A conversation with Tamika Mitchell of Armanino

Tamika Mitchell is a Risk Assurance and Advisory Senior Manager and DEI Strategist at Armanino, the nation’s 19th largest accounting and consulting firm based in San Ramon, California, with regional offices in St. Louis and St. Charles.

She also serves as Expert in Residence for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Saint Louis University Chaifetz School of Business.

Her long journey from the Peabody-Darst-Webbe and Blumeyer projects to these successful posts passed through the Eureka public schools, thanks to two-hour daily bus rides from the city, and SLU, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration and a master’s degree in health administration.

The American spoke to her about her journey in business (next stop: a CPA), teaching diversity and inclusion at her alma mater, and the Washington Avenue shop that styles both her and her husband, Damon. 

The St. Louis American: What’s new and what’s next for Armanino?

Tamika Mitchell: As a consultant, I get the opportunity to make a difference in business operations for many local governments and healthcare organizations. I also have a special passion for closing the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) gap, so it’s great to lead DEI strategies for our clients. This past month, I worked with Chaifetz School of Business to launch a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging badge, which provides foundational DEI education to SLU students.

The St. Louis American: Let’s say I am clueless on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. What do I need to know or do to earn my badge?

Tamika Mitchell: There are no prerequisites to earn the badge, and it’s available to all SLU students. All you need is an open heart and open mind. It’s perfect for students who desire to be effective leaders, be change agents and gain an understanding of others outside of their little bubbles. Our first cohort of badge students were able to learn and apply DEI concepts through SLU’s partnership with the Boys and Girls Club. 

The St. Louis American: Tell me a good success story about mentoring a minority student (withhold name, if needed). 

Tamika Mitchell: As you may imagine, I am a product of a lot of other people and programs. One of those programs was the Boys and Girls Clubs’ St. Louis Internship Program (SLIP). Prior to that program, I had a part time job at Blockbuster video. SLIP provided me with weekend professional training in preparation for a paid summer internship at a company based on my career interest. They taught us professional appearance, behavior, and etiquette. 

I spent the summer working at Bryan Cave Law firm, and it was an amazing yet eye-opening experience. I learned at a young age that my dream of becoming a lawyer didn’t align with the everyday life of the lawyers. Thanks to SLIP and Bryan Cave, I was able to explore and get closer to my passion for finance. 

After 25 years, SLIP is still preparing high school students for future success. The best part of this story is that I am now a SLIP volunteer helping to prepare students of this generation. Furthermore, with the support of Armanino, I am grateful that we have been able to provide paid accounting internships to students for the last three years. 

Last year, our intern was an absolute rockstar! She was so ambitious and learned so quickly that we were able to put her on a client team that was very successful. Similarly, being able to mentor undecided/undeclared students at Harris-Stowe State University has produced similar results. I have been able to help them declare majors in finance as a result of internship opportunities.  

The St. Louis American: Where did you grow up? If not here, what brought you here? If here, where did you go to high school?

Tamika Mitchell: My family was raised in the Peabody-Darst-Webbe and Blumeyer projects. When I was in elementary school, I moved out of the projects to south St. Louis with a friend of the family. They wanted me to get a quality education, and we applied for the deseg program. I was accepted into Eureka Elementary and was bused to Eureka until graduating from Eureka High School.  

The St. Louis American: As someone who spent early, formative years in the projects, what’s something that might surprise others about that experience?

Tamika Mitchell: Growing up in an impoverished community like the projects had some benefits. One of the most critical benefits was the communal relationships among the families who lived there. When you live on top of someone, you naturally become a part of their lives. Your problems and your children easily become theirs and vice versa. As families dispersed out of public housing and into neighborhoods 20-30 minutes away, you quickly feel the gap left when that support is not there. 

When I was a baby, my mother would leave me with another family while she went to high school. They took a real interest in my well-being and were able to provide me with resources that my mother could not. That family, the Bentley family, is the reason I was able to get a better education. Once I became school age, they saw something special in me and thought the neighborhood school lacked the resources to capitalize on my potential. Without the communal interconnectedness of the projects, my life’s trajectory would have been completely different. 

This story about the Bentley Family, is a story within itself. When they moved out of the projects, to South St. Louis, I moved with them. 

The St. Louis American: A Black girl and young woman bussed from the city to Eureka for school – what’s something that might surprise others about that experience?

Tamika Mitchell: I had so many wonderful, unique, and odd experiences as a Black girl being bussed from the city to Eureka for 10 years. I had to ride a school bus for two hours each day, to get a good, free education. Just saying that out loud seems ridiculous! I learned about bias at a very young age. I learned about the haves and the have nots and how different worlds exist between the two. This has been both sad and enlightening for me. Although I was born into a class and race that lacked privilege, it taught me to not settle but dream, seek and find!  

The St. Louis American: What’s new and what’s next for you personally?

Tamika Mitchell: I have a passion for mentoring minority students and helping them to identify career paths in finance and accounting. I am also studying for the CPA, which is a big undertaking. 

The St. Louis American: Hidden treasure in the St. Louis metro area? 

Tamika Mitchell: With such limited time to shop, Lux Department Store on Washington Ave is a treasure for me. They will style both my husband and I before any occasion and have us put together!