Pat Mitchell (born January 20, 1943) was the first woman president and CEO of PBS and is a media executive. She is editorial director of
TEDWomen
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
.
Early life
Pat Mitchell graduated magna cum laude from the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
with bachelor's and master's degrees in English literature.
Career
Mitchell is the chair emerita of the
Women's Media Center
Women's Media Center (WMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization in the United States founded in 2005 by writers and activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. and
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers f ...
boards,
a founding board member of
V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls, a founding member of
Green Cross International
Green Cross International is an environmentalist organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993. Today, member organisations are in 30 countries. Its primary mission is to "respond to ...
, a board member of
the
George Foster Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
s, a member of the board of the Skoll Fund and
Acumen Fund
Acumen (formerly known as Acumen Fund, legally Acumen Fund, Inc.) is a nonprofit impact investment fund focused on investing in social enterprises that serve low-income individuals in United States. Acumen was founded in April 2001 by Jacqueline ...
, and a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
, the
International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (IATAS) is an American nonprofit membership organization, based in New York City, composed of leading media and entertainment executives across all sectors of the television industry, from ov ...
, and the
International Women's Forum
The International Women's Forum (IWF), founded in 1974 as the Women's Forum of New York, is an invitation-only women's organization with some 7,000 members. Its mission is "to support the women leaders of today and tomorrow". The IWF hosts two con ...
.
Pat Mitchell started her career as an English instructor at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
and
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...
.
While she was teaching, a freelance article she wrote about student movements caught the eye of an editor at Look, a biweekly news magazine, which started her journalism career.
Nine months later, in 1971, Look stopped publishing, and Mitchell, an unemployed single mother living in New York City with her young son, was advised to "try television." After several auditions, Mitchell landed a position at WBZ in Boston as a full-time television reporter.
Over the next three decades, she created a body of work in front of the cameras as a news reporter and news anchor, national talk show host and White House correspondent. She also achieved notice behind the cameras as a creator and producer of documentaries and series, many of which focused on women's stories, challenges and accomplishments. She was a co-host on the daily NBC daytime talk show ''
America Alive!
''America Alive!'' was an American television talk-variety program created by Woody Fraser. The show had a brief run on NBC, which aired it as part of its weekday daytime programming schedule from July 24, 1978, until January 4, 1979.
Overview ...
'' in 1978.
In the mid-80s, she left a position at
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
to establish an independent production company to create, produce and host the Emmy Award-winning daytime series, "Woman to Woman," which was the first national program produced and hosted by a woman. "Woman to Woman" also became the first television series to be added to the
Schlesinger Library
The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. According to Nancy F. Cott, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Director, ...
on the History of Women at Radcliffe College.
In 1992, Mitchell approached media entrepreneur
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...
about producing a documentary series on the history of women in America. The resulting 10-hour series, "A Century of Women," was broadcast in 1993 on the Turner cable networks and syndicated around the world. Turner convinced Mitchell to join
Turner Broadcasting
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (alternatively known as Turner Entertainment Networks from 2019 until 2022) was an American television and media conglomerate. Founded by Ted Turner and based in Atlanta, Georgia, it merged with Time Warner (lat ...
, and as president of Turner Original Productions and later
CNN Productions, Mitchell was the executive producer of hundreds of hours of documentaries and specials, many of which were awarded Emmy's and Peabody Awards for Excellence; several were nominated for Academy Awards for best documentary.
In 2000, Pat Mitchell left Turner Broadcasting when she was appointed the first woman president and CEO of
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
.
Mitchell left
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
in 2006. After departing PBS, Mitchell was appointed the President and CEO of the
Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City, New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, ...
, an American cultural institution in New York.
In 2010, Mitchell launched TEDWomen, an annual three day conference under the umbrella of
TED Talks
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
.
Mitchell became its editorial director, curator and host.
The conference, described as being "about the power of women and girls to be creators and change-makers," has included speakers including former presidential candidate
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
, ex-Facebook COO
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Kara Sandberg (born August 28, 1969) is an American business executive, billionaire, and philanthropist. Sandberg served as chief operating officer (COO) of Meta Platforms, a position from which she stepped down in August 2022. She is als ...
and former House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...
.
In 2022, Mitchell was one of the producers of the documentary, "Refuge," which followed a Syrian Kurd, a former Klansman, and a town of refugees in Clarkston, Georgia. As of 2021, she was chair of the
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers f ...
and the
Women's Media Center
Women's Media Center (WMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization in the United States founded in 2005 by writers and activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. , and a trustee of the VDAY movement, the Skoll Foundation and the Acumen Fund.
Mitchell also advises foundations and corporations on issues of women's empowerment and leadership development as well as media and governance. She has taught at the University of Georgia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
.
Awards and Honors
Documentaries produced under Mitchell's direction have won more than 100 major awards, including 41
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, seven
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
s and 35 CableACEs. She personally received a Prime-Time Emmy Award in 1996 for Survivors of the Holocaust on TBS, and was personally nominated for four other Prime-Time Emmys.
In 2008, Mitchell was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. She was also named one of the Most Powerful Women in Hollywood by ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' and featured in ''
Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
''’s special report, "The League of Extraordinary Women: 60 Influencers Who Are Changing the World."
In 2012, The
Women's Media Center
Women's Media Center (WMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women's organization in the United States founded in 2005 by writers and activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem. honored Mitchell with their first-annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Mitchell has also been recognized with the Sandra Day O'Connor Award for Leadership, and was honored by the Center for the Advancement of Women for her accomplishments and contributions in the world of communications in creating a more equitable society for women. She is also one of 12 Americans awarded the
Bodley Medal
The Bodley Medal is awarded by the Bodleian Library at Oxford University to individuals who have made "outstanding contributions ... to the worlds of communications and literature" and who have helped the library achieve "the vision of its fou ...
from the
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
.
Mitchell was appointed by House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia Pelosi (; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who has served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011. She has represented in the United States House of ...
as one of nine commissioners to develop a plan to build a National Women's History Museum in Washington, D.C. The commission delivered its report to Congress in the fall of 2016.
Personal life
Mitchell and her husband, Scott Seydel, have six children and 13 grandchildren and reside in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
Becoming a Dangerous Woman
Mitchell is the author of "Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World" book, published by Seal Press.
References
External links
Pat MitchellPat Mitchell profilefrom
The Paley Center for Media
The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York with a branch office in Los Angeles, dedicated to ...
*
Pat MitchellVideo produced by ''
Makers: Women Who Make America''
*Pat Mitchell:
Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World'
TEDWomen Co-Founder Pat Mitchell on Becoming a Dangerous Woman ''MediaVillage.com''. July 24, 2019
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Pat
1943 births
Living people
University of Georgia alumni
Harvard Kennedy School people
Television anchors from Boston