Michael currently serves as a FUSE Executive Fellow with the City of Durham, North Carolina. Michael is working with the city and its frontline neighborhoods to craft and implement a strategic plan for the electrification of Durham’s fleet vehicles alongside an EV charging infrastructure that reduces emissions, enhances community health, and accelerates an equitable energy transition.
Michael previously led the Social Ventures team at Mercy Corps, building one of the first and most active impact investment funds in the international development sector. The Social Venture Fund invests across the climate, fintech, agriculture, and logistics sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, SE Asia and LATAM.
Prior to Mercy Corps, Michael co-founded Simpa Energy, one of India’s solar finance pioneers. Simpa electrified over 50,000 rural households in over 2000 villages in India, employing over 3000 people and reaching 250,000 people with renewable electricity, some for the first time in their lives. The company was backed by global high-impact investors including the Asian Development Bank, Schneider Electric, OPIC, Proparco, and Developing World Markets. Simpa was acquired by ENGIE in India in 2018.
Michael has consulted to organizations exploring business innovations in agriculture, financial services, renewable energy, clean water, nutrition and global health. Michael’s early career was spent as part of the founding team of the first nonprofit pharmaceutical company, OneWorld Health, focused on clinical development of affordable new medicines for diseases of poverty. Michael began his career as a member of the inaugural team of social scientists within the Social Development Department of the World Bank.
Michael serves as an active advisor, mentor and judge across multiple incubators, accelerators and competitions focused on building companies and organizations with outsized social impact. He is a graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Vanderbilt University.