Michael is the Executive Director and Board Chair of The Circulate Initiative, and works with his colleagues to deliver on The Circulate Initiative’s mission to solve the plastic pollution challenge and build circular and equitable economies across emerging markets.

Throughout his career, Michael has worked at the intersection of business and sustainable development. He has been a trusted advisor to senior executives, managed organizations and teams, driven change from within companies, led research and authored various reports, and facilitated a variety of multi-stakeholder collaborations.

Michael has extensive experience in the apparel and footwear sector on topics including climate change, waste, and the circular economy. He led strategy and managed external partnerships for Nike’s Sustainable Business & Innovation team, and led the company’s efforts on the circular economy. He has also advised industry groups such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and worked with the World Resources Institute to publish several reports on the climate impact of the apparel sector and how to reduce supply chain emissions.

Prior to Nike, Michael was a Vice President at SustainAbility, Inc. where he advised companies including BMW, Brown-Forman, Gap, Goldman Sachs, HP, Nike, and Walmart on strategy, communications, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability trends. He played a key role in developing multi-stakeholder collaborations including the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group and the Closed Loop Fund.

Michael is a founding Board member of DendriFund (Brown-Forman’s environmental foundation), Board Chair of The Circulate Initiative, and served as a member of Rothy’s Sustainability Council. He holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA with high distinction and an MS (Environmental Policy) from the University of Michigan.