Mitchell was born in 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica. She attended Barnard College in New York where her love of film grew as she worked as a projectionist and camera operator for the school’s dance department. Not long after she graduated from school, she began work as a Production Assistant and eventually became a 2nd AD. In this position she discovered that she appreciated “how the words became pictures” more than the puzzle of scheduling. She next transitioned to Script Supervisor and, while working with directors like Bill D’Elia, Don Scardino, and Ed Sherin, she learned how to communicate with actors and gained more knowledge about the craft. Mitchell was hired for her first episode of Law & Order in 1994, which kicked off her directing career.
Mitchell’s directing career has included a wide variety of episodic television. Her series work includes: New York Undercover, Chicago Hope, Touched by an Angel, The Education of Max Bickford, Strong Medicine, Law & Order, Judging Amy, Joan of Arcadia, Numb3rs, Veronica Mars, House, NCIS, Without a Trace, Madam Secretary, Blindspot and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Mitchell has been a member of the Directors Guild since 1994. She has served on the Eastern Directors Council for four terms as a Council Member and Alternate. She was also elected to the National Board as an alternate for two consecutive terms beginning in 2017.