Shaka Mitchell

Shaka Mitchell is a Senior Fellow at the American Federation for Children, where he advocates for expanding educational opportunity and empowering families through school choice. He brings extensive experience from high‑performing charter school networks, including Rocketship Education and LEAD Public Schools, which together have served thousands of students in Nashville’s most underserved communities.

Shaka began his career in education policy as Associate Director of Policy and Planning at the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C., and later led outreach efforts at the Institute for Justice, a constitutional law firm focused on individual liberties. He also has held leadership roles in education and public policy organizations at the state level, advising on reform efforts across the South.

A first‑generation college graduate, Shaka earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Belmont University, where he now teaches American Government and Constitutional Law as an adjunct faculty member. He received his Juris Doctor from Wake Forest University School of Law and serves on the Board of Advisors for the Wake Forest Journal of Law and Policy.

Beyond his professional work, Shaka co‑founded MoreMarrowDonors.org, a nonprofit that provides scholarships to bone marrow donors who match patients with life‑threatening blood diseases. He chairs the Tennessee State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and participates in national leadership cohorts, including the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network and the Aspen Institute’s Civil Society Fellowship. Shaka and his wife, Stephanie, live in Nashville, where they are active in their local church and several community organizations.
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