Michael grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from John Carroll University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology. Michael was very active in campus life and served as Vice President of his class, President of the Legal Aid society, Vice President of Delta, Alpha, Theta fraternity and a member of the varsity football team.

Michael obtained his juris doctorate degree from The Ohio State University. He maintains his active law license in the state of Ohio.

He began his legal career as an associate counsel at BancOhio; later National City Bank after it acquired BancOhio. He specialized in labor and employment law where he prepared and presented cases before state and federal agencies and courts. He quickly moved up the ranks to Assistant Vice President/ Counsel, Vice President/ Counsel and Senior Vice President/ Senior Counsel. 

Michael moved into Human Resources at the request of the CEO to integrate two financial institutions acquired by National City. He then moved to a larger financial institution, Bank One, where he led the HR organization for one of the largest affiliate banks.

After working on several integrations in the banking industry, Michael moved to Victoria’s Secret Direct where he led HR for the call centers as well as managed Compensation and Benefits. He was promoted to head of Human Resources where he was responsible for all aspects of the HR function with oversight of all operations in Columbus, Ohio and New York City.

Michael moved to south Florida to join Office Depot in search of an opportunity with a global organization. Michael was initially responsible for HR support for all corporate functions and was later promoted to Chief Human Resource Officer responsible for all aspects of HR in 52 countries at its peak.

Michael has always believed it’s important to give back to the community having served on the boards of the Columbus YMCA, the Dayton Boys and Girls club, the Dayton Urban League and the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. He served as President of the American Youth Football League in south Florida. In June 2019 he was appointed to the Florida Atlantic Research and Development Authority, and resides in south Florida with his wife.

Authority Term:  05/23/2023 – 05/23/2027