Mike was born in Columbus, Ohio and raised in Grove City. He graduated from Grove City High School in 1985 and joined the United States Marine Corps immediately thereafter. Mike was trained as a Naval Cryptographer and served for seven years including service in the First Gulf War. Completing his active service in 1992, Mike returned to Ohio and followed in his fathers’ footsteps and became a Columbus Police Officer. He held police assignments in patrol, field training officer, community response team, homicide, and finally as a Task Force Officer for the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. As a Task Force Officer, Mike assisted in multiple terror related investigations including the 2016 OSU terror attack.

Even though he was working full time as a Police Officer, Mike completed his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Ohio Dominican University in 2001 and a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Cincinnati in 2008.

While pursuing his career as a Columbus Police Officer, Mike also joined the U.S. Army Reserve to continue his military service as a part time member. He was trained as a CID criminal investigator and became a Warrant Officer. Mike was called back to active duty after 9/11 and assigned to the protection detail for General Richard Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He served on active duty for a total of five years post 9/11 in multiple assignments and was selected to command the active Army unit that provides protective services for the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Mike attained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 5 before concluding his reserve career.

Mike retired as a Columbus Police Detective in 2020 and again returned to active service with the Army, this time as the military liaison between the Department of Defense and the FBI at the National Joint Terrorism Task Force. He held this position until 2022 when Mike accepted a position with Madison Square Garden as Senior Director of Security in Las Vegas. He briefly worked with Tao Hospitality Group before transferring to MSG Sphere where he led the security department. Mike developed a security and threat management team from the ground up and successfully oversaw the grand opening of the Sphere and its first year of operation.