Daniel J. Mitchell, born on June 28, 1958, is a libertarian economist. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Georgia, followed by a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. His career in public policy began in the United States Senate, where he worked for Oregon Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. In 1988, he served on the presidential transition team for President-elect George H. W. Bush and Vice President-elect Dan Quayle. Starting in 1990, Mitchell joined the Heritage Foundation as a senior fellow for political economy, later becoming a senior fellow at the Cato Institute specializing in fiscal policy, tax reform, international tax competition, and government spending. He is a co-founder, president, and Chairman of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity and the Center for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation. Mitchell advocates for the flat tax, tax competition, financial privacy, and fiscal sovereignty. He maintains a blog titled 'Liberty – Restraining Government in America and Around the World' and has appeared frequently on C-SPAN discussing tax policy.