Council Member LaVerne Mitchell
Council Member LaVerne Mitchell has proudly served the Village of Lincoln Heights in a variety of capacities. In addition to her four previous council positions, she has held the position of Village Manager and served four terms as Mayor.Throughout her municipal career, which began in 1984, Ms. Mitchell has and will continue to focus on ensuring residents are provided quality services and programs for the community , securing economic development opportunities, and building viable partnerships with other organizations and neighboring municipalities. She is Chair of the Finance Committee and serves on the Law Committee and the Economic Development Committee. Prior to her return to Council, she was a member of the Charter Review Committee.
Her past accomplishments include obtaining law enforcement grants, construction of new homes in 2005 in Martin Luther King Estates, the creation of the Lincoln Heights Legacy Awards presented at the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, Respect My Block, and leadership support for the re-development of the Valley Homes. In partnership with the Community Action Agency and the Valley Boosters, the Mobile Food Pantry was started. Ms. Mitchell also initiated the family safety program series with the help of Children’s Hospital and the Valley Boosters. She was also instrumental in implementing WeThrive to Lincoln Heights.
Ms. Mitchell is the recipient of numerous community awards including Who’s Who in Cincinnati, Community Action Bridge Builder Award, Town’s Chapel Woman of Character, YMCA Black Achiever, Princeton PROS Award, Cincinnati Herald Nefertiti Award and St. Simon’s Woman of the Year. She is a board member of The HealthCare Connection, Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, Habitat for Humanity, and a former board president of Centennial Estates.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Councilwoman Mitchell began her employment with Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Services as a community organizer. Her corporate experience was gained at Xerox Corporation. She currently teaches at Cincinnati Job Corps.
Councilwoman Mitchell has three children and six grandchildren. She enjoys every opportunity to mentor youth and young adults. Her favorite quote from Dr. Cornell West expresses her advocacy for the Village of Lincoln Heights: “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people if you don’t serve the people.”