David J. Mitchell has a broad professional background, spanning the private, public and education sectors. From 2009 to 2015 he served as President & CEO of Canada’s Public Policy Forum, an Ottawa-based non-governmental organization dedicated to improving the quality of government through multi-sectoral dialogue.

Previously, he served as Vice-President at three Canadian universities: Queen's, the University of Ottawa and Simon Fraser University. Directing fundraising and external relations at each institution, he achieved notable successes in strategic positioning and fund development.

David served as a Member of the British Columbia Legislature from 1991 to 1996, where he was Opposition House Leader and a watchdog on a broad range of issues including advanced education, resource management, labour relations and governance. He had previously gained experience in parliamentary procedure and legislative processes as Deputy Clerk of the Saskatchewan Legislature.

His significant private sector business experience includes executive positions within western Canadian resource industries, including vice-president of marketing and general manager of industrial relations.