Director of Development
Robie Mitchell

A curious, driven, and empathetic person, Robie serves as the Director of Development at the MLK Sr. Collaborative, an Atlanta-based non-profit that enables under-resourced individuals to become self-sufficient and co-design solutions for pressing challenges in their communities. Robie is passionate about centering the experiences and voices of those with under-represented and historically under-invested identities; he strives to do so in his personal and professional lives. Robie’s professional goal is to enhance the capacity of the non-profits he serves to do more good and become more impactful.

Prior to transitioning to the non-profit space, Robie was an airport consultant, technical writer, scenario developer at a GIS firm, researcher at a Latin American think tank, and a Segway tour guide. Themes that tie his work experience together include research, writing, project management, and service.

In 2016, he earned a B.A. in Political Science from George Washington University; in 2018, he earned his M.A. in International Affairs. He is a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). While in Washington, DC, which Robie considers his second home despite hailing from the great state of Ohio, he volunteered at an adult public charter school—the Academy of Hope—to help people complete their GEDs. More recently, Robie has served as a bilingual pen-pal for immigrants in federal detention through the DC Detention Visitation Network and a grant writer for Salem Lutheran Church in his hometown of Toledo.

An avid baker, he regularly brings in leftovers to the office!

Social Worker
Erin Ernst

With experience in direct services, case management, advocacy, and program design and management, Erin brings a unique skill set to the Collaborative as the first social worker on staff. She is skilled in crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and a strengths-based approach to service. Erin is passionate about breaking the cycle of generational poverty and empowering others to realize their goals. She believes that every nonprofit and government organization should operate from an empathy-first approach and advocates for that approach at every organization she works with.

She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Social Work, and is currently earning her Masters of Social Work from Louisiana State University. Prior to joining the Collaborative, Erin worked as an advocate for refugees, survivors of domestic violence, immigrant communities, and children in Georgia, and she also taught eighth grade social studies from a civil and human rights perspective in Tennessee. Her passions within the social work field include legal advocacy, reproductive justice, mental health, and systems reform. In her free time, Erin enjoys baking, reading and writing poetry, and yoga.