Mike became the Executive Director of the Presidents Council in January, 2003. He brings with him over 25 years of experience working in association, education and government settings. He most recently served as Michigan's Deputy State Treasurer for Education. From 1987-2000 he served as the Executive Director of the Middle Cities Education Association (MCEA), a consortium of 30 urban school districts in Michigan. Among his credentials are a Ph.D. in educational administration from Michigan State University, an Ed.S. in school/community relations and M.A. in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Notre Dame. In 1999, Mike was a recipient of the National Leadership Award from the Institute for Educational Leadership in recognition of his contributions to the improvement of American Education.

Nathan Daun-Barnett, former research coordinator for the Cherry Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, has joined the Presidents Council as Director of University Relations and Policy Research. Nathan holds a bachelors degree in psychology from State University of New York at Buffalo, a masters degree in education in college student personnel administration from James Madison University, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration with a concentration in Public Policy at the University of Michigan. In his 11 years in higher education, Nathan has been a university administrator, researcher, policy analyst and scholarly writer. In his most recent position with the University of Michigan, he was instrumental in launching the Access to Democracy initiative which engaged communities across the state in deliberative conversations on college access. Nathan co-authored the regional report "Measuring Up: A Midwestern Perspective," published by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.

Robyn is the office’s most senior professional, now serving in her thirteenth year as an executive assistant at the Presidents Council. Robyn assumes responsibility for performing a variety of accounting and clerical functions. Prior to joining the President’s Council she served in secretarial capacities in both the public and non-profit sector. She is a graduate of Lansing Community College and Davenport University with a B. A. in business management.