Darnell Shields

Darnell Shields is the Executive Director of Austin Coming Together. A passionate builder of relationships and innovative developments, Darnell is a lifelong Austin resident and co-owner of HairTech the Salon, a local business he started with his wife. In 2010, Darnell joined ACT as a volunteer, helping the organization improve its technology and business operations. It wasn’t long after that he was offered a full-time position moving him from IT to Director of Operations and in 2016, the board nominated him to become the Executive Director of ACT. Throughout his time at ACT, Darnell has been able to galvanize hundreds of organizations and community leaders to take on Austin’s challenges with passion and commitment. In 2022, ACT was named Nonprofit Of The Year by the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Chicago as a result of ACT’s excellence, accomplishments, leadership, and community impact.

Darnell Shields is the Executive Director at Austin Coming Together (ACT), a nonprofit organization located on Chicago's West Side. A passionate builder of relationships and innovative developments, Darnell is a lifelong Austin resident and co-owner of HairTech the Salon, a local business he started with his wife. In 2010, Darnell joined Austin Coming Together as a volunteer, helping the organization improve their technology and business development systems. It wasn’t long after that he was offered a staff position moving him from IT to Director of Operations and in 2016, the board nominated him to become the Executive Director. Darnell was named a 2015 Fellow of the Civic Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago. In addition to this distinction, he has received the following awards: Community Leadership Award in 2017 from the United Way of Metro Chicago; Martin Luther King - Keepers Of The Dream Award in 2019 from the Leaders Network; 2019 Community Service Award by the Austin African American Business Networking Association; and was named one of the top twenty nonprofit executives in 2019 by the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management. He was also honored with the Mayor’s Medal Of Honor in recognition of his leadership as a founding member of the city's Racial Equity Rapid Response Team and recently recognized among Crain’s 2022 Notable Black Leaders and Executives.