Dr. Jeanette Mitchell Has Been Named the 2024 Recipient of the Linda McFerrin African American Nonprofit Leadership Award
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Dr. Jeanette Mitchell Has Been Named the 2024 Recipient of the Linda McFerrin African American Nonprofit Leadership Award

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Statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 20, 2025

“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County is proud to announce Dr. Jeanette Mitchell as the recipient of the 2024 Linda McFerrin African American Nonprofit Leadership Award. Dr. Mitchell founded the African American Leadership Alliance of Milwaukee in 2017 and served for three years as Milwaukee School Board president. The award is being presented posthumously; Dr. Mitchell passed away on Sunday, August 18, 2024.

Dr. Jeanette MitchellThe Linda McFerrin African American Nonprofit Leadership Award was established by United Way’s 2019-20 Board Chair Cory Nettles, founder and managing director of Generation Growth Capital, Inc. and his wife Michelle Nettles, chief people and culture officer at ManpowerGroup, in recognition of Linda McFerrin, retired vice president of resource development, and her 42 years of leadership and service to United Way. 

The recipient of this annual award is chosen by United Way’s Diversity Leadership Society, and a grant is made to the organization they represent. Diversity Leadership Society consists of leaders working to close the gaps for our community's diverse populations, ensuring every family has the opportunity to thrive.

“Dr. Mitchell had a long and distinguished career as a nonprofit professional,” said Cory Nettles. “As a strategic thought leader, Dr. Mitchell was always focused on system level change. Her goal was to address systemic inequities and get at the root cause of our community’s biggest challenges. She fully embodied Linda McFerrin’s legacy of nonprofit leadership.”

Dr. Mitchell worked for over 30 years in the business world, including a career in the corporate sector at Wisconsin Bell (which later became Ameritech, SBC, and AT&T.) She also worked at Bader Philanthropies as an education program officer for eight years, screening grants for local education initiatives. In 2008, she founded the African American Leadership Program, which was later incorporated into the larger AALAM.

In August 2023, Dr. Mitchell was named the 2023 Business Champion by the African American Chamber of Commerce, and she was honored at an AALP graduation party in June, where she officially retired from the program.

Dr. Mitchell is survived by her three daughters, Pamela Mitchell, Yvonne Mitchell, and Yvette D. Murrell.

 

The Linda McFerrin African American Nonprofit Leadership Award will be celebrated at the United Way Annual Meeting on February 27, 2025, at Foley & Lardner.

 

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