Michael’s background is diverse and combines computer science, human factors, linguistics (with a specialty in writing systems), genetics, molecular biology, technology, audio, video, color science, photography, writing, and music (performance, literature, composition, and theory).

Michael began playing the piano at the age of four and has been deeply involved with music ever since. He has sung and played a number of instruments professionally, wrote and directed music for three years for Shakespeare Santa Cruz, performed in the west coast premiere of Nixon in China under the direction of composer John Adams, and won several piano competitions.

Michael studied music for five years at UC Santa Cruz (with a minor in art) and later graduated as valedictorian from St. Mary’s College of Moraga with a degree in management. He has worked as a composer, arranger, musician, musical director, and teacher. He has also been a disc jockey for a large classical music station (KBOQ), worked for PG&E as a state-licensed home inspector and auditor (and energy conservation specialist), and he taught mathematics at a community college (when he was still in high school). Michael currently holds an active C-10 electrical license.

Before founding Audio High, Michael was involved with a number of technology companies in the Bay Area. For seven years, Michael was a development manager at Apple Computer, overseeing three groups concurrently. During his tenure at Apple, he wrote and published a programming book; wrote the telecommunications code that sent the first e-mail from space and supported the astronauts during that mission; and re-architected America Online to support other languages, cultures, and writing systems. In addition, he co-designed the telecommunications language used by AOL, Apple, CompuServe, GE, and others; and he designed the Unicode compression algorithm used by Apple and AOL. Michael also designed the user interfaces for several Apple products, wrote a suite of online content-publishing tools, and was the technical editor for numerous publications.

Michael has co-founded three technology companies and founded six other successful businesses. He has authored a number of patents. For his work with NASA on several projects, Michael was made an honorary Air Force Captain.

Michael also has a long history of doing volunteer work, starting at a young age raising money for Muscular Dystrophy. His volunteer work also includes teaching for the American Red Cross, doing emergency medical work at the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, volunteering for the SPCA, and doing molecular biology research at Stanford University. He has also done volunteer work as an EMT and DMT. He is a Divemaster who specializes in both dive-related medicine and underwater photography. Using his background in molecular biology, Michael served for two years as the chair of the Research Advisory Committee of CFRI and participated as a member of this committee of doctors and scientists for some time before that.

Michael and his wife, Claire, founded Audio High to help raise money for a number of charities and eventually went on to found a separate non-profit organization (Silver Linings) that is dedicated to this endeavor. They have contributed to many causes, including donating over $200,000 in equipment and labor to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford to build a theater for sick children in the hospital, where they hold special events including preview showings of animated films before they hit the theaters. Michael has also produced 15 concerts over the past few years to raise money for various charities.