Mitchell Hopson joins The Marine Mammal Center as Chief Financial Officer, bringing nearly two decades of progressive finance and accounting experience across both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He has spent more than 10 years in the nonprofit sector, primarily in education, where he led high-performing finance teams overseeing accounting, financial planning and analysis, grants, payroll, treasury, and compliance functions.

Mitchell is deeply motivated by work that strengthens communities and creates a lasting positive impact. Mitchell sees the Center’s mission as an opportunity to contribute his skills to an organization that plays a vital role in protecting and supporting communities that depend on a healthy ocean.

Most recently serving as Vice President of School Finance at ExED, Mitchell provided executive-level financial leadership to charter schools and guided organizations through complex reporting, funding, and strategic planning processes. He has also held senior finance roles at TNTP, the KIPP Foundation, and several corporations, where he drove long-range financial planning, implemented new financial systems, improved liquidity through investment and cash-management strategies, and supported multi-year organizational growth.

A collaborative leader known for building trust across teams and developing staff, Mitchell brings deep expertise in forecasting, financial modeling, risk mitigation, and operational analysis. He holds an MBA in Finance and a BS in Business Administration from Florida A&M University, as well as an MS in International Affairs from Georgetown University.