Speaker Connie Mitchell

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81784510005?pwd=UTlqNDZtUGJuSXQvOTBETjM2OGgydz09

Meeting ID: 817 8451 0005
Passcode: 253649

Connie Mitchell joined IHS, The Institute for Human Services as Executive Director in 2006. Under her leadership, the agency has become a robust portal for assessing and triaging the full spectrum of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. IHS has grown to include a unique array of homeless services that include street medicine focused on mentally ill; an urban rooftop farm, full service homeless service fairs that bring together service providers, community and church members to create a community of care in various neighborhoods on Oahu. Most recently, IHS opened the first and only community based triage center to deliver medically assisted detox for alcohol and drug addiction.I HS has also ended homelessness for thousands of individuals with housing, while specialty shelters that offer medical respite and ambulatory detox for homeless individuals add options beyond traditional shelter.

Born and raised in Hawaii as a daughter of immigrant Chinese parents, Connie attended and graduated from Mun Lun School to ensure that her cultural roots would not be lost. She attended McKinley High School and went on to earn a BS and MSN in Nursing from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. At different point in her career, she managed a physician’s practice, developed treatment and rehab programs, and served as the Director of Nursing at the Hawaii State Hospital. Connie established the first nurse-run mental health clinic in Ka’u on the Big Island of Hawaii as a member of an interdisciplinary group of University of Hawaii faculty in health sciences.

Mitchell’s diverse career also included pastoral work and teaching mental health nursing at the University of Hawaii. Her values and passion for social and environmental justice is rooted in her Chinese family upbringing. Working hard and collaborating well have been themes in her life’s work. Connie has established herself as a seasoned non-profit leader by collaborating with a host of businesses, academic institutions, faith communities and every level of government. Connie has served on the Oahu Workforce Development Council, The Board of Trustees for the Pacific School of REligion in Berkeley, California and also on the State’s Department of Highway Safety Council.