When Anne Russell Mayeaux was 15, she learned about the life of Socrates from her professor of ancient history, inspiring a long career in the fields of philosophy and education. She started out pursing her interests at St. Xavier University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1965. Dr. Mayeaux furthered her education in 1975, when she obtained a PhD from Emory University. She proceeded to become a postdoctoral fellow and adjunct faculty at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta before officially embarking on her career.
Well-versed in theology and religious teachings, Dr. Mayeaux has held a variety of positions during her time as an educator. She has provided her knowledge to students at Hinds Community College in Jackson, Miss., where she is presently an adjunct faculty member, and to students at St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison, Miss., where she is presently the chairman of the theology department. She has also lent her services to her roles as a researcher at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, an associate professor at Siena Heights University, the president of the Aquinas Center of Theology at Emory University, a visiting scholar in ethics and society at Harvard Divinity School, and as executive director of the Georgia Endowment for the Humanities.
The highlight of Dr. Mayeaux’s career was when she went to Iraq in 1991 while working with the Harvard Divinity School. There, she had the opportunity to work as a human rights activist for a disaster relief organization known as Caravan of Solidarity, learning about the plight of hospitalized children in the country and risking her life by walking through minefields.
To keep abreast of developments in her field, Dr. Mayeaux joined organizations like the American Association of University Professors and the American Academy of Religion. She also served on the board of directors of the National Assembly of Religious Women in Chicago, as the secretary/treasurer of the International Foundation for Scholarly Exchange in Atlanta, and as the president of Las Casas, which is the National Ministry among the Native Americans in Oklahoma.
When Dr. Mayeaux isn’t working, she volunteers for the Jackson Federation Teachers Animal rescue, Cheshire Abbey, to change legalization of animal rights in trying to eradicate dog fighting rings. Additionally, she lends her time to help teachers in the public school system to be able understand children who experience post traumatic stress from home.
In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Dr. Mayeaux received the Citation for Courage for Human Rights Work in the Gulf War from the U.S. Dominican Leadership Conference, the Catherine of Siena Award from St. Catherine’s Dominican Congregation, and the Teacher of the Year Award from the Jackson Mississippi Federation of Teachers. She was noted for her Outstanding Teaching by the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and was selected to be among the International Delegation of Scholars to Russia and the Ukraine from People to People and the American Academy of Religion. Further, she was honored with the Human Rights Citation from the Dominican Justice Promoters of North America, the conservation prize from the Department of Agriculture, and a Fulbright Scholarship from the University of Tuebingen in Germany. Other accolades include a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a Raskob Foundation grant, and features in numerous editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who of American Women, and Who’s Who in American Education. She was also a Catherine McAuley scholar at St. Xavier University.
