Born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, Elise earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1990 from the University of Southern Mississippi, and her Juris Doctor degree in 1993 from the University of Mississippi. While at Ole Miss, she was a member of Phi Delta Phi and on the Moot Court Board. She has been employed by Shannon Law Firm, PLLC since 1993.
Elise has been the Copiah County Prosecutor since 1996 and is a member of the Mississippi Prosecutors' Association, Mississippi Association of County Board Attorneys, and co-counsel for the Copiah County Board of Supervisors.