Michael is a program professor and graduate of NSU. He teaches courses in leading change, diversity, ethics, and social justice in education and is a certified Clinical Educator. He is the Title V-B mentoring coordinator for the Fischler School. He was one of the founding members of the Black Heritage Council. He is the designer in chief of the Annual Directors Training Conference since 2006. He is an expert at strategic planning capacity building, talent management, and succession planning. He is proficient in the art and science of paradigm shifts, relational education and lifestyle negotiations in diverse contexts. He is a Certified Child and Youth Care Practitioner and is a board member of the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice Inc. He is a board member of the Florida Community Alliance. He worked with sexually, physically and emotionally abused children and youth, as well as with foster care and socially excluded families in high risk environments. He is a member and mentor for APA-SERD. He is a former executive director of state and human services agencies in South Africa where for more than twenty years he was a driving force in numerous collaborative community based partnerships. He worked with the Mandela government to implement the Reconstruction and Development Program (RDP). During this transformation process, from apartheid to democracy, he developed Cultureal, a leadership and organizational capability and capacity building, education, training and technical assistance model facilitating the comprehensive management of the talent organizations. Repositioning, reframing and relating with people to celebrate diversity in organizations is his forte. He has keynoted, presented and inspired at various international and national child and youth focused conferences around the world. He is the recipient of numerous meritorious and academic awards for his accomplishments in difficult times, amongst others, Outstanding Student Achievement Award from NSU, Mayoral and President’s commendations and the Provincial Government’s commendation for leadership during the transformation process. Michael brings the quintessential pinnacle perspective; he educates, informs and agitates just enough to energize social change. He recently published his first book about his struggle for identity in the nuanced reality of apartheid South Africa. Flatline to change: Identity, reality, conflict, engagement. Product of South Africa is a must read in our rainbow world. (Autographed copy available here)