Lesa Mitchell is a vice president with the Kauffman Foundation. She is responsible for leading the Foundation's initiatives to advance innovations. Mitchell joined the Foundation in 2003.
She has been responsible for the Foundation’s frontier work in understanding the policy levers that influence the advancement of innovation from universities into the commercial market. Under Mitchell’s leadership the Foundation is identifying critical research opportunities, defining and codifying alternative pathways and identifying new models to foster innovation.
Prior to joining Kauffman, Mitchell’s professional background included consulting for global pharmaceutical clients such as Takeda and Eli Lilly. She spent twenty years of her career in global executive roles at Aventis and Quintiles. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and volunteers time on various regional boards.