Michael F. Canning, Jr.

(Board Chairman)

Michael F. Canning, Jr.'s experience in the political, organizational and governmental arenas spans twenty five years. As a university student body president, a law school student body president, a staff member of local, state and congressional campaigns and a practicing attorney, Mike Canning has utilized leadership and analytical skills in a broad range of political and governmental duties. After earning a juris doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law where he served as a senior editor of the law review, he began his legal career with a law firm specializing in government regulation, business law, and government relations.

After five years of extensive interaction with local executive and legislative government officials on various legal projects and initiatives as an associate attorney, he moved into solo practice by forming the Michael F. Canning, P.C. While building a traditional law practice including wills, real estate and lending law, zoning and litigation, Mr. Canning expanded his professional services to include lobbying, public issue management and grass roots organizing. He has entered into contracts with large Washington public relations agencies to provide public relation services for a number of prominent clients. He assisted in building a statewide coalition and launching an issue mobilization campaign for the electric utility industry as deregulation occurred in Maryland. He organized grass roots groups in Buffalo, Baltimore and Harlem for Americans For Fair Taxation, a non-partisan group advocating tax law changes (a group that was called the fastest growing grass roots group in America). He has also been active in founding and building a national coalition seeking the enactment of strict standards relative to the financial accounting software procured by the federal government. He arranged and conducted tours of nursing homes by U.S. Senators for the American Health Care Association. Among many other duties such as acting as a press spokesperson and executive director, Mr. Canning supervises legal and ethical requirements for this type of political action.

Early in 2000, Michael Canning was chosen to head a national non-profit advocacy group, Americans for Consumer Education and Competition, Inc. This group fosters the teaching of financial matters to the nation's high school students. He currently serves on the board of that organization.

In November 2002, Mike was selected to lead a prominent trade association of corporate credit unions, a position he held until 2006. He earned the honor of being designated a Certified Association Executive (CAE) by the American Society of Association Executives in 2004.

Since 2006, he has been consulting for a wide range of clients in nonprofit management, lobbying and membership building.