Originally from Whitman, Massachusetts, Michael attended the U.S. Military Academy as an undergraduate, majoring in Art, Philosophy, and Literature with a focus in Philosophy, commissioning in 2002. After attending Infantry Officer Basic Course, Airborne School, and Ranger School, he was deployed to Iraq in spring of 2003 to early 2004 with 2-325 PIR, 82nd Airborne Division as a light infantry platoon leader. In 2005 he took part in the Hurricane Katrina Relief effort with the 82nd Airborne Division and finished his active-duty service commitment in June of 2007. From 2009-2011, he attended the University of Victoria, British Columbia earning his M.A. in Philosophy. In 2016 Michael earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Connecticut, focusing on issues of military ethics, just war theory, and civil-military relations. From 2015-2016, Michael was a research fellow at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership. From 2017-2020, he was a postdoctoral researcher on counter-terrorism ethics at the University of Oxford. And from 2020-2021, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Notre Dame Institute of Advanced Studies working on issues of technology and trust. In 2024 he served as military science instructor for the Boston College Army ROTC program. Michael accepted his current position in June 2025.