Chokwe Pitchford is a 2021 Lake Michigan College graduate who now serves as the Berrien County Commissioner for District 3 and is Executive Director for
the nonprofits Berrien Connection and Berrien Forward.
Born in New Orleans, he moved with his family to Benton Harbor in 2005 and is a 2017 Countryside Academy graduate. At LMC, Chokwe joined Start-to-Finish
and the Financial Aid staff as a Work Study. He was among 300 students chosen for Organizing Corps 2020, which trains students to work on political campaign staffs. He was still an LMC student when he launched his first campaign, an unsuccessful run for the 79th District seat in Michigan’s Houseof Representatives.
Less than a year after earning his associate degree in political science from LMC, Chokwe was elected to the Berrien County Board of Commissioners,
representing District 3, where he serves on the Personnel and Human Services Committee. He also sits on the Workforce Development and Economics
Committee, the Artificial Intelligence Exploratory Committee, and the Economic Mobility Leadership Network for the National Association
of Counties.
Chokwe received the AFL-CIO’s Transcending Leader Award and Detroit City Council’s Spirit of Detroit Award. He’s been named to Moody on the Market’s
“40 under 40” and serves on the boards of The Ghostlight Theater, Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, and Michigan Community Corrections.
He’s co-chair of Berrien County’s Allies and Leaders for Community and Police Trust.
Chokwe Pitchford
