Mitchell is an award-winning planner with over 40 years of experience. He is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues. Mitchell is a prolific public speaker and strategic advisor specializing in urban planning, parks, placemaking, and implementation strategies. Known by his colleagues as a passionate communicator, creative thinker, problem-solver, and visionary leader, Mitchell has been at the center of many cutting-edge trends, transformative solutions, and visionary plans in the United States and abroad.
 

Mitchell served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, a principal at McAdams planning and design firm, Chief Planning Officer in Raleigh, NC, president of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners,  and president/co-chair of the City Parks Alliance.

Mitchell is one of America’s most celebrated urban thinkers. He was selected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world. In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment. He was also selected by Avenue Magazine as one of five Urbanists on New York City’s Power List.
 

Mitchell is a contributing author and editor of the International City/County Management Association’s (ICMA) latest edition of “Local Planning: Contemporary Principles and Practice,” a resource for local governments engaged in planning. He is also a contributing author of several books and the author of numerous articles. He currently serves as a Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.