Michael A. (Mike) Conduff is the President and CEO of The Elim Group–Your Governance Experts, a governance, leadership, speaking and consulting firm. Mike has 35+ years of leadership, management and governance experience, having served as the City Manager of four highly acclaimed University communities in the United States. Mike earned his B.S. in civil engineering at the University of New Hampshire, graduating Cum Laude. His M.B.A. is from Pittsburg State University. He is also a charter graduate of the Carver Policy Governance® Academy and is a Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Policy Governance® Association. Mike has a number of national and international not-for-profit, for-profit and local government clients. His success in dealing with Boards has earned him the reputation of being the “Go-To Guy” for council retreats and corporate governance. In addition Mike is a best-selling author, and has written or co-authored numerous books, including Pushing to the Front, with Brian Tracy, Democracy at the Doorstep – True Stories from the Green Berets of Public Administrators, Bottom Line Green – How America’s Cities are Saving the Planet (And Money Too!) with Jim Hunt, The OnTarget Board Member – 8 Indisputable Behaviors, soon to be in its third edition, and The Policy Governance® Fieldbook, a book on the practical applications of Policy Governance. He writes a regular column in the internationally distributed Public Manager magazine, and is a contributing author for the internationally acclaimed “Green Book” series for ICMA. As a much sought after and frequent keynote speaker at national and international events, Mike regularly receives “best of the conference” accolades from attendees and conference planners. Mike is a Fellow in the prestigious National Academy of Public Administration. He has been honored with the 2006 TCMA Mentoring Award in memory of Gary Gwyn, the 2004 International Award for Career Development in Memory of L. P. (Perry) Cookingham from ICMA, and the especially meaningful Joy Sansom Mentor Award from the Urban Management Assistants of North Texas for his commitment to helping others achieve their potential. The Center for Digital Government awarded Mike their coveted “Best of Texas Visionary Award.” A fourth generation Native American, Mike grew up on stories of his Cherokee ancestry, and attributes his love of motivational speaking and telling stories to his grand324 SucceSS Secret mothers. He is a Past President of both the Texas City Management Association and Kansas City Management Association. He was one of the original cohort of fully credentialed members of the International City/County Management Association, and is a past member of its Executive Board, where he chaired the Finance Committee. He still serves ICMA as their Senior Advisor for Governance. To learn more about Mike or to engage him for your corporate, non-profit or local government event, call The Elim Group at (940) 382-3945 or visit www.TheElimGroup.com.