Biography
Mitchell Cobey is a graduate of Washington University and Columbia Business School. After founding and operating one of Chicago’s first gourmet takeout and catering shops on the Near North Side in 1977, he retired in 2008 and returned to the classroom as a Returning Scholar (RS) at the University of Chicago.
Encouraged to join the RS Program by longtime friend and former UChicago President Hanna Holborn Gray, Mitch has now completed 77 courses, with a strong focus on political science and film. He is deeply engaged in civic and cultural life, serving as Co-Chair of the Human Rights Watch Chicago Committee, a board member of Restore Justice Illinois and FACETS, and a volunteer docent for the Chicago Architecture Foundation. He remains active in local and national politics and continues to be a passionate advocate for lifelong learning.