackson, one block at a time.
Phil Eide
Phil Eide, Senior Vice President of Community and Economic Development at HOPE Credit Union, joined the Revitalize Mississippi Board of Directors in 2019 to provide nonprofit and affordable housing expertise. Phil has been an advisor and champion for Revitalize Mississippi since our founding; we are thrilled that he is willing to serve on the Board of Directors. Phil currently works on HOPE’S Economic and Community Development efforts providing debt to Low Income Housing Tax Credit developments, working with New Market Tax Credit projects and other community development efforts. Phil worked closely with Hope’s efforts to rebuild affordable housing in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Phil has been a Housing and Urban Development fellow and previously served as Executive Director of Jackson Metro Housing Partnership, the largest nonprofit housing organization in the Jackson, MS metropolitan area. He obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree from Jackson State University.
Dr. Cindy Ayers Elliott
Cindy Ayers Elliott is the CEO of Foot Print Farms, LLC, founded in 2010. The 68-acre agritourism and produce farm in west Jackson is a great example of economic and community development in our Capital City. Before becoming a farmer, Dr. Ayers worked many years in New York as an investment banker. She participates with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to ensure her farm is productive and environmentally friendly. Cindy is working with Revitalize Mississippi on a regular basis as part of our “Rosemont Team,” which focuses on the neighborhood just down the street from her farm. With Cindy’s guidance and inspiration, we plan to keep healthy food and economic development at the center of our neighborhood strengthening projects.
Jim Johnston, M.D., Founder
Jim was born and raised in Jackson. After graduating from Princeton University and Tulane Medical School, he completed his internal medicine residency at Mayo Clinic and gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA. Jim then returned to Jackson to begin a 34-year gastroenterology practice. Since retiring in 2012, Jim has worked to help clean up blight in Jackson and mobilize neighborhood revitalization around the city.
Staff
Andy Frame
Andy, a graduate of Auburn University and Mississippi College School of Law, has been a Jackson resident since 2009. While at the Adams and Reese law firm, Andy began working pro bono with Jim Johnston and Northminster Baptist Church's Wider Net program in 2013. He helped Jim navigate through the legal issues related to cleaning up abandoned and vacant properties, and, in 2016, assisted in the formation of Revitalize Mississippi. Since coming on board full-time in April 2017, Andy has been working daily to find sustainable, community-based solutions for local neighborhoods suffering from these systemic problems.