Before his appointment to the Senate in 2009 and subsequent election to a full six year term in 2010, Michael served as Superintendent of Denver Public Schools where he led a bold and inclusive reform effort that improved student achievement, helped turn around failing schools, and brought a halt to a seemingly endless cycle of annual budget cuts.

Prior to his time at the Denver Public Schools, Michael was widely credited with balancing a historic budget deficit and implementing innovative reforms as Chief of Staff to then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. In that role, he also implemented innovative reforms that made city government more responsive to the needs and concerns of the greater Denver community.

Michael’s experience saving jobs and turning around failing companies has also served him well in the U.S. Senate. As Managing Director at the Anschutz Investment Company, Michael managed the successful restructuring of more than $3 billion in corporate debt.

Michael earned his bachelor’s degree with honors from Wesleyan University and his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of The Yale Law Journal.

Michael married Susan Daggett, a successful natural resources lawyer, in 1997. Michael and Susan are the proud parents of three daughters- Caroline, Halina and Anne.

Since arriving in Washington, Michael hasn’t wasted a moment. In his unrelenting fight to create good-paying jobs for Coloradans and restore fiscal responsibility to Washington, Michael has emerged as an effective leader with a proven record of bringing people together to deliver results for working families.

A former businessman, Michael has led the fight in Washington to create jobs, support middle-class families and grow our economy. A champion for small business, Michael led the fight in the Senate to pass a bill that boosted small business investments and provided more than $12 billion in targeted tax relief for Colorado job creators.

We must meet the promise each generation has made to the next - to leave more opportunity, not less, to our kids and grandkids.As the father of three young girls, Michael has made reducing the deficits and debt that threaten our economic future a top priority. He has successfully fought to end the big bank bailouts, introduced a bill to rein in spending and ensure Congress lives within its means, and led a bipartisan group of 64 senators calling for a comprehensive plan for deficit reduction.

As a former school superintendent and a member of the Senate Education Committee, Michael is pushing for bold reforms that support great teaching, cut needless red tape and bureaucracy, and incentivize innovative efforts at the state and local level that drive student achievement and help prepare our kids to compete in the new economy.

As Colorado’s U.S. Senator, Michael has pushed for investments in clean energy that create jobs and help break our reliance on overseas oil; fought to uphold our commitment to Colorado’s veterans and military families; and fought to preserve Colorado’s rich agricultural tradition underpinned by our family farmers and ranchers.

Michael is a member of the Senate committees on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.