President & CEO
Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation
Kerrie M. Mitchell is the fourth and youngest President and CEO of The Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation. Beginning in March of 2023, Mitchell was tasked with redesigning and realigning the foundation to the Detroit Public School Community District. Within one year of service, Mitchell developed a three-year strategic plan to ensure organizational long-term sustainability that included a negotiated partnership agreement with DPSCD outlining the foundation as its philanthropic arm, boosted employee offerings to attract and hire top talent, fulfilled 85% of staffing positions, raised over 4M in funding to support programming and operations and increased board engagement.
Prior to joining the DPSCD Foundation 2023, Mitchell was the Executive Vice President of Strategy, Development, and Marketing for Matrix Human Services for nearly seven years. Mitchell assisted in growing its annual giving from $1.5m to $6.5m while developing a marketing program that resulted in nearly two million earned media placements in a single year.
Mitchell began her career in journalism and broadcasting, working for IHeartRadio and RadioOne – Detroit. Guided by her desire to leverage her innovative communications and media skills to revitalize her community, Ms. Mitchell quickly refocused her professional ambitions to work with mission-driven organizations. As Communications Coordinator for The Detroit Police Athletic League in 2013, she led fundraising efforts that resulted in a 60% increase in online giving. In 2015, Mitchell worked initially as the Marketing and Communications Director for the Great Lakes Field Council of the Boy Scouts of America’s Michigan Crossroads Council and was eventually promoted to the statewide position of Public Relations Director for the Michigan Crossroads Council, where she created and led the first statewide community service initiative to deliver over 3,000 cases of bottled water to the residents of Flint, MI.
Kerrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Arts from Wayne State University and has received the 40 Under 40 Award from the Michigan Chronicle (2018); the Spirit of Detroit Award from the Detroit City Council (2019); and the Most Valuable Millennial Award from Corps Magazine (2021). She serves as a Next Gen Advisory Board Member for First Independence Bank.