Michael’s career spans over 25 years in the education reform and not-for-profit sectors. Prior to joining Achieve, where his focus is on building state coalition support for the Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards and working with the 35 American Diploma Project network states on their college- and career-ready agendas, Michael was Director of Strategic Initiatives and Resource Development at the Hunt Institute in North Carolina. Michael was on the start-up team for Hunt in 2002 and most recently led the Institute’s efforts to support states’ development, adoption and implementation of rigorous standards in ELA, math and science. Prior to Hunt, Michael was acting director of development for the New York City Department of Education, where he created the World Trade Center School Relief Fund that received millions of dollars of support from around the globe to provide services to kids and schools after 9/11. He was prepared to lead these efforts by his experience as a senior development officer at both Columbia University and UCLA.

Michael has also held executive positions at the Anne & Kirk Douglas Foundation where he directed the Douglases’ Los Angeles-based philanthropic activities; and with Sylvan at School where he managed seven in-school reading centers in Los Angeles and provided reading professional development training to LAUSD teachers. Michael also served on the start-up teams for Community Impact in Washington, D.C. where he led strategic planning efforts that quadrupled operations in D.C. communities; and at Teach For America where he was the founding director in Louisiana.

After completing college, Michael served two and a half years in the Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa. He is a graduate of Columbia University and has two daughters in the Durham, NC Public Schools.

Phone: (202) 745-2317