Contact me for: Pathfinder Solutions is a nonprofit research and advisory firm with the vision of assisting people from all walks of life to find joy and fulfillment in their work, and to feel empowered to create the world they want to live in. We specialize in talent development and capacity building for cause-focused organizations and our work includes projects ranging from small-scale, locally focused efforts, to broad-based multi-state and multi-agency assignments. Our staff and consortium of consultants have particularly strong background in organizational development, leadership, evaluation and change management. We provide services to foundations, nonprofits/NGOs, corporate social responsibility programs, educational institutions and government agencies.
Alexandra Mitchell is the co-author of Compassionate Careers: Making a Living by Making a Difference. She is also president of Pathfinder Solutions, a research and advisory firm dedicated to providing capacity building tools and services to cause-focused organizations. Her story begins with her birthday, which she proudly shares with Martin Luther King, Jr. She was raised on the anti-war movement, feminism and the CBS news with Walter Cronkite. One of her earliest memories is of Dr. King’s assassination. She was 5 years old, and it was nearly midnight when her mother woke her to tell her the news. It was Alex’s first recognition of the depths of inequity and discrimination…the acute sense that she was born to honor Dr. King’s life with a compassionate career.
In college, Alex studied history and philosophy, was employed by the student union, and was very much a community activist. She backpacked solo around India for a year, walked across the U.S. for global nuclear disarmament, worked for organizations like the League of Conservation Voters, and then became an inner-city high school teacher. She directed several award-winning youth development programs, taught English as a Second Language, and got her Master’s in Public Administration. Alex has since served as a social and environmental policy researcher, as well as a program evaluator, university instructor, and organizational development trainer and advisor. Most of her work has been dedicated to youth, the elderly, social justice, and the environment. She currently focuses particularly on organizational culture and engaging the next generation in civil society.
Alex has directed projects for major institutions such as the Council on Foundations and the Department of Health and Human Services—and has been equally dedicated to the smallest rural agencies. She presents regularly at national conferences and teaches at Regis University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Alex has also been published at the level of Stanford Social Innovations Review, Harvard University, and the Annie E Casey Foundation. Recognition awards include the Thousand Points of Light, California’s Golden Bell, and several State Department of Justice awards. Her primary intent is always to provide authentic support and foster positive, tangible outcomes for underserved populations. She has a multi-cultural background and is tri-lingual. Her passion is to both learn and play far off the beaten track.
