Michael has been Executive Director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) since July 2001, after serving as Acting Executive Director beginning January 2001. Michael oversees and directs 180 statewide employees in the agencyís Central Office and six regional offices in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo. The OCRC is a state agency that investigates and enforces Ohio Civil Rights Act prohibitions against discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing, and other areas. The OCRC also provides education and outreach throughout Ohio. Michael is presently overseeing redesign of the OCRCís investigative techniques and procedure through an historic labor-management grant.

Michael previously served as Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Regional Operations for the Commission from 1997 to 2000. He has also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio for 11 years from 1984 to 1995. During his tenure as an Assistant Attorney General, he served as Counsel to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and conducted administrative prosecutions. In addition, he served as Assistant Chief of the Attorney Generalís Transportation Section where he conducted litigation as a defense counsel in a variety of areas including employment law for the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). Michael also served as ODOTís Real Estate Administrator from 1995 to 1997 with duties of overseeing and directing all statewide highway-related real estate acquisition, maintenance and disposal activities for the department.

• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio,
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Supreme Court of Ohio

Professional Associations

• National Association of Human Rights Workers
• Ohio Coalition of Civil & Human Rights Professionals
• Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc., Traffic Stop Procedures Committee, 2002
• Ohio State Highway Patrol, Consulting Panel, Review of Biased-Based Policing Training Procedure & Policy Update, 2001

• Authored numerous articles for major metropolitan newspapers throughout the state; Co-authored articles ìIn The Workplace The Glass Ceiling,î ìIn the Workplace Harassment Issues,î and ìAccommodations vs. Seniority Rights,î in Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) newsletters.
• International Right of Way Association, Law Day, Speaker, ìHousing Law Updateî, November 2002
• Presented ëKey to the Cityí of Canton, Ohio, October 2002
• Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, LLP, Employment Relations Seminar, Speaker, ìOCRC Investigative Procedures,î October 2002
• Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc., Moderator & Traffic Stops Committee Member, Conference on Biased-Based Policing ‚ Where Are We Now? ìImplications of Biased-Based Policing: Make or Break Issues,î October 2002
• The Lighthouse Project, Award of Service\Keynote Speaker, ìHate Crimes ‚ A Dream Deferred,î September 2002
• Forum on Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation sponsored by NAACP Columbus Chapter, Columbus Urban League, Columbus Community Relations Commission and Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Panelist, September 2002
• Tri-State Best Practices Forum sponsored by the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Cleveland & Indiana District, Indiana Civil Rights Commission and Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Presenter, September 2002
• Hamilton Community Peace Fest, Keynote Speaker, ìWhat It Means To Be An American After 9\11,î September, 2002
• Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Hate Crimes Forum, ìDefending Hate with Hate: The Impact of 9/11 on Arab-Americans and South Asian Americans,î Panelist, March 2002
• Seventh Annual State of the State Conference, Cincinnati, Panelist (April 2002)
• Ohio Fair Housing Congress Conference, Speaker, ìThe American Dream,î April 2002
• Racial Profiling Symposium co-sponsored by Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Society of Professional Journalists, Columbus Association of Black Journalists and the Frank Hale Black Cultural Center at The Ohio State University, Panelist, May 2002
• Junior Statesman Foundation Leadership Council, Ohio Symposium on State Government, Keynote Speaker, May 2002
• Ohio Department of Youth Services EEO Best Practices Seminar, Speaker, ìServant Leadership,î February 2002
• Ohio Commission on African-American Males, State of the State Conference, Toledo & Columbus, Panelist, February 2002
• Statewide Hate Crime Forums, ìDiscrimination Against Arab Americansî co-sponsored by Ohio Civil Rights Commission and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Speaker\Panelist, 2001 - 2002
• Columbus Bar Association Barrister Leader Program, Keynote Speaker, ìMake A Difference,î January 2002
• Numerous news appearances including: Ohio News Network, Statewide Television Broadcast, January & February 2002; Columbus Community Tapestry Television Shows, January 2001, September and October 2002; NBC4 News, January 2001; WDBZ 1230 AM and WIZF 100.9 FM Radio Stations, Cincinnati, March 2001 and September 2001
• Columbus Public Library, 53rd Anniversary of the United States Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Keynote Speaker, ìThe Importance of Human Rights in Ohio,î December 2001
• National Association Human Rights Workers, Hate Crime Symposium, Moderator, December 2001
• Columbus Bar Association, CLE Seminar, Panelist, ìGenaro Case Update,î 2001
• American Contract Compliance Association, Workshop Presenter, ìInvestigating Complaints of Discrimination,î September 2001
• International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies: Speaker, ìAffirmative Action Updateî (Vancouver), 2000; Speaker & Moderator, ìImpact of Race Profilingî (Cincinnati), 2001

Education

• Ohio State University, B.A., 1979
• Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 1983