Michael is a member of the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. In 1990, he helped establish and directed one of the first tribal Environmental Protection Agencies in the U.S. Michael researched and implemented traditional environmental practices in contemporary land and resource management. He worked on environmental policy for the National Congress of American Indians, National Tribal Environmental Council, the Good Neighbor Environmental Board and several US EPA advisory committees.

His work on issues of taxation policy and impediments to sustainable tribal economies is nationally recognized. He has authored many papers on tribal economics, Kumeyaay history and resource management. He has three published books on Kumeyaay history and cosmology. He has curated exhibits on Kumeyaay culture and history for the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Man in San Diego, California. In 2006 he was the recipient of the John Montgomery Education Award by the Congress of History of San Diego and Imperial Counties and, in 2017, was inducted into the Kumeyaay Kuseyaay Association.

Michael’s formal education includes a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering and a Master of Arts in Economics. He is an adjunct faculty in American Indian Studies at San Diego State University. He served 17 years in elected office for the Campo Kumeyaay Nation.

He currently consults with tribal governments and governmental agencies on topics of economics, resource management, taxation and education. He works directly with the Kumeyaay Diegueno Land Conservancy and Kumeyaay Community College. He continues to write and lecture on Kumeyaay history and culture.