Dave Mitchell

Since founding the Leadership Difference in 1995, over 450,000 people have attended Dave Mitchell’s “enter-TRAIN-ment” seminars on topics that include leadership, customer service, selling skills, and personal performance enhancement. His clients include Allstate Insurance, Bank of America, Universal Studios, Hilton Worldwide, Janssen/Johnson and Johnson, Novartis, Sub-Zero Wolf Appliances, Electrolux Appliances, Trek Bikes, Walt Disney World and the CIA. In July 2013, Meeting Professionals International selected as the Meeting Madness winner for Best Speaker of the Year at their World Education Congress in Las Vegas. In September 2015, Meetings and Conventions Magazine named Mitchell one of the Best Speakers of the Year.

He has a B.A. in Mass-Communications with an emphasis in Business Administration and M.Ed. in Global Human Resources Development. Mitchell spent 12 years as a corporate executive in human resources management, has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois. He is also a regular guest lecturer at Walla Walla University and Whitman College, is the chairman of the business advisory board for Walla Walla Community College and is designated as a Certified Advanced Wine Sommelier by the International Wine Guild. He is also a founding shareholder of Pambrun Wines. Having failed to achieve his dream of playing professional baseball, he went on to a successful coaching career at the tee ball level.

Mitchell is the author of four books. "Live and Learn or Die Stupid!" focuses on personal contentment and performance excellence. His second book, "The Power of Understanding People," was released in December 2013 by acclaimed publisher Wiley and was immediately named Best Business Book of the Month by Amazon. Mitchell’s third book, "The Power of Understanding Yourself," was released on January 7, 2019 also by Wiley and was an Editor’s Pick by getAbstract and named Top Read by Training Magazine. His fourth book, "Peak Performance Culture: The Five Metrics of Organizational Excellence," was released in September 2020 on Wiley.

Mitchell lives in the Walla Walla Valley wine country with his wife of 37 years, Lori; has two adult children, Brooklyn and Slade; three horses, and Miles and Mingus – the canine security system (and Jazz tribute).