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About Mike - The Professional
Mike spent the first 11 years of his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which included assignments in Jacksonville, FL, Washington, DC, and finally Atlanta, GA. The genesis of Mike’s background in project, program and risk management also began with the Corps of Engineers and was refined during those early years.
In the mid-1990’s, he made the move from public service to the private sector. In making this change, not only did he change industry sectors, but he also changed the types of projects he was managing. While at the Corps of Engineers his work focused specifically on civil works construction projects; however, this job change took him into the fast growing information technology (IT) sector, which was just about as far away from construction as one could possibly get. His first position in the IT sector was with Entex Information Services, which was a mid-sized system integrator focused primarily on IT outsourcing. Although this move provided many challenges, Mike was able to take his experience in managing construction projects and apply the same concepts and approaches to IT projects and deliver them successfully. After only two years in his new role, he was awarded the National Best Practice Award for the development of a standard Statement of Work. This ultimately led to Mike being named the National Practice Manager for Project Management with Entex.
Mike’s diverse experience and background ultimately attracted the eye of some of the most respected and prestigious consulting and technology firms in the world, including Arthur Andersen, LLP, KPMG, LLP, and Microsoft Corporation. At Arthur Andersen, he was a Senior Manager in the Business Consulting Practice where he was in charge of leading the design, development and deployment of the firm wide Program and Project Management methodology and training curriculum within the Andersen Architected Solutions (AS) Methodology.
After the collapse of Andersen in 2002, he joined KPMG, LLP where he was Project Risk Management (PRM) champion for the Americas. By the third year of delivering these services, the practice was generating over $45 million per year. Following the split between KPMG and BearingPoint, his next move took him to the number one technology leader in the world – Microsoft Corporation, where he was the worldwide Director of Project Management Excellence (PMx). In this role, he was responsible for establishing firm wide standards on how projects were managed and delivered to clients globally with Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS).
In 2007, Mike made the decision to go out on his own full-time as President of the M2 Consulting Group, Ltd. In addition to the services offered through the M2 Consulting Group, Mike is also a guest lecturer for the Emory University’s Center for Lifelong Learning, where he teaches an introductory course on project management. In just a few short years the list of clients being served by Mike includes such noted organizations as: AT&T, Home Depot, Maxxis Tires, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Yamaha Motor Company, CareerBuilder, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Defense Logistics Agency, and Masco Contractor Services.
Mike’s extensive, international experience allows him to bring a unique perspective to his clients, which they otherwise might not have considered. As a confidential advisor, Mike is able to provide his clients with independent and unbiased advice, which can help them avoid potential pitfalls and risks that they may not be aware even exist. Being knowledgeable about the potential risks and how to address them, clients are able to increase the probability of being successful and achieve both their strategic and tactical goals and initiatives.
About Mike - The Athlete
Mike was born and raised in the coal fields of southern West Virginia - Beckley to be exact. As long has he can remember he has loved sports and the competitive nature of games. During his grade school years, he recalls attending basketball games with his parents, during the long cold winters of West Virginia, and feeling the excitement generated by the crowd and the teams. To Mike, the excitement was addictive and something he wanted to be a part of. Even the smell of the gym and freshly popped popcorn had an aura of excitement about it that generated memories, which have stayed with him to this day. As a youngster, one of his most memorable experiences was a Christmas present from his parents to attend a basketball camp held by his favorite player, the legendary Los Angeles Laker and pro basketball Hall of Famer, Jerry West. This experience was one of the catalysts that solidified his desire to be an athlete.
During high school, Mike excelled at sports lettering in four different sports (Football, Basketball, Track, and Golf) for three straight years. During the summers, Mike would work in various basketball camps around the region during the day and at the local coal preparation plant at night as a fire watcher. This experience, although unappreciated by him at the time, ultimately became another key motivator for Mike throughout his professional career. Also at 6'5", it didn't take Mike long to realize that a job working in the low-coal of southern West Virginia would not be a good career choice. As such, he focused on athletics and academics as a way to a different career.
His athletic and academic career continued at the collegiate level at West Virginia Tech. While at Tech he majored in Civil Engineering where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. He also lettered in basketball for three straight years and was co-captain his senior year for the, then NAIA powerhouse, Golden Bears. Some of Mike's teammates at Tech included, former Los Angeles Laker and NBA standout Sedale Threatt and former Harlem Globetrotter Antoine Scott. In 1982, Mike and his teammates earned the status of "Outstanding Athlete" in the state of West Virginia from then Governor John D. Rockefeller, IV.
In 1999, Michael was the first person inducted into his high school's (Independence High School) Basketball Hall of Fame. This was a great honor, which was made even sweeter by having his Mom, Dad, Wife (Lori), and two sons (Taylor and Garrett) attend the induction ceremony.
Mike firmly believes that with hard work, perseverance, and faith in God great things can be accomplished. In the dedication section of his first book, Delivering Project Excellence with the Statement of Work, he thanked his Mom and Dad for teaching him the importance of these elements. Their life's example has provided him with an outstanding foundation for his own professional, personal, and spiritual life. Mike’s athletic background is also the catalyst for his next book Cohesion – The Power Behind Successful Teams scheduled to be released in late 2010.
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