China D Kittrell

China Kittrell is an executive leader, political strategist, attorney, and educator who has spent nearly two decades helping organizations and communities build power and turn ambitious ideas into action.

Her career has taken her from managing competitive political campaigns to advising senior leaders and building organizations from the inside. She has led teams, built political programs, guided organizations through periods of growth and transition, and helped executives make difficult strategic decisions. Much of her work now sits at the intersection of organizational leadership and political strategy, with a focus on making sure strong ideas are matched with the people, systems, and plans needed to carry them out.

China currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at ElectED DC. In that role, she helps shape the organization’s overall direction while leading its political and advocacy work. She works closely with organizational leadership, elected officials, funders, and community members to advance education equity and increase the political power of families East of the River in Washington, DC.

Community organizing has been a through line throughout China’s career. She has recruited and trained candidates, organized residents around policy priorities, built coalitions, and created leadership opportunities for people who are often left out of political decision-making. She believes the strongest political strategies do more than win an election or pass a policy. They leave behind stronger leaders, stronger organizations, and communities with more power than they had before.

China is also an adjunct professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs, where she teaches about elections, identity, representation, and civic participation. She earned her J.D. from Howard University School of Law and a B.A. from Howard University.