A native of Mobile, AL, Elijah is a community economic development practitioner, researcher and consultant. He served five years for the community economic development agency for the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument District and Historic Fourth Avenue Business District, where in his last role as program director he entreprenuerially developed new programs and initiatives or main street businesses that were supported by national partners. He founded his consulting company, Mounts + Margins to provide solutions for microenterprises and those who support them. He is also a cofounder of HAANDS, a growing national network focused on the preservation of Historic Black Main Streets. Elijah holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from UAB's Collat School of Business and is a member of the Small Business Anti-displacement Network (SBAN).