Biography

Don Michael, Jr. has been contributing to the world of teaching and educational technology since 1989, in places like Connecticut, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was educated in Des Moines, Iowa, in a school system that provided him with many cherished community teacher examples. His studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, led him into leadership developing careers in IT educational technology, graphic communications, and digital literacy evangelism, serving communities in which he has lived. Don was a 9-12 certified teacher in both Connecticut and North Carolina in Graphic Communications and Graphic Design. He has taught in university, community college, and public-school environments.

He has also dedicated his career path to developing Affordable Technology Ecosystem solutions and Digital Inclusion solutions that will give students access to current campus technologies now and in the future. The projects where Don has demonstrated his academic technology leadership skills are:

Digital Literacy course development. Refurbished an older digital literacy course by developing a modernized learning concept map to prepare this course online. Affordable Technology Popup stores. They provided a low-cost option for students to purchase laptops and desktops in anticipation of the CPCC Cloud BYOD project activation in 2022.Leading the CPCC Cloud Care team prepares students and faculty for our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) classrooms 2021. Trained faculty and staff on six campuses. Don established a 'Popup' store pilot on six campuses that offered refurbished devices. By 2021 every student needs to have a laptop to access their class content, including textbooks. Digital Literacy – Innovation Center Project proposal – establishing a central place for all students to go with technology questions. This Student Services and Library collaboration all has four other collaborating departments supporting the Innovation Center. We created a team for the Brightspace Fast Start student training in conjunction with the library. After the ransomware attack, we lost all our LMS courses on Blackboard. This forced us to rollout Brightspace two semesters earlier than planned. The 'Champions' team will cover all campuses after participating in train the trainer sessions.

Currently, he works at Central Piedmont Community College (Central Piedmont) as a Learning Analyst, for the ITS Academic Technology Services department in Charlotte, NC. He has received a 2010 'Teacher of the Year' award from the Art Institute of Charlotte and a 2016 "Eyes on You" award at Central Piedmont, and he was one of two Blackboard 2018 Inclusion and Diversity Scholarship winners. Don also is an NSF STEM Alliance and Man UP mentor at Central Piedmont. 

During his personal time, Don is a Citizen Scientist focusing on the future of food and the prevention of ongoing hunger. He has started research on 'anti-famine' farming techniques and food growing products for the community. He is also a father of one amazing daughter, a volunteer Artist Assistant for the McColl Center for Art, serves as the Vice-Chair for ArtPop Street Gallery in Charlotte, NC, and is a certified Beekeeper.