After graduating from CSI with his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications (Media Studies), Michael began working part-time for the Staten Island Advance newspaper, where he once interned during his junior year. He was hired as a full-time nightside news reporter covering various Staten Island community news as well as crime and safety events. He served in the newspaper’s Supreme Court Bureau for a few months before transferring into the sports department. In addition to covering countless high school, college, and local sporting events, Michael wrote feature local stories and served as a copy editor and paginator who was responsible for creating the next day’s pages.
Towards the end of his 16-year career, which included the last 13 in the sports department at the Staten Island Advance, Michael returned to CSI to study for his Master’s degree in education. Upon completing his Master of Science degree in Elementary Education, he was hired as a teacher by the New York City Department of Education (DOE).
After leaving the DOE, Michael returned to his passions of community work and began work with another community organization, becoming the Content Development Specialist at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. In that role, he produced feature stories on Chamber events, created social media posts, crafted long-term member stories, and wrote the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award stories, which highlighted members of the local business community and were featured weekly in the Staten Island Advance. He also assisted the business non-profit with other needs, such as helping with marketing and event planning efforts.
He briefly left the Chamber to become a Senior Associate in the Marketing department at Eagles Strategies LLC, a wealth management organization underpinned by a comprehensive financial planning process that is an SEC National Registered Investment Adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life. As the Senior Associate, Michael guided and executed marketing and communications materials to help drive awareness and engagement among the over 1,200 affiliated Investment Advisor Representatives.
After a few months, Michael returned to the Chamber as the Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) Supervisor. In this role, he collaborated with the other Chambers of Commerce in New York City and coordinated outreach efforts for the 130-year-old organization. Michael visited businesses throughout the entire borough and attended community and vendor events to refer entrepreneurs to free business resources. Some of those resources included MWBE certification, legal or tax advice, financial and mentoring guidance, connections with city, state, and external entities, and any other business needs or questions. On multiple occasions, Michael shared various grants with businesses, and several Staten Island entrepreneurs secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money. By interacting with over 2,000 small businesses annually, Michael became a trusted liaison for many agencies and organizations seeking insights into the Staten Island business climate. He worked for nearly seven years at the Chamber before being hired as the new Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at the College of Staten Island, covering Staten Island and South Brooklyn.
Michael was honored by the South Shore Rotary Club of Staten Island in May 2024 during the organization’s annual Service Above Self Gala for demonstrating commitment to continually helping and supporting individuals in Staten Island.
He is a member of the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation Inc. and a Third Degree Knight with Council 4815 of the Knights of Columbus of St. Thomas the Apostle in Old Bridge, N.J. He is a member of St. Thomas the Apostle’s FUNraising committee, which coordinates several events annually for the community. He also serves as a board member of his Home Owners Association for his complex that contains nearly 400 townhouses. He also possesses a Mini-MBA certificate in Digital Marketing from Rutgers Business School.
Michael is married to his wife, Tiffany, a special education teacher with the DOE on Staten Island. He enjoys attending Broadway shows, traveling, and watching sports, most notably the New York Mets and Dallas Cowboys.