Michelle Mitchell works at the vibrant intersection of media, racial justice, social impact, law and policy. She amplifies diverse, underrepresented voices and creates partnerships that elevate and nourish communities of color.

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During her tenure, Michelle was responsible for advising on global trade law and policy for half of the world, supporting the Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions. Prior to joining Facebook, she was Counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and an Associate at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP.

Michelle was voted 2020 Lawyer of the Year by the National Bar Association (NBA)’s Young Lawyer Division, and previously received 40 Under 40 awards from both the NBA and Trending 40. She received the “Washington Woman of Genius Award” for “outstanding leadership in international law and pro bono legal services” from Trinity Washington University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics. Michelle was awarded the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship, which funded her legal education. She was awarded her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center.

 

After many years of leading large-scale, high-impact projects at Facebook, Inc., Michelle was tapped to launch an initiative within Facebook’s Media Partnerships organization focused on achieving equity in representation and support for diverse and underrepresented media partners and audiences on Facebook’s platforms. Her plate is full of impactful partnerships initiatives including leading Facebook’s $25M+ investment in Black creators, We The Culture; initiatives that leverage the power of media on behalf of racial and social justice; and partner activations in celebration of important cultural moments. She is a member of leadership circles within the company focused on providing meaningful, strategic advice to leaders to improve product, policies and people programs for diverse communities.

Prior to entering the media space, Michelle was an Associate General Counsel within Facebook Legal’s Global Ethics & Compliance Team. Over a decade as a practicing attorney, she advised executives across the Fortune 500 on critical matters in the global compliance and investigations space. Highlights of her work at Facebook include developing Facebook’s M&A Compliance framework and leading compliance diligence on Facebook’s acquisitions for several years.

 
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CREATIVE JOURNEY

Michelle was born to push boundaries. She refuses to color within the lines, is fiercely independent and has a creative compass that has driven her to introspection and external exploration in pursuit of her passion.  

Michelle has immersed herself in many avenues of creativity, from styling concept photoshoots to advising a NYC fashion start-up to associate producing “Reflection” (2018), a psychological thriller addressing racial bias and the development of racial identity. Pre-pandemic, she studied acting and movement at Studio A.C.T. from the American Conservatory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory School of Theatre.

 
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Michelle is an aspiring screenwriter with a bold voice, exploring how race and gender influence identity and experience. On the page, she aspires to distill life’s most urgent questions, the moments that matter, the experiences that are shared and the truths that are inconvenient to deliver something worthy of our contemplation.

Michelle speaks on such topics as diversity, leadership, culture, self-care and finding your voice from this spirit of openness, intentionality and embracing possibility.

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Michelle has made space for her artistry over time; however, the journey has been a winding road.  While living in Paris as an attorney, her love of the creative arts was teased and reignited.  Every evening, leaving her office at Charles de Gaulle Etoile, she walked the streets of Paris taking in the majesty of the architecture, the dimly lit cafes, the effortless style and chic attitude of her Parisian comrades. She felt called within the ruins of this renaissance.  Other journeys around the world have deepened her love of culture -- studying international human rights in South Africa, studying diplomacy on a cultural mission to China, working in the United Kingdom, and unstructured explorations through India, Morocco, Argentina, Costa Rica, Japan, Jamaica, Thailand, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Chile, Colombia, Brazil and beyond!  In every city, Michelle seeks to quench a thirst for connection to the people, the history, the culture and unique expressions of community as a way of connecting to the consciousness within -- the part of that has been here before -- the self that dances with the divine and knows its true aligned purpose.   

Michelle has lived in:  Washington, DC  |  NYC  |  San Francisco  |  Oakland  | Cape Town |  Paris  |  London

Awards

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  • National Bar Association, YLD Junius W. Williams, Lawyer of the Year Award (2020)

  • Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar -- $150,000 Scholarship (2006)

  • Phi Beta Kappa Society 

  • St. Catherine’s Medal for Achievement

  • “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2015)

  • “Trending 40 Lawyers Under 40” by Legal Bisnow (2015) 

 
 

  • “Trailblazer Under 40” National Bar Association (2014) 

  • Transaction Team of the Year – Pro Bono Award, Akin Gump (2014) 

  • Lawyers of Color - Inaugural Hot List (2013) 

  • Washington Woman of Genius Award (2012)