Having spent most of his professional life as a college administrator and instructor, Michael has tried to make a difference in the lives of his students. Teaching adult students at NYU who had failed the entrance exam was some of his most meaningful work. Many of these students were single African American mothers who were trying to get a college degree so that they could earn more for their families. Teaching test-taking skills and the most common etymologies so that they could guess the meanings of words was inspiring and uplifting work, especially when they retook the entrance exam and passed.

Later, for Marist College, Michael worked full-time at the Fishkill Correctional Facility, where for over four years he oversaw the operations of the Computer Lab and Inmate Tutoring. This was also very rewarding when the facility staged original inmate-written plays, where families were invited to attend the shows in the gymnasium. It was such an exciting experience for these men (some of whom were accused of murder and sentenced to 30 years or more) seeing their plays staged and having their families in attendance.

Michael has also taught at the School of Visual Arts, Touro Law School, New York Institute of Technology, where he was also Assistant Director Office of Freshmen, Sullivan County Community College and Dutchess Community College.

Married to his husband on the Rip Van Winkle tourist boat, Michael’s wedding day was one of the happiest days of his life. “I wanted what everyone else had, and I finally got it with the right to marry my husband.” At the Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center since 2022, Michael simply responded to a notice in his email that the Community Center was looking for group facilitators. He eagerly applied to facilitate a Men’s Group and an Adult Over 50 Group.

Now as the Building Manager, his responsibilities have grown, and he couldn’t be happier in his job, (unless of course if repair work would always go as planned, which it never does!). He is honored to represent the Community Center whenever they do community outreach, and it is his  pleasure to work with other community organizations collaborating on events.