A native of Oklahoma, Mike was a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps serving almost 34 years, retiring in 2004. Prior to his retirement he was Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), and Chief of Civil Engineers from October 2000 to October 2003. Since March 2004, Mike has served as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities at the University of Arkansas.

Mike is a Registered P.E. (PA), Fellow/Life Member ASCE and Fellow/Life Member SAME. He was inducted into the National Academy of Construction (NAC) in 2005. In April 2006 he was inducted as an honorary member of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering. In 2010 he was elected into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and received tenure as a professor in the Civil Engineering Department.