Theodore R. Mitchell

THEODORE R. MITCHELL has served as president of the American Council on Education since 2017. He served as U.S. Under Secretary of Education from 2014 to 2017, reporting to the Secretary of Education and overseeing postsecondary education policies and programs. From 2005 to 2014, Dr. Mitchell was Chief Executive Officer of the NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy organization providing seed capital and counsel to leading education entrepreneurs at the K-12 level. From 2008 to 2010, he also served as president of the California State Board of Education. From 1999 to 2005, Dr. Mitchell was president of Occidental College; his earlier positions included vice chancellor and dean of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA, and professor and chair of the Department of Education at Dartmouth College. He serves on the board of directors of Khan Academy, GED Testing Service, Deans for Impact, the National Advisory Board of the Hass Center for Public Service at Stanford University, the Geffen Academy at UCLA, and The McClatchy Company. Dr. Mitchell received his A.B., M.A., and Ph.D. from Stanford University.