Mitchelle joined the Think Dignity staff in 2017 as the Staff Attorney for the Homeless Youth Legal Advocacy Project. As the Staff Attorney, Mitchelle directly represented homeless and at-risk youth in their criminal defense matters. Moreover, she maintained relationships with community partners to aid in pairing each client with social services, housing programs, counseling, high school and college courses, job readiness and internships. Mitchelle’s primary goal was to ensure that each client was given the proper resources to support their growth and nourish their passions.
As the Executive Director, Mitchelle oversees the daily management of Think Dignity’s operations, including the Transitional Storage Center, Mobile Operations of Dignity and legal department. As the Managing Attorney, Mitchelle oversees the Homeless Youth Legal and Advocacy Project, the 8 Legal and Referral Advocacy Clinics and the Know Your Rights campaign that aims to empower individuals with knowledge of their legal rights. Mitchelle’s passion for advocating for San Diego’s homeless community has led to the growth and notoriety of TD as the premier organization for legal representation and advocacy. Her expertise and knowledge is highly sought after as she has presented at Yale Law School’s Rebellious Lawyering Conference, National Legal Aid and Defenders Association’s Annual Conference and the Coalition for Juvenile Justice on the issues of homelessness and poverty law. Mitchelle has also received recognition for her advocacy efforts as the recipient of the 2019 Molina Community Champion Award.
Mitchelle is a founding member of FREE-SD, which utilizes the approach of participatory defense, a community organizing model that aims to empower people facing charges and their families to transform the landscape of power in the courtroom; and the DeDe McClure Community Bail Fund, a grassroots organization committed to educating and empowering community members to fight against the devastating effects of the cash bail system and supporting those who have been victimized by it.
Mitchelle received her Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of California San Diego.