COLUMBUS, Miss. (CMSD) – Elsie Beard is by the numbers. Her entire career has been centered around numbers, and Beard believes her return to the Columbus Municipal School District adds up to the right equation.
The West Point native was recently hired by the CMSD Board of Trustees as the new Assistant Business Administrator.
“My goal is to help the business department run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. I’ll also be helping the CFO (Holly Rogers),” explained Beard.
Beard enjoys looking for solutions and looking for the right numbers to help the school district operate and help students.
“The ultimate goal is to make sure the students are successful. While I’m not in the classroom, I can help make sure administrators and teachers have the tools they need to help make sure students are receiving the best education. The school district works as a team, and we all have a part. This is my contribution,” explains Beard.
You could say Beard’s career is now a circumference, or full circle, of experiences that led her back to CMSD.
She started her career in the school district working as a bookkeeper in the Child Nutrition Department. She’s also worked in payroll, along with federal programs and special education at CMSD. There have been stops in West Point, Starkville, Aberdeen, and most recently Nettleton before Beard returned to Columbus.
“Everyone has been so welcoming. I see them in the halls and they say, “You are back!” It has been nice and a full circle moment for me. I’ve been doing this for 28 years, so this is a good landing spot for me,” explained Beard.
Beard received her undergraduate accounting degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and her graduate degree from Jackson State University.