ABOUT ME

My family’s roots in the community go deep.  My father, Jesse "Milkman" Mitchell, knew everyone on his milk delivery route in the black neighborhoods of Bradenton, Palmetto and Sarasota​. My mother, Rosie "Nurse" Mitchell, worked for many years as a caregiver at Manatee Memorial Hospital. 

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I am an alumna of Manatee High School (Go, Hurricanes!) where I was honored to be recognized as an outstanding student and leader.  After graduating, I attended the University of South Florida where I earned a Master of Science degree in Speech and Language Pathology with an undergraduate minor in psychology. 

 

I am the proud mother of two sons, Richard and Reggie, and the grandmother of Raniah, Rylie and Richelle. Richard resides in Bradenton with his family and works for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. Reggie, an Associate Project Manager with an IT company, lives with his family in Atlanta.

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For more than 30 years, I have worked in the field of speech pathology.   My first job was working in nursing care facilities in Hillsborough County for National Speech and Hearing Services. That experience affirmed in me the importance of taking care of elders in our community. After that, I spent 10 years working with elementary and middle school students in the Pinellas County School District. From there, I accepted an opportunity to work with young children at the Special Needs Preschool Program in Fulton County Georgia.  

 

After a decade in Atlanta, I returned “home” to Bradenton in 2004 to take care of my terminally ill mother.  From 2004-2010, I was deeply engaged with Bradenton’s youth during my work as a high school coordinator and supervisor of a pre-trial intervention for first offenders, Teen Court program for the Manatee County Clerk of Courts.  While there, I learned first-hand the importance of having an advocate for people in our community who feel like their voices aren’t heard.  For the last 10 years, I have served as a Speech and Language Pathologist for the Manatee County School District, currently assigned full time at Electa Arcotte Lee Magnet Middle School.

 

In addition to working and spending time with family, I am an active member of Ward Temple A.M.E. Church where I serve as an officer, usher, and one of the advisors with the youth department. I am also a member of the Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and have been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority since 1990.