Theodore Mitchell is the CEO of San Francisco-based NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy firm working to transform public education so that all children have the opportunity to succeed in the 21st century. A former deputy to the president at Stanford and vice chancellor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Mitchell is a national leader in the effort to provide high-quality education for all students and has long been active in California and Los Angeles educational reform initiatives.

Dr. Mitchell’s involvement at Stanford spanned more than 20 years. A 1978 graduate with degrees in economics and history, he went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate in 1983. Two years later he became the youngest person ever to be elected to the Stanford Board of Trustees. Dr. Mitchell served a five-year term as trustee, from 1985 to 1990, and served for three years as board vice president. In 1991, Dr. Mitchell joined the Stanford administration as deputy to the president and provost, managing a presidential transition and working as a part of the leadership team charged with steering Stanford through its federal indirect cost controversy.

Dr. Mitchell is also an education advisor to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and served as a senior education advisor to former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. He serves on the boards of a variety of non-profit education organizations.