Mrs. Mtume has over 45 years of experience in planning, implementing and administering safety net programs. She is the retired Co-Founder and Chief Financial and Operations Officer of SHIELDS for Families, a 27-year-old nonprofit serving families in South Los Angeles, as well as the co-founder to three community clinics and three social service agencies in the U.S. She also served as a Community Instructor at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science for seven years.

Currently, Mrs. Mtume works as a Community Engagement Advisor on an e-cigarette research study and a project aiming to imbed smoking cessation services in county medical and mental health clinics in Los Angeles. She also serves as a national mentor for SAMHSA’s Women’s Addiction Services Leadership Institute, mentoring women across the nation.

In 2012, Mrs. Mtume received the Coalition of Mental Health Professionals “Maya Angelou Award” for inspirational leadership in community health care and for working to eliminate health care disparities. She was awarded the California Black Women’s Health Project 2012 “Women Who Dared: Our Legacy and Our Future Award” for leadership in the field of women’s health. Most recently, in 2017, she was honored with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Theta Alpha Omega Pearl Foundation Award for Community Service in the Areas of Health and Education.

Mrs. Mtume holds a Masters in Health Sciences and Safety Studies from California State University at Los Angeles, as well as a Masters in Marital and Family Therapy, with a focus on African American families, from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, California.