Mitch Avalon is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. He joined Contra Costa County Public Works Department in 1979. Mr. Avalon has worked in many areas of Public Works, including transportation engineering, development engineering, design, and construction.

Currently Mr. Avalon is Deputy Public Works Director and Deputy Chief Engineer for the Flood Control and Water Conservation District, where he oversees the development of regional management plans for flood protection and enhancement of the environmental resource in the District’s 72 miles of creeks. He is also responsible for overseeing the County's Clean Water Program. Mr. Avalon spent one year as Acting Deputy Director at the Community Development Department, managing their current planning program. Mitch has been chair of the Alhambra Watershed Council since 1997. The Council produced a Watershed Management Plan in 2004 through a community based planning process and is now working on implementation projects. Mitch is also on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the San Francisco Estuary, first Chair of the Bay Area Flood Protection Agencies Association, and Chair of the Flood Control and Water Resources Policy Committee for the County Engineers Association of California.