Mayson Foster was born and reared in Hammond. He is a graduate of Hammond High School and Southeastern Louisiana University where he has earned a B.A. in Accounting and an MBA. He has attended several graduate schools during his career, including the Harvard Senior Bank Officer School, the National Personnel School, and the Banking School of the South at LSU.

Mayor Foster served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Citizens National Bank until 1997 and as Division Manager with Hancock Bank of Louisiana and with Parish National Bank prior to his becoming Mayor in 2003. During his banking career, he was appointed to several prestigious positions, including the Financial Institutions Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Community Bankers Council's Executive Committee for the

American Bankers Association, and the ABA Risk Management Council as vice Chair. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker and is a Notary Public.

Mayson's volunteer work is known both locally and statewide. He was named to the State Board of Commerce and Industry under two governors and was named as the first President of the Board of Special Olympics Louisiana, Inc. In addition, he has served Southeastern Louisiana University as Chair of the SLU Development Foundation, Treasurer of the SLU Alumni Association, and always active in campus activities. He is a past President and Lt. Governor of Kiwanis International, and served as Chair of the Tangipahoa United Way, the Downtown Development District, the Fire and Police Civil Service Board, the Hammond Chamber of Commerce, and TARC of Hammond. He is an active member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church where he serves as a lay minister and on the Baton Rouge Diocesan Finance Council.

Over the years, Mayson has received several honors including the Hammond Junior Auxiliary Tablet of Honor, the Special Olympics Louisiana Ellen Gillentine Award for Outstanding Service, the Outstanding Citizenship Award from the Hammond Kiwanis Club, the Outstanding Graduate Award from the SLU College of Business, and the International President's Award from Theta Xi Fraternity.

He and his wife Connie have been married 39 years and are the parents of two children and three grandchildren.