Mike is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) that has been teaching high school science courses for 23 years. He has taught in both rural and urban settings. He earned his Bachelors in Biology, with a minor in Captive Wildlife Management. His early environmental initiatives & research focused on sea turtles in Hawaii and Central America. While completing his Masters in Curriculum and Instruction, he found his passion was teaching earth sciences and sustainability. He has led several high school environmental and science clubs, community tasks forces, & community programs. He worked closely with the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) to integrate energy education and sustainability into the courses he teachers. He has helped educate teachers about climate change and energy conservation in both the United States and was selected to present one of his lessons to teachers in Taiwan. In 2011, Mike was selected as Wisconsin Energy Educator of the Year. And, in 2013 Mike was selected by the Alliance for the Climate Emergency (ACE) as Wisconsin’s teacher of the year. His favorite courses to teach are astronomy/meteorology, geology, and a dual credit course in Earth hazards. His passion for climate change and sustainability inspired him to complete a doctorate in Educational Sustainability. His research and dissertation focused on the impacts of climate disruption on Ojibwe people and how their knowledge could be used to inform curriculum in Wisconsin. Mike believes he should live as he preaches–living on a small farm where he raises poultry & goats; tends to his vineyard & orchard; composting & vermiculture; and installing nearly 20 kilowatts PV system.
