David J. Mitchell

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David Joseph Mitchell is an author, former polititian and political commentator. He was a forest industry executive who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1991 for the Liberal Party in the riding of Garibaldi-West Vancouver. He defected from the Liberal party in 1992.

He has been a BC Archivist and is a self confessed 'political junkie' who is a frequent commentator on politics in British Columbia. in 1998 he was appointed a Vice President of Simon Fraser University.

He has authored a number of books about politics and History in BC:

W.A.C. Bennett and the rise of British Columbia (ISBN 0-88894-395-4) A biography of W. A. C. Bennett.
Succession : the political reshaping of British Columbia (ISBN 0-88894-566-3) A synopsis of the Social Credit administrations since W.A.C Bennett.
All aboard! : the Canadian Rockies by train (ISBN 1-55054-419-5)
British Columbia's business leaders of the century (editor)

David Mitchell became Vice-President of University Relations at the University of Ottawa in September 2002. Previously, he had served as Vice-President of External Relations at Simon Fraser University from 1997 to 2002, where he was responsible for fundraising, alumni relations, media and public relations, and government affairs. SFU raised over $65 million under his direction.

David Mitchell's diverse career path has included senior positions in both the public and private sectors. He gained experience in parliamentary procedure and legislative processes as Deputy Clerk of the Saskatchewan Legislature and also served as an Archivist and Editor at the Provincial Archives of B.C.

Mr. Mitchell also has significant private sector business experience, having held executive positions within western Canadian resource industries, including vice-president of marketing and general manager of industrial relations.

Serving as a Member of the British Columbia Legislature from 1991 to 1996, David Mitchell was a watchdog on a broad range of issues including resource management, labour relations, advanced education, and parliamentary reform.

David Mitchell holds a master's degree in Canadian and American history from Simon Fraser University. An award-winning writer and former newspaper columnist, Mr. Mitchell contributes to several newspapers and magazines and serves as a frequent public affairs commentator on television and radio.

He is a board member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra. He is the father of two daughters and is married to author and media critic, Shari Graydon.

Currently, David Mitchell is leading the University of Ottawa through a major re-branding initiative and has launched the largest fundraising campaign in the University's history which is now moving towards the achievement of its $200 million objective.