Born and raised in the Queen City, Ebony Gulley is a Camden native. A graduate of Camden Fairview High School, she attended the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a full-ride thanks to athletic and academic scholarships. As an undergraduate, she was named the Arkansas Woman in Public Service, a Friday Strugis Scholar, completed hundreds of hours of community service, was President of the Epsilon Phi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., and received various other accolades while pursuing a STEM degree.

She graduated with a B.S. in Information Science and then enrolled in graduate school for Bioinformatics. However, her desire to “help people” continued to grow. After that, she graduated from the UALR Bowen School of Law where she earned the Dean’s Certificate of Public Service for completing hundreds of hours of community service. Community service has always been near and dear to her.

With no initial intentions to return to Camden, she accepted a temporary position in the area which led to a permanent stay. Ebony has served the local community by representing indigent defendants across the 13th Judicial District as an attorney at the Public Defender’s Office while also keeping a private practice. Based on local research, Ebony was the first African American female in this region of the state to open a private law office, the first African American attorney for the 13th Judicial District hired by the Public Defender Commission since its formation in 1993, and the first African American female to run for a judicial position within the district.

She most recently served her ward on the Camden City Council and continues to be an active participant in her community and church. She is currently the board attorney for Lafayette School Restoration, Inc. as they embark on the exciting journey of restoring the former school grounds for the community.

She is part of the fourth generation in her family born free from slavery. She counts it a blessing to have been raised by her parents, grandparents, and great-grandfathers who made many sacrifices for her to pursue an education and opportunities that they could only dream of. She is the daughter of Earnest and Shirley Gulley and attends Smyrna Ministry.