​Mikka Kei Ito Macdonald (she/her) is an award-winning creative director, artist, political strategist, writer, and avid (but not necessarily speedy) marathoner & ultrarunner.

She has spoken at the Biden White House and Harvard University, been featured in The New York Times, and served on multiple non-profit boards.

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Ms. Macdonald's background stems from experience in policy, communications, and creative strategy. After working on state and local political campaigns in Maine, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked briefly in crisis communications before dedicating herself to political advocacy. She has led or supported numerous high-budget campaigns, serving in a breadth of senior management roles, including communications lead, press secretary, digital & design lead, political lead, and as the head of the campaign.

Outside of her full-time roles, she has consistently maintained freelance projects in local journalism, writing, and illustration. Beyond Harvard and the New York Times, her work & ghostwriting have appeared in publications including the Washington Post, Vox, Variety, and TIME Magazine, and her personal writing has appeared in the Daily Beast, ChangeWire, DCist, WAMU, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, AspenInstitute.org, and 51st News.

In her free time, she is an avid runner and especially enjoys projects that combine her interests in illustration, running, and advocacy. She has run on Under Armour teams, was an ambassador for Brooks Running, and is currently an ambassador for Pacers Running. Additionally, she has designed apparel lines for Pacers Running and illustrated products for running companies including New Balance, Asics, and Brooks Running. 

One of her projects also explores Japanese American Incarceration Camps and the intersection of policy and human experience in World War II. Lifting her grandparents' experience in the camps, she published an article on the subject in the Princeton Journal of Asian American Studies and has spoken in cities including Tokyo, Japan, and Boise, Idaho (near Minidoka).

She is a graduate of Bates College (BA in Politics, Political Economy) and Georgetown University (MA, Engaged and Public Humanities).