Dr. Aleta Grimes Mitchell

Dr. Aleta Grimes Mitchell is a visionary leader and strategist with over 30 years of experience in business development, international relations, economic empowerment, DEI, and organizational transformation. She brings unmatched energy, authenticity, and strategic acumen to every initiative she leads — from boardrooms to neighborhood corridors, and from emerging founders to Fortune 500 teams.

She currently serves as the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, leading programs that help entrepreneurs launch, grow, and scale sustainable businesses. The St. Louis Center is one of only 13 established nationwide by the National Urban League to expand economic mobility and support job creation.

Dr. Aleta is also the Founder and Managing Director of Grimes Business Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm offering strategic services in business development, DEI innovation, fundraising, global business engagement, and executive coaching. She has advised clients across the United States and begun cultivating international partnerships with African entrepreneurs and agencies to pursue collaborative ventures and capacity-building projects.

At Sprint Telecommunications, she made a national impact as a leader in Employee Resource Group (ERG) strategy. As Affinity Groups/ERGs Program President, she guided senior executives through building and launching a companywide ERG framework that reached over 120,000 employees. Her program earned national recognition for strengthening diversity, improving supplier inclusion, and creating measurable business outcomes — including an 80% increase in diversity spending and a 600% improvement in inclusion index scores. She also earned Sprint's President's Club Award for being in the top 1% of sales nationally.

She launched Sprint's Supply Chain Management's first "Balance of Trade" Program (Reciprocal Business), helping Sprint achieve $5 billion in mutual procurement impact over three years. She also designed Sprint's national strategic sales plan, which was used to train and lead over 5,000 frontline sales representatives.

Previously, she served under Governors John Ashcroft and Mel Carnahan in Missouri as the inaugural Director of the Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development in the Department of Economic Development. She was instrumental in developing new state laws and state-level policies that created access to procurement and business expansion opportunities.

Dr. Aleta holds a Bachelor of Science from St. Louis University and completed her advanced studies in Economic Development at the University of Missouri, the University of Oklahoma, and the National Development Council. She earned her Doctorate in Business and Entrepreneurship from Trinity International University Ambassadors in August 2025.

She was also a key organizer of the bestselling book Chicken Soup for the African American Woman's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Lisa Nichols, curating inspirational stories from across the nation to celebrate and elevate the voices of Black women.

A proud native of St. Louis' historic Ville neighborhood, she continues to mentor, uplift, and advocate for entrepreneurs and changemakers across all economic levels. She is a member of Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church and a passionate believer in transformation through entrepreneurship.