Michael has more than three decades experience as a chief public affairs officer, counselor and strategist for some of the world’s most visible universities and media organizations.  An expert in communications strategy and execution, media relations, crisis management, stakeholder engagement, government relations and policy advocacy, he advises CEOs, trustees and high-profile leaders on critical issues in higher education, research, health care and sports, among other sectors.

Michael joined Brunswick in 2022 after 14 years as Duke University’s vice president for public affairs and government relations, chief communications officer and spokesperson, where he co-chaired the university’s comprehensive COVID response efforts.  He helped lead the creation and launch of Duke Kunshan University in China and Duke's global initiatives in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Michael is a founder of Futurity, a multimedia consortium providing insights from sixty leading global universities and research centers.

From 1997-2008, Michael was vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.  He previously served as senior vice president for policy and public affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in Washington, D.C. and held a variety of news reporting and leadership roles at the Voice of America and U.S. Information Agency, including executive assistant to the director and director of TV program development.   

A member of the Arthur Page Society and the 2022 chair of The Seminar, which includes the top corporate affairs executives from around the world, Michael serves on the board of WUNC-North Carolina Public Radio, PBS-NC and the Institute for Public Relations, and previously chaired the Public Affairs Committee of the Association of American Universities,  He graduated from Duke and received a master’s degree in public policy from Stony Brook University.