Michael Graves
Michael W. Graves serves Global Learning and Leadership as a director and senior advisor. His area of emphasis relates to techniques to improve student interaction including international communication, and oral presentations. He provides insight regarding the use of foundational communication tools to help convey complex, technical information in clear and persuasive ways. Michael is an expert in corporate communication and public affairs, nonprofit strategic planning and development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion coaching. He is well known for his ability to synthesize data and engage groups to solve unique complicated problems to plan and take ownership of their development strategies. As a communication coach, he works with executives across multiple industries to develop their personal brands, excel in high-stakes communication encounters, and navigate unpredictable political environments. Michael is engaged in developing innovative curriculum and immersive learning experiences that bring people to the center of the arts, business, and community to create a more equitable world that works for all, not some.
Michael is a consultant for Communication Counsel of America, Inc. (CCA). The firm has built a 40-year legacy on the conviction that transparency is the ultimate communication approach. CCA helps organizations and executives thrive in high-risk, high-stakes environments by discovering the truth, articulating it clearly, and using it to engage and persuade the individuals and groups most important to their success. Michael has worked with executives from oil and gas, nuclear power, pharmaceutical, energy, and pipeline industries. He takes a people-centric approach to his work, identifying participant needs as he prepares clients to give direct truthful answers, to be helpful under fire by defusing loaded questions, and maintain composure under pressure.
Prior to his work with CCA, Michael developed strategic growth and communication plans for nonprofits in decline, helping create sustainable organizations that serve at-risk communities across the United States and Western Africa. He also served as the youngest executive at an international nonprofit, leading digital engagement and communication efforts to increase fundraising and public support. Michael was a presenter at the Forum on Workplace Inclusion as an inter-generational diversity panelist and at the National Communication Association on “Cultural Intelligence as a Means of Fostering Organizational Discussions on Race.” His interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion was catalyzed by his experience providing strategic counsel to episcopal leaders of a large Protestant denomination under scrutiny for their stance on LGBTQIA clergy and relationships with Black churches.
Michael holds dual degrees in Corporate Communication & Public Affairs and Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University, as well as a Masters in Justice, Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation from Candler School of Theology at Emory University.