Kelly Mitchell

Kelly Mitchell is an accomplished executive leader with more than two decades of experience spanning economic development, higher education, workforce development, and public-private partnerships. Her career has included leadership across the federal government, nonprofit sector, and private industry, with a consistent focus on building strategic relationships, strengthening institutions, and expanding pathways to economic opportunity.

As Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) at the U.S. Department of Education, Mitchell provides executive leadership for the federal government’s efforts to advance the capacity, competitiveness, and long-term success of HBCUs. In this role, she works across federal agencies and with HBCU presidents and leaders, corporate executives, philanthropic organizations, and other stakeholders to foster innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships, and expand opportunities supporting student success, workforce development, research, and economic competitiveness.

Prior to her current role, Mitchell served in the first Trump Administration as Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity, where she advised senior leadership on strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, and enterprise-wide initiatives. She also completed a detail assignment with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, supporting national strategies designed to promote business growth and expand opportunities for minority-owned enterprises.