A native of Arkansas, Nancy Payne Ellis is a graduate of Oklahoma City's Harding High School and attended Oklahoma State University. She is a founding member of Heritage Trust, an independent, privately-owned trust bank, serving as chairman until 2004.
As a young woman, Mrs. Ellis often heard her father-in-law William T. Payne say, "the price we pay for living on this good earth is the things we do for others." For many years, she has applied this thought to action spurring change for the community.
In 1986, Mrs. Ellis became the first woman elected as an at-large Trustee of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, serving until 1995. Her passion for serving her community extended to numerous charitable organizations, including the Oklahoma Museum of Art, Mercy Hospital and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was a founding member of the Payne Education Center, a nonprofit that serves children with learning differences including dyslexia.
As the primary advisor on the William T. Payne Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, Nancy has led multiple generations of her family to provide vital support to many charitable organizations, carrying on Mr. Payne's legacy.