Mrs. Elizabeth Hunt Alston was born in Charleston, South Carolina. She lived and attended school in Summerville, South Carolina and graduated from Alston High School. She continued her educational pursuits at South Carolina State College, New York University and at The Citadel, where she received both her Masters and Education Specialist Degrees. She frequently travels for speaking engagements geared toward community engagement, historic preservation and education topics.

An educator and historian, Mrs. Alston has served as evaluative and workshop consultant for the Ethnic Studies Branch, Washington, DC; The National Teacher Corps, Arlington, Virginia; South Carolina State; University of South Carolina and many other educational and professional organizations. She has been active in numerous community and civic affairs for several years. During the Bicentennial Celebration, she chaired the Charleston County Black History Committee, which sponsored an African Banquet of which André Coulbary, Ambassador from Senegal, was the featured speaker.

In previous years, Mrs. Alston hosted a news segment called “Carolina and the Low Country", where she discussed achievements of African Americans. She was appointed by Governor Richard Riley to the State Archives and History Commission and the Governor's Art Task Force. In addition, she was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Charleston Memorial Hospital, the Ole Slave Mart Museum and the South Carolina Hall of Fame. She has served on the Charleston Tourism Commission and the Arts and History Committee.

Mrs. Alston was formerly the principal of St. John's High School, and was the Director of Administrative Services for the Charleston County School District. She was also Coordinator of Ethnic Studies for Charleston County School District. Her duties included the development, implementation, validation and dissemination of the South Carolina Ethnic History Program. The Program was validated by the State Department of Education and has been disseminated into thirty-three South Carolina School Districts. She set another milestone as the first instructor of African American History at Trident Technical College!

Mrs. Alston's first political entry was as candidate for County Council. She was elected to the Charleston County School Board and later elected Board Chair. She currently serves on the Board of the T.C. Drayton Community Center and on Drayton Hall's Site Council. This National Trust for Historic Preservation site, is deemed one of the finest examples of Georgian-Palladian architecture in the United States. In addition, Mrs. Alston is a member of The International African American Museum and Chairperson of Charleston’s Tourism Commission, and is presently serving as Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees for Emanuel A.M.E. Church of Charleston and the State Board of Review which has the responsibility of determining which properties within a state meet the National Register criteria.