Mitchell Rivard

Chief of Staff, Office of Congressman Dan Kildee

Mitchell currently serves as Chief of Staff to Congressman Dan Kildee and started working for the Congressman’s first campaign in 2011. As Chief of Staff to a six-term Member of Congress, Mitchell oversees three congressional offices Flint, Midland and Washington, D.C., manages 18 full-time staff, and acts as the Congressman’s top adviser on legislative and policy issues. Mitchell also manages the Congressman’s political operation, overseeing his 2022 campaign for one of the most competitive and expensive House races in the country. Last cycle, over $18 million was spent on the Congressman’s race. Congressman Kildee serves on the Budget Committee and powerful Ways and Means Committee, where Mitchell advises the Congressman on tax, trade, and health care issues. And as the co-chair of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, Mitchell acts as Congressman Kildee’s main liaison to congressional leadership and helps to build support for his priorities and legislation. Prior to working in the Congressman’s office, Mitchell worked in other prominent roles, including as a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, former Michigan Governor and current U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. He is a former political appointee of the Obama administration. Mitchell began his career on Capitol Hill working for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. Mitchell is a native of Bay City, Michigan. The first in his family to go to college, he has a bachelor’s degree in social relations and policy from Michigan State University. In 2022, his alma mater recognized and awarded him as “a Spartan helping to change the world.” In 2021, Mitchell was elected by his peers to serve as the co-chair of the House Chiefs of Staff Association, a congressional staff organization helping to provide professional development, management training and networking opportunities for current Chiefs of Staff and Staff Directors in Congress. His work to revitalize the 50-year old non-partisan organization and build better bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill has been recognized nationally, including in The New York Times and Roll Call. Mitchell lives in Washington, D.C. with his partner Scott Zumwalt.