His more than three decades as a chief public affairs officer and adviser to chief executives and boards includes deep expertise in issues and crisis management, strategic communications, global strategy and positioning, media relations, stakeholder engagement, leadership transitions, government relations and public policy.
Prior to joining Brunswick in 2022, Michael was chief communications officer and vice president for public affairs and government relations at Duke University in Durham, NC, for 14 years. As Duke’s principal spokesperson and external affairs strategist, he led all communications, advocacy, and crisis management initiatives for Duke’s education, research, health care and sports activities in the United States and across the globe. He opened Duke’s Washington, DC, office, helped establish Duke Kunshan University in China and worked closely with state and local officials on regional economic development initiatives.
Michael previously served from 1997-2008 as vice chancellor for public affairs at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where he oversaw communications, government relations and community relations.
Earlier, Michael was senior vice president for policy and public affairs at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and held news reporting and executive public diplomacy roles at the Voice of America and U.S. Information Agency in Washington, DC.
Michael graduated from Duke and received a master’s degree in public policy from Stony Brook University. He serves on a number of civic, cultural and professional boards, including The Seminar, Mary Baldwin University, Shakespeare Theatre Company and PBS-North Carolina. He is also a visiting professor of the practice of public policy at Duke, where he teaches a course on media, politics, and policy.