Stacie Mitchell-Gweah
Mayor, Stamps, AR
Stacie Mitchell-Gweah is a transformational leader whose story is both a return and a revival. A full-circle
journey back to rebuild the town that raised her. Elected in 2022 as the second Black woman to serve as
Mayor of Stamps, Arkansas, she leads with a vision rooted in faith, compassion, and a fierce determination to
ensure that small towns are not forgotten, but fully seen, valued, and equipped to thrive.
Her journey began on the front porches and dusty roads of Stamps, where she learned life’s most enduring
values: gratitude, respect, prayer, purposeful movement, and community strength. After relocating to Iowa
with her family, she pursued higher education with relentless purpose, earning an A.S. in Liberal Arts from
Des Moines Area Community College, a B.S. in Sociology from Iowa State University, and three advanced
degrees from Drake University: a Master of Public Administration, a Master of Arts in Teaching, and a
Specialist in Educational Leadership.
Stacie’s early career in nonprofit education focused on empowering women, low to moderate income
families, refugees, new immigrants, and returning citizens through entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and
microfinance. That work ignited a lifelong mission: “What if we gave young people these same tools before
the world tells them they can’t?”
As a program director, business teacher, and Career & Technical Education (CTE) leader, she brought that
vision to life-teaching students the power of entrepreneurship, marketing, STEM, and financial empowerment. Her passion for youth leadership also inspired her son to launch his own nonprofit, Books From Bobby, Inc., at just 12 years old. As a school principal and leadership coach, she built teacher capacity, redesigned systems, and strengthened family-school-community partnerships with a focus on equity and excellence. Her leadership has crossed borders-with education and consulting projects in Tunisia, Liberia, Kenya, and across the U.S., including her contributions to Des Moines’ 6th Avenue Corridor and East Village ten-year downtown revitalization efforts.
In 2020, her heart called her back to Arkansas. Two years later, she ran for mayor-and won in a runoff during
her first-ever campaign for public office. But the challenge wasn’t just fixing infrastructure or reversing
disinvestment, it was shifting a mindset. From scarcity to strategy, from silence to advocacy, from being
overlooked to knowing that Stamps belongs at the table.
Since taking office, Mayor Mitchell-Gweah has delivered measurable results. She also partnered with Books From Bobby, Inc., the regional food bank, and the school district to open a local food pantry, summer feeding program, and an after-school enrichment program to ensure families and children are nourished in body and mind. In City Hall, she has brought transparency and modernization to local government-launching digital payment systems, social media outreach, and hybrid council meetings to engage residents in real time.
Outside of her elected office, Stacie is the founder of her own consulting firm, where she trains education
leaders, nonprofits, and civic institutions to lead with purpose, equity, and innovation. “This town gave me the best it had to offer-Yellow Jacket pride,” she says. “Now, I bring that same pride back at a time when it feels like it’s been lost or forgotten.”
As a 2025 Unum Fellow, Mayor Stacie Mitchell-Gweah is building a new model for inclusive rural governance. One that unites national resources with local wisdom, centers marginalized voices in policy, and proves that no place and no person is too small to rise. She is ready to partner with global institutions, national funders, and mission-aligned organizations to expand her work; from Stamps to the South, from food equity to broadband access, from youth development to international training. This is just the beginning.