She attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri where she started to study fashion design but later switched to business law and marketing.

After graduating she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and worked for Bank of America where she was the first woman in their executive training program.

McElveen-Hunter founded Pace Communications, Inc. in 1973 and serves as the current chief executive officer and owner.

She has also served as a trustee of the RAND Corporation and is a founder of the United Way Billion Dollar National Women's Leadership Initiative.

[7] She served as co-chairwoman of the annual national meeting of the Young Presidents' Organization in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

As the United States Ambassador to Finland, McElveen-Hunter organized the Helsinki Women Business Leaders Summit, where female CEOs from the United States, Baltic region, and Russia created a business model to be replicated in other parts of the world.

[9] Tarja Halonen, the President of Finland, awarded her with the honor of Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion.

Bonnie McElveen-Hunter joined the National Board of Advisors at High Point University in 2014.

[15] She owns homes in Irving Park Historic District, Greensboro; Palm Beach; and Washington, DC.