Mike with President Clinton
Mike at the Smart City Expo World Congress
A native of Melrose, Massachusetts, Mike has devoted his life to developing public policies and supporting causes that will benefit the lives of all of Massachusetts’ families. Mike’s experiences from being appointed as President Clinton’s Special Assistant for White House Operations to his current role as Founder and Executive Director of the World Class Cities Partnership have enriched him with the perspective and leadership that Massachusetts needs to succeed in a global economy.
As Executive Director of the World Class Cities Partnership, headquartered at Northeastern University, Mike establishes and develops relationships with municipal governments and universities around the world, creating a global network of partner cities dedicated to implementing solutions to address shared challenges facing 21st century cities—building stronger, healthier and safer communities. With the authority granted to him by Governor Deval Patrick, Mike opened a gateway for Massachusetts-based businesses to gain access to the Spanish and European Union markets through a cooperation agreement signed by President Mas of Catalonia, Spain and Governor Patrick in June 2012. Mike built upon this success and continued to create opportunities for Massachusetts through the facilitation of a partnership agreement between MassPort and the Port Authority of Lisbon, Portugal and is currently developing an agreement with the Republic of Ireland to create more jobs in Massachusetts.
As an expert in best practice solutions for municipalities, Mike was chosen to share the work of the World Class Cities Partnership at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, where over 7,000 leaders from 82 countries came together to tackle the challenges that major cities are facing. Mike led the discussion on improving cities by engaging citizens in the creation and implementation of effective public policies and programs.
From the global stage to Massachusetts’ Main Streets, Mike understands the challenges citizens of the Commonwealth face. Mike knows from first-hand experience the struggles that many families deal with each day as he was raised by a single mother who had to work multiple jobs to support him and his younger sister. Through the mentorship of his public school teachers, Mike learned the importance of giving back and the value of government services like public education and was inspired to pursue a career dedicated to serving the public. This strong set of values continued to inspire Mike while he was Director of Development for United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and raised a record-breaking $5.8 million to prevent family homelessness and end the cycle of poverty.
Mike is actively involved in his community. Mike currently serves as a board member on seventeen boards and committees throughout the Greater Boston area, including The Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc. (NOAH), The Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and Fenway Community Health Center. Internationally, Mike serves as the Boston Representative for the Transatlantic Cities Network (TCN) of The German Marshall Fund.
Through all of these experiences, Mike has developed a vision for Massachusetts that strengthens the core of our communities and provides access to the opportunities offered by our nation and the world.
