Speaking & Keynotes
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Former Mayor of Brooklyn Center — the first Black mayor in the city's history and the first Liberian-American mayor in U.S. history. Mike speaks on leading through crisis, community-centered public safety, environmental justice, pandemic leadership, and the refugee experience. Keynotes, panels, commencements, and community events.
From Refugee Camp to City Hall
Keynotes · commencements · immigrant and refugee organizations
Fleeing Liberia's civil war to becoming the first Liberian-American mayor in U.S. history — and what immigrant civic leadership means for America's future.
About this talk →Leading Through Crisis
Executives · municipal associations · public administration programs
72 hours that tested a city: command decisions, community trust, and leading under national scrutiny after the killing of Daunte Wright.
About this talk →Reimagining Public Safety
Policy conferences · universities · think tanks · criminal justice reform
Inside the Community Safety & Violence Prevention Act — what it took to pass landmark reform, what implementation actually looks like, and the honest lessons for cities trying to build safety beyond policing.
About this talk →Building Communities That Work for Everyone
Community foundations · civic organizations · faith communities
Community-centered leadership — equity, belonging, and practical civic leadership in diverse, working-class cities.
About this talk →Leading From Your Center
Leadership institutes · corporate ERGs · faith and civic audiences
Value-based leadership — how to hold your principles steady when the pressure is highest.
About this talk →When the Highway Comes for Your Neighborhood
Environmental justice · urban planning · public health · community organizing
How a mayor put residents in charge of fighting a six-lane freeway expansion — and how their research helped defeat a state agency's environmental assessment.
About this talk →Governing Through a Pandemic
Public health · emergency management · municipal leadership
Early emergency declarations, food-shelf funding, and mayoral proclamations that protected the most vulnerable — emergency leadership at city scale.
About this talk →Giving Residents a Seat at the Table
Economic development · urban planning · community benefits coalitions · municipal leadership
How a mayor put community voice at the center of the largest proposed development in his city's history — a site discussed for over a decade — and delivered a community benefits agreement.
About this talk →Request a booking
Tell us about your event — date, audience, format, and what you're hoping Mike will bring to it. Every request is read personally.
- · Live keynotes, panels, workshops, commencements
- · Virtual and in-person
- · Minneapolis–Saint Paul — travels nationally & internationally
- · Mission-aligned community rates available