Judith Pugmire Mitchell was born on January 8, 1932 in Salt Lake City. She is the daughter of Ralph Wesley Pugmire and Marian Ure Pugmire. Her father was a local and regional golf star. Her early childhood was spent in Portland, Oregon and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while her father attended medical school. She moved to Ogden at the age of 9 and graduated from Ogden High. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in music in 1953. She returned to college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Weber State College in 1973. She received a Master's in Education in Elementary Education from Utah State University in 1975, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Utah in 1981. She spent ten years in classrooms and a school district office as a coordinator before coming to Weber State University in 1983 as an instructor. She became a professor at Weber State University in 1992 and the Director of the Master of Education program in 1993. She served for six years as chair and vice chair of the Faculty Senate, and has served on other University, professional, and community committees.