Brenda Mitchell

I have had a great career at CNA, of which I'm very proud.

Brenda Mitchell began her career at CNA in 1973 as a clerk-typist in CNA’s Information Research Services Department and today serves as executive assistant to CNA’s General Counsel. She supports the General Counsel directly – by managing administrative duties, and interfacing with high-level Government officials, members of Congress, and attorneys – and delivers legal support generally through case management, legal filing, preparing legal correspondence, and tracking action items.

Mitchell provides exceptional service to CNA and is sought out regularly by other divisions to support their conferences and events. She also supports and organizes meetings of CNA’s Board of Trustees, of CNA’s Military Advisory Board, and of the Quarterly Defense Review (QDR) Independent Review Panel and its five subpanels that meet at CNA.

Prior to taking on her current responsibilities, Mitchell served as executive assistant to the director of CNA’s Center for Strategic Studies (CSS) and was CSS’s conference coordinator. In this position she also provided assistance to the CSS research team leader for Project Asia and the Project Asia Team.

From 1996 to 2002, Mitchell was secretary to CNA’s vice president, general counsel, and secretary to the Board and provided administrative support to CNA’s senior fellows. From 1993 to 1996, she held administrative support positions in CNA’s Department of Finance and Administration and was secretary to the vice president, treasurer, and director of Finance and Administration.

Mitchell is the 2010 winner of CNA’s Mary Ann Pianka Award for Exceptional Service which recognizes a sustained record of excellence in support of CNA’s research, work that is of high quality, consistently creative, and responsive, and the building of harmonious relations with users and colleagues.

Mitchell holds an A.S. in Secretarial Science from Northern Virginia Community College and a Certificate in Wedding and Event Planning.