Tawa J. Mitchell

Tawakalitu J. Mitchell is a Senior Program Officer at the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation where she has responsibility for grantmaking in the Chicago Commitment program. 

Prior to joining MacArthur, Tawa spent thirteen years in a variety of education policy and program roles in city government, including the Offices of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Mayor Richard M. Daley, the City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. 

Tawa holds an M.A. from the Crown Family School and a B.A. from Spelman College. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Chicago Women in Philanthropy, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Illinois, and the Parks Foundation of Oak Park. Tawa is also a member of the Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the Lake Shore Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, organizations dedicated to community service.  

Tawa is a Class of 2018 Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow, the region’s premier civic leadership development program.