Mitchell C. Laird has been appointed to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission by Governor Brewer. Laird is an attorney who has been practicing law in Phoenix for over 30 years.
Laird’s term on the Citizens Clean Elections Commission expires in January 2017. He replaces outgoing Commission member Jeffrey Fairman, whose term has expired.
Laird has been licensed to practice law in the State of Arizona since 1976. In addition to founding his own law firm – Laird & Associates, P.C. – he owns and operates 25 Burger King restaurants throughout the state, employing 700 workers. Mr. Laird also is Chief Operating Officer of the non-profit Grand Canyon University Institute for Advanced Studies, and is involved in real estate and development firms with holdings in Arizona.
Previously, Laird taught for 13 years at Grand Canyon University, where he has also served as General Counsel and President of the Alumni Association. In 2007, he was appointed by the Arizona Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee for Workplace Enforcement, which was charged with recommending improvements to Arizona’s new employer sanctions law.
Laird is a member of the Maricopa Bar Association; National Association of College and University Attorneys; and Christian Legal Society. Earlier, he was a member of the American Arbitration Association.
Laird received his Juris Doctorate degree from the Arizona State University College of Law (1976), and earned an undergraduate degree in business from Grand Canyon University (1972). In 2004, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from GCU in recognition of his many years of service to the university.