Michael, or “MJ” as most people refer to him, is a demonstrated and successful policy, technology, and procurement leader who has distinctly developed his career experience largely in the Executive Branch of State Government. Michael’s leadership skills and strong public policy background make him an effective and efficient advocate when assisting his clients with government and regulatory affairs. Throughout his career, Michael’s strategic planning expertise, policy development proficiency, and business acumen have resulted in successfully providing oversight to regulatory divisions with a total $74 million annual operating budget and over 800 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Most notably, Michael is a superb oral and written communicator who is adept at distilling complicated issues down to the most applicable fundamentals for respective audiences.
Prior to joining Shumaker Advisors, Michael served as the Deputy Secretary of Business Regulation at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) from 2019 through 2021. While there, he provided visionary leadership and policy guidance, notably helping the regulated community to continue business and thrive throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with agility, within the licensing and regulation of four major industries:
- Alcoholic beverages and tobacco;
- Condominiums, timeshares, and mobile homes;
- Hotels and restaurants; and
- Pari-mutuel wagering (including cardrooms, slot gaming industries, and administering the gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe).
In addition, Michael previously served as Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Agriculture Technology Services for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services during the tenure of Commissioner Adam Putnam, managed a private information technology (IT) consulting firm, led a project management office for an interactive marketing agency, and directed the MyFloridaMarketPlace (state procurement) project and PeopleFirst (Human Resources/benefits/payroll) data warehouse for the State of Florida. He has also consulted for the State of Colorado on their unemployment insurance application implementation and consulted for the U.S. Department of Defense on counter-proliferation and national security issues.
When not advocating on behalf of his clients, Michael is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys wing shooting (bird hunting) with his faithful German Shorthaired Pointer, working out physically, bicycling, and playing golf. Most importantly, Michael enjoys being the best father he can be to his 14-year old son and 11-year old daughter, all of whom reside in Tallahassee, FL.
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