Nina Jackson Mitchell, M.S.
Founder of Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC, an independent learning design and professional training company. Nina designs learning systems, trains professionals, and speaks on turning knowledge into action. She is also a criminal justice educator and a doctoral candidate in Applied Learning Sciences at the University of Miami.
"What does it mean to truly know something if you cannot use it?" The question at the center of Nina's work
About
Nina Jackson Mitchell, M.S., is the founder and owner of Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC, an independent learning design and professional training company based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also a criminal justice professor, learning and development leader, course designer, trainer, speaker, and doctoral candidate in Applied Learning Sciences at the University of Miami. For more than a decade, she has designed learning experiences that help people move beyond simply knowing information to applying it with confidence, sound judgment, and purpose.
Nina's journey in learning and development began in the travel industry, where teaching others how to build successful travel businesses grew into years of training, coaching, onboarding, leadership development, curriculum development, and learning design. Working with adult learners across different backgrounds, experience levels, and geographic locations became an early laboratory for understanding how people learn, why some training transfers to performance while other training does not, and what learners need to turn information into action.
Over the past 10 years, that work has expanded from travel and professional training into higher education and criminal justice education. Nina currently serves as a criminal justice professor at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, where she teaches, advises students, designs courses, and creates learning experiences that connect academic knowledge to professional practice. Her approach challenges students to move beyond memorizing laws, terminology, policies, and procedures and toward applying knowledge through critical thinking, ethical decision-making, problem-solving, and professional judgment.
Her work sits at the intersection of criminal justice, higher education, learning science, instructional design, workforce development, and human performance. She believes rigorous learning can also be inclusive, that technology should support rather than replace human thinking, and that education should prepare people not merely to answer questions correctly but to navigate situations in which the answer is not obvious.
Company
Founder & Owner, Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC
Learning design, training, speaking, and consulting
Education
Ed.D., Applied Learning Sciences, University of Miami (expected May 2027)
M.S., Criminal Justice, Grambling State University
B.S., Criminal Justice, Grambling State University
Higher education role
Criminal Justice Instructor, Academic Advisor & Course Designer, Georgia Piedmont Technical College
Learning & development role
Team Lead & Learning Designer, Evolution Travel
Focus areas
Authentic assessment, learning transfer, inclusive learning design, AI in teaching and learning, professional judgment
L&D certifications
Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) Certificate, Generative AI in Learning & Development
HRCI Certificate, Applications of Generative AI in Learning & Development
HRCI Certificate, Learning and Development
HRCI Certificate, Inclusive Learning Design
HRCI Certificate, Creating a Leadership Development Program
HRCI Certificate, Using Neuroscience for More Effective L&D
Generative AI for Learning and Development Professional Certificate, LinkedIn Learning
Build a Company Learning and Development Program (Learning Path), LinkedIn Learning
Introduction to Gemini for Education, Google for Education
See the full certification list in my L&D portfolio
Services
Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC is an independent learning design and professional training company. The company designs learning systems, builds the courses and materials inside them, and delivers the training, keynotes, and workshops that bring them to life, for organizations that need people to do something differently, not just know something new.
Learning & instructional design
Custom courses, curricula, and blended programs built on adult learning principles and learning science, including learning objectives, facilitator and participant guides, e-learning modules, job aids, and assessments that measure performance rather than recall.
Learning systems & program development
End-to-end learning architecture: training needs analysis, onboarding and mentoring programs, leadership development pathways, training hubs, and evaluation plans that connect learning to organizational or program outcomes.
Professional training & facilitation
Live and virtual workshops and multi-session training for teams, associations, and institutions, including train-the-trainer programs that help organizations build their own internal capacity.
Keynotes & conference speaking
Keynotes, breakout sessions, panels, and professional development days for educators, justice professionals, higher education leaders, and workforce learning teams.
Criminal justice education & training
Curriculum, course design, and professional development for criminal justice programs, agencies, and training providers, including teaching ethical judgment and source verification in an AI-enabled field.
Program design for grants & contracts
Instructional design, curriculum development, and evaluation components for grant-funded and contract-funded training and education programs, from learning outcomes and deliverables to measurable results.
Training Nina delivers
Sales and client acquisition
Marketing and brand building for small businesses
Instructional design and learning design
Train-the-trainer and facilitation skills
Leadership development and coaching
Criminal justice and professional practice
AI in teaching, learning, and the workplace
Inclusive learning design
How the work gets done
Analyze
Clarify the audience, the performance gap, and what success will look like.
Design
Set measurable outcomes and map the learning experience and assessments.
Develop
Build the content, activities, guides, and tools learners and facilitators will use.
Deliver
Launch live, virtual, or self-paced, with facilitator support as needed.
Evaluate
Measure learning, application, and results, then refine.
AI and learning: the work behind the expertise
Nina's learning design practice centers on helping people use AI with judgment rather than deferring to it. That work is grounded in learning science and tested with real audiences.
Faculty development
Designed and presented The Elephant in the Room: Teaching WITH AI, Not Against It for Clayton State University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, that turns the university's color-coded AI policy into everyday classroom decisions. See the work
Verification and assessment design
Created TRACE, a five-step method for checking AI-assisted claims against original sources, and a model-rehearse-assess routine that grades the source trail and reasoning, not just polished output. View the case study
Training and credentials in AI for learning
HRCI certificates in Generative AI in Learning and Development and Applications of Generative AI in Learning and Development, the Generative AI for Learning and Development Professional Certificate, and Google's Introduction to Gemini for Education. Doctoral study in Applied Learning Sciences at the University of Miami.
Who the company serves
Employers and learning and development teams, colleges and universities, workforce development and nonprofit organizations, justice agencies and training providers, professional associations and conference organizers, and entrepreneurs and small business networks.
Company at a glance
- Company
- Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC
- Founder & owner
- Nina Jackson Mitchell, M.S.
- Based in
- Atlanta, Georgia. Available in person and virtually.
- Ownership
- Minority-owned and woman-owned.
- Federal registration
- System for Award Management (SAM.gov) Unique Entity ID (UEI): E3VWJM1AXB33.
- How projects are delivered
- Led by Nina as principal and lead project coordinator, with specialist contractors and partners, such as technical developers, engaged according to project scope.
- Core capabilities
- Learning design and instructional design; learning systems and program development; professional training and facilitation; keynote and conference speaking; criminal justice education and training; evaluation of learning programs.
- Sectors
- Higher education, K-12 dual enrollment instruction, criminal justice and public safety education, travel and tourism, workforce development, and professional associations.
- Credentials
- Ed.D. candidate in Applied Learning Sciences, University of Miami (expected May 2027); M.S. and B.S. in Criminal Justice, Grambling State University; professional certificates in learning and development and generative AI; more than 10 years designing learning.
- Selected experience
- Dual enrollment instruction for high school students in grades 9 through 12 in Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections, Principles of Law Enforcement, and Introduction to Criminal Procedure; learning systems for a 400+ member professional network in the travel industry; faculty development for Clayton State University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching; conference workshop at the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia 2026 Annual Meeting; the I Am Enough digital toolkit.
- Contact
- letslearn@ninajacksonmitchell.com
Teaching Criminal Justice
- Credentials taught
- Criminal Justice Technology Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), 60 credit hours; Criminal Justice Technology Diploma, 48 credit hours; and the Criminal Justice Fundamentals Technical Certificate of Credit, 12 credit hours. Nina is credentialed to teach, and has taught, every required criminal justice course in the associate degree.
- Dual enrollment (high school students, grades 9 through 12)
- Introduction to Criminal Justice (CRJU 1010), Corrections (CRJU 1030), Principles of Law Enforcement (CRJU 1040), and Introduction to Criminal Procedure (CRJU 2050).
- College students, including adult and nontraditional learners
- Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections, Principles of Law Enforcement, Criminal Law for Criminal Justice (CRJU 1068), Ethics and Cultural Perspectives in Criminal Justice (CRJU 1400), Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice (CRJU 2020), Introduction to Criminal Procedure, and Juvenile Justice (CRJU 2070). CRJU stands for Criminal Justice.
How Projects Get Done
Nina leads every project as principal and lead project coordinator and brings in specialists according to what the work requires. The team is drawn from a professional network built across education, public safety, workforce development, and the travel industry, including a 400+ member professional network Nina has trained for over a decade. Partners and contractors are named in each proposal, with their agreement.
Technical development
Software and learning-technology developers for builds, integrations, and open-source releases.
Assessment and research
Researchers and evaluators who design measures, analyze results, and report outcomes.
Subject-matter experts
Educators, justice practitioners, and industry professionals who review content for accuracy and relevance.
Accessibility, privacy, and compliance
Review for accessible design, learner and student data protection, and responsible use of AI.
Media and interface design
Video, graphics, and interface design that keep the learner experience clear.
Pilot partners
Schools, colleges, agencies, and employers who test the work with real learners before it scales.
Where the network comes from
- Universities
- University of Miami (Ed.D. in Applied Learning Sciences) and Grambling State University (M.S. and B.S. in Criminal Justice), with faculty, classmates, and alumni in education and justice fields.
- Colleges and agencies
- Georgia Piedmont Technical College and the Atlanta Police Department, through teaching and program design.
- Industry
- Elite Travel Group and Evolution Travel, a 400+ member professional network trained for over a decade.
- Professional organizations
- Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences (NEACJS), and National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ). Conference presenter at the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia 2026 Annual Meeting.
- Honor societies
- Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Alpha Phi Sigma, Pi Lambda Theta, Phi Delta Kappa, and the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS).
How a project runs
Scope
Define the audience, the problem, and what success looks like.
Plan
Set milestones, roles, and a budget, and line up the right specialists.
Build and test
Build in stages and test with real users before launch. Leaders tested the new-agent onboarding course first, and their changes went in right away.
Launch
Release with support materials, facilitator guides, and job aids.
Measure
Track results against the goal. Onboarding completion rose from 15% to 68% within six months of launch.
Speaking & facilitation
As a speaker and facilitator, Nina brings an unusual combination of perspectives to the stage: college professor, criminal justice educator, learning designer, professional trainer, adult-learning practitioner, and doctoral scholar. Whether speaking to educators, justice professionals, higher education leaders, or workplace learning professionals, her presentations explore the space between knowing and doing.
Nina is available for paid speaking engagements, including keynotes, conference breakout sessions, workshops, half-day and full-day trainings, panels, and virtual sessions. Share your audience, date, and format to request availability.
Request speaking informationTeaching Criminal Justice in the Age of AI: Preparing Ethical Practitioners for an Automated Field
A workshop for criminal justice faculty, program leaders, and practitioners at the Criminal Justice Association of Georgia 2026 Annual Meeting, Columbus Technical College. Nina introduced two classroom methods, TRACE for verifying AI-assisted claims and a green, yellow, red model, adapted from Clayton State University's color-coded AI policy, for placing AI use by the stakes of the task, then led a live case activity built on policing and corrections scenarios.
View the case study and slides →Human-centered learning in the age of AI
Authentic assessment
Professional judgment & ethical decision-making
Student agency & career readiness
Inclusive learning design
Learning transfer
Workforce preparation
The future of teaching and learning
Training in action
How to Quote and Market Your Travel Business: Classic Vacations, VAX and Vacations Express
Why Should Clients Book With You? Know Your Worth as a Travel Agent
Master Agent Training: Click, Click, Click to Success (Evolution Travel Convention)
Time 2 Evolve Travel Agent Training
Travel Agent Live: Overcome the “No” to Increase Your Sales
How to Book a Disney Cruise as a Travel Agent: Disney Portal Walk-Through
Selected work
The Elephant in the Room: Teaching WITH AI, Not Against It
A 15-minute professional development teaching demonstration delivered to Clayton State University's Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, including a speaker script, slide deck, and faculty handout. The session turns the university's own color-coded AI course and assignment policy into everyday classroom decisions, so faculty can set clear, workable AI boundaries in their courses instead of relying on outright bans.
Faculty Quick-Reference Handout
A companion handout distilling the green light, yellow light, red light framework into a quick classroom reference: sample scenarios, tells for spotting unedited AI writing, redirect scripts for when a student crosses the line, and ready-to-use syllabus language.
I Am Enough: A Digital Toolkit for Black Girls Navigating Imposter Syndrome
A digital learning toolkit co-created as part of Nina's doctoral work in Applied Learning Sciences, designed to help young Black women recognize and work through imposter syndrome using accessible, affirming learning experiences.
View the toolkit →
Beyond these projects, Nina has spent over a decade building learning systems for adult professionals, including new-agent onboarding courses, mentor training programs, and leadership development curricula for a 400+ member professional network in the travel industry. After Nina redesigned new-agent onboarding as an interactive, self-paced course, completion rose from 15% to 68% within six months of launch.
View the full portfolio →Affiliations
National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) · Alpha Phi Sigma Criminal Justice Honor Society · Northeastern Association of Criminal Justice Sciences (NEACJS) · Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) · Order of the Eastern Star · National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) · Pi Lambda Theta · Phi Delta Kappa · National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)
Get in touch
Nina Jackson Mitchell LLC works with organizations on learning design projects, training programs, keynotes and workshops, and grant-funded or contract-funded education and training initiatives. Share your audience, goals, and timeline, and Nina will follow up about fit and next steps.
Atlanta, Georgia