Kenya M. Mills is an accomplished and upcoming social worker and finance professional. Graduating from Pomona High School in California, she began her postsecondary education with an associate degree in liberal arts from Mount San Antonio College in 1998 and embarked on a career in a variety of retail management positions. From 2007 to 2008, she was an assistant manager for Lady Foot Locker in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area and held the same role with Citi Trends in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, from 2009 to 2010. During this early portion of her career, Ms. Mills witnessed her children get overlooked by their school system and denied resources, services and advocacy because they were perceived as Black children with issues. Feeling that she had to stand up for the discrepancy of how her children and other children like them were being treated, she returned to school for a degree that would allow her to ensure a climate of healthy diversity in work and school environments.
After receiving an associate degree in liberal arts from Forsyth Technical Community College, she went on to earn a certificate in grant writing and budgeting from there as well. Ms. Mills graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and psychology in 2013 and received an award for her academic excellence. Briefly serving as an alternative family living host with Lutheran Services Carolinas in 2013. When her mom passed away in 2015, she then decided to take her children across the country to resettle in Las Vegas, Nevada, so she could pursue better career options.
After working with Dollar General as a produce manager, Ms. Mills achieved a position as a safe school professional/social worker with Invo-Progressus Healthcare Therapy for the Clark County School District in 2019. In this position, she provides social emotional learning lessons, support groups and resources for students, families, school administrators and the community, while utilizing her influence to bring change and growth to the district schools. She works with students from pre-K to fifth grade, helping them understand their community and learn how to fit in and excel in classroom spaces alongside their peers.
Furthermore, Ms. Mills has made a name for herself in the financial industry, drawing on her years of experience working in retail management and sales. As the owner of Mills Brand Financial, which she founded in 2020, she works as a financial literacy agent to help businesses and individuals with credit restoration and financial literacy and wellness. Looking toward the future, Ms. Mills envisions herself continuing to excel as a credit restoration guru and bringing her expertise to schools to help foster financial literacy in students. Her ultimate goal is to go beyond fixing people’s credit, and to teach the community about the power and importance of credit so people can manage their own finances successfully and provide their families with better lives.
Attributing much of her success to her perseverance and drive, Ms. Mills has contributed her skills to a number of other organizations alongside her primary career responsibilities. A member of the United Credit Education Services, she has donated a considerable amount of time to Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower women to achieve economic independence. Having accomplished much over the course of her career, Ms. Mills is incredibly proud of her three children, Madison J.X. Mills, Connie E. Jones III and Robert A. Thompson III, and strives to live her life by the idea that God did not bring her this far to leave her.