Summer Leadership Conference Practice

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Mike has dedicated his life to serving the nation—and empowering people to build positive relationships and become more resilient. Mike lives on a 32-acre farm in North Carolina with his wife Genevieve and their four children; Eli, Adelaide, Therese and Matthias.

A 2002 graduate of The U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, Mike was commissioned as an Intelligence Officer, serving in three combat tours with the First Cavalry Division and 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). His service includes deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004-2005—that involved the Battles of Fallujah and Najaf. Mike also deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2006-2007 and 2009. On those tours, he worked with NATO forces, to include serving as a lead intelligence planner for one of the largest NATO-led combat operations in history. Mike earned two Bronze Star Medals from these tours.

Following his third deployment, Mike attended the University of Michigan from 2009-2011, where he studied positive psychology and leadership under the tutelage of the co-founder of positive psychology, Dr. Chris Peterson. He went on to serve as an Assistant Professor in Psychology & Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy from 2011-2014.

Mike is the CEO of The Character & Leadership Center and has done leadership development with over 100 organizations, including Amazon, Special Forces Command, McKinsey & Co, the New Jersey Devils, Boston Celtics, Spartan Race and Michigan Men’s Basketball team. He is also co-founder & CEO of the Positivity Project—a non-profit organization with the mission to empower America’s youth to build positive relationships. With 542 partner schools, the organization reaches 332,000 children daily. He is the co-author of Lead Yourself First by Bloomsbury Press (2017). The book focuses on how solitude strengthens people’s character—and their ability to lead with clarity, balance and conviction. His most recent book, Leadership is a Relationship: How to Put People First in a Digital World, is an insightful collection of interviews with leaders who have succeeded by prioritizing the wellbeing of other people.