Summer Willow Fitch

Summer Willow Fitch is a transformational leader with over 20 years of experience delivering measurable results in  program and process management initiatives for diverse groups. Summer holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and Organizational Management from West Chester University, and an MBA in Business Administration and  Entrepreneurship from Eastern University. At an early age, Summer developed a passion for entrepreneurship. When  she was 9 years old, she started her first business venture - a housekeeping service, and by age 25 she created a  traveling mixology service affectionately called, In Good Spirits and a successful nightlife event called “The Night In”  Mixology class taught in and around the Tri-State since 2013. Structuring, implementing and operating businesses  intrigue Summer, but more impactful to her life mission is creating jobs. Her ability to intersect entrepreneurship and  economic stability lit a fire propelling her to the genesis of her advising career.  

Summer’s interest in entrepreneurship and business development was a value add and common thread throughout her career. She catapulted from undergrad to the automotive finance world and while climbing the ranks in companies like  Daimler Chrysler and Wells Fargo, she immersed herself in every aspect of the business. She took her client  relationship, vendor, and process management skills from automotive finance to the nonprofit sector and managed over $30M in grant funds for the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (now, Philadelphia Works). In this space,  she strengthened her business development acumen and built capacity for grantees through compliance and training  measures that maximized awards. Summer’s work as Deputy Policy Director for the City of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Office of Community Empowerment and  Opportunity (MOCEO), bolstered her knowledge and practice in equity and inclusion. She was instrumental in building  infrastructure for the West Philadelphia Promise Zone; one of the first five zones designated by the Obama  Administration in 2014 to improve affordable housing, economic opportunities, quality education, health and wellness,  and public safety. Summer now holds multiple certifications in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and is skilled in  facilitating learning experiences through curriculum and training design. Summer climbed the ranks galvanizing  individuals, businesses, and communities into action, and has an uncanny grasp of the tools needed to activate  maximum results for and from her clients.

In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Summer joined forces with Tamika Otis, CEO/Principal of KABOD  Consulting Group, LLC. as Sr. Partner/Principal. This emerging consulting agency specializes in small and organizational business solutions and training.

With a zeal for serving underrepresented populations, Summer has also pledged her time and resources as  Co-Founder and Vice Chairwoman of the Black Women Give Foundation whose mission is to engage African American women and girls in philanthropy by introducing communities of color to the growing trend of collective giving. She is  affectionately called a Renaissance Woman and regularly engages in passion projects that she has built into  businesses through the years.

Her mixology career afforded her many years of armchair therapy experience and in 2015 she was influenced to open her first published book titled, Let Me Tell You Like I Told Myself: Love’s Truth Never Changes; a compilation of candid reflections and advice she gave herself and subsequently her bartending staff and clients on love and relationships. Her literary contributions have been featured in major trade magazines, blogs, and published books. Summer is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., totally obsessed with animals, traveling, and music.