Erika Y. Mitchelle

Director of Economic Affairs

Since elected to the Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education, Erika Mitchell has established herself as one of Atlanta’s most influential Public Servants. When it comes to serving her community, Mitchell is an active Board Member and a strong believer in parent and community engagement. Within Mitchell’s first term in office, she developed the first electronic newsletter for her district, and established community partnerships with Georgia’s Own Credit Union, Capitol Records, Chick fil-A, University for Parents, Fulton County Juvenile Courts, U First Project, NFL Players Association-Metro Atlanta Chapter,100 Black Men of America, St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church, and The Launch Pad for her educational district.  She also wrote the first school district’s Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Trauma Informed Practices, Restorative Justice Practice policies.

Mitchell currently serves on the Atlanta Board of Education’s Policy Review Committee, Equity Taskforce, Audit Committee and the Boards of Director for the Atlanta BeltLine. Mitchell is currently on the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Taskforce Workgroup and was appointed by the City of Atlanta’s Mayor Bottoms to serve on the Atlanta 2020 Census Committee. Mitchell is also an elected member of the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education’s Steering Committee and was recently elected as Secretary on the National Black Council of School Board Members, where she chairs Policy & Resolution Committee for both Councils.

The multi-talented professional and local public servant is a native of Atlanta and is committed to bridging the support gap between non-profit organizations and for-profit companies to better serve the diverse communities within the city. Mitchell has served as the Program Advisor for Fuel Up To Play 60 and on committees for the following organizations: NFL Alumni, NFL Players Association Metro Chapter, Caribbean American Advancement Foundation and the American Red Cross.

​Mitchell was awarded honored with several awards including the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc (The Greater Atlanta Chapter) Public Servant Award, the 2019 C.T Martin’s Public Servant Award, and was honored by Alabama State University’s “50 under 50” Class of 2018, 2018 America Caribbean Captains of the Industries, 2016 Barack Obama’s “President Lifetime Volunteer Service” Award, the “Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major” Award and the 2011 National Black Latino Council Community Organization of the Year.

Mitchell is currently the Managing Partner at Sports Unlimited Enterprise, LLC. Sports Unlimited Enterprise, LLC (SUE) which specializes in Event planning, Public Relations, Charities, Non-Profits and Branding for current and former professional athletes. SUE’s Mission is to bridge the gap between professional athletes and corporate companies that will engage athletes and or their charitable involvement with the youth and their communities. SUE provides a platform for athletes to leverage their brands to host or partner with fundraising and charitable events.

Mitchell is also the founder of Atlanta Women In Sports (AWIS), which salutes and honors Atlanta business women in sports who are blazing trails and redefining the position of “Sports Executive and Athletes” with their contributions to the Sports Industry. AWIS also provides a platform and networking opportunities for women to connect and engage professionals of various industries who carry a similar passion for the business of sports.

A graduate of Alabama State University, Mitchell was able to take advantage of a full athletic scholarship. She won numerous awards for her stellar athletic performance including the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field South Western Athletics Conference (SWAC) Championships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Mitchell earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Computer Information Systems yielding her the knowledge and opportunity to work for major global brands such as Coca Cola, Cbeyond, and Kodak as an Information Technology (IT) specialist.

She furthered her education and received a full scholarship from Esani Paul Mitchell’s Partner School to become a Licensed Esthetics Educator. Shortly after completing her educators’ degree, Mitchell began a teaching career at AVEDA Institute, where she taught histology and physiology of skin, creating AVEDA’s first makeup artist curriculum and small business development. Mitchell also provided State Board certified Continuing Educational Units to professional cosmetologists and estheticians.

Mitchell’s passion for volunteering led her to volunteer her time to International Pageants including Miss Africa USA, Miss Latina US, and the Miss Latin America Del Mundo pageant. Through her dedication to volunteer work, she managed to incorporate her business skills and her love for beauty and founded La Reina Pageant Productions in 2010. La Reina produces Atlanta Latino Fashion Week, Atlanta Caribbean Fashion Week, Miss Georgia Latina™ ,  Miss Teen Georgia Latina ™, Miss Alabama Latina and Miss Teen Alabama Latina pageants. As the Producer and state Director, her vision is to mentor and create opportunities for Latinas and Caribbeans to pursue their goals and dreams while impacting the community through culture sharing and most importantly, culture awareness.