Michael Brown is an accomplished lawyer, executive leader, disaster management specialist and public speaker. He was named one of the 100 most influential members of the George W. Bush administration in 2003 by National Journal. He served as the first Under Secretary to lead the newly created Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks, tasked with managing over 186,000 employees worldwide.

Michael is also the former Director and General Counsel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), overseeing catastrophic disaster planning for natural, man-made and terrorist events. He was appointed as the US Liaison to Russian Federation EMERCOM and had a pivotal role in negotiating multi-year crisis response agreements between the US and Russia. He was widely recognized for his leadership during 160 presidentially-declared disasters and coordinating the international response to natural calamities such as the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami and the 2003 Bam, Iran earthquake.

Apart from his extensive experience in disaster and crisis management, Michael is a celebrated author and public speaker who has given keynote speeches and facilitated events for Fortune 100 companies, nonprofits and international conferences in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States. In addition, he was the CEO and Chairman of the Board at Apokalyyis, Inc., a digital imaging company, and is also the CEO of Next of Kin Registry, a global non-profit connecting disaster victims with their relatives around the world.

Michael's expertise in emergency management, international relations, legal issues and leadership, combined with his passion for making the world a safer and more secure place, has made him a sought-after expert in his field.