BACKGROUNDMichael hails from a small town in West Virginia where he grew up hiking and backpacking in the Appalachian Mountains. His early career balanced bi-vocational roles in youth ministry and pastoral leadership in small churches with full-time positions in such eclectic areas as a Planner for his county’s Planning Commission, Vice-Principal of a Christian K-8, Marketing and Development Director for World Vision Appalachia and GK-12 Fellow for the National Science Foundation. Along the way, he picked up a Master of Divinity, a Master of Arts in Education and a Ph.D. in Human Geography. In 2008 he and his family abandoned their Appalachian roots to settle in Edmonton, Alberta where Michael became Assistant Professor of Geography and Director of the Environmental Studies Program of The King’s University. In 2012 he was seconded as Director of Development at King’s while remaining on faculty and in 2015 was promoted to Vice-President of Student Life and Dean of Students. In 2020 he returned to the faculty as an Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies and in 2022 took on the role of Dean of the Leder School of Business. He also serves as Vice-Chair on the Board of Directors for E4C, a non-profit dedicated to ending poverty in Edmonton.