ABOUT MICHAEL

Michael DeVaul is the proud product of Evanston, Il, where he grew up with as much support from the Emerson Street YMCA and Ebenezer A.M.E. Church as he did from his own strong family. A lifelong believer in paying privileges forward. As a 37-year veteran non-profit sector leader, he has had a variety of roles from Youth Program Director to Chief Social Responsibility Officer to National Director for Boys and Young Men of Color. In 2014, Michael was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change for his efforts in community-building, diversity, inclusion and global work across the US and internationally. He has been trained at the New Mexico Center for dispute resolution, a strength finders coach and a variety of other coaching and system led organizations.

Michael, in his prioritized personal has a speaking organization called BYOB or Bringing Your Own Brand. Self-proclaimed as a Belonging Curator, he speaks on the importance of self-development as a primary tool and that in order to drive true systems culture and change, you have to best understand how your personal brand can be best utilized to address inequities for the purposes of re-imagining an important concept called belonging. He considers himself a family man, Christ follower, belonging curator, system builder and he loves jazz and Acapella music and most especially being a Husband, brother, father, uncle and friend.

Michael currently lives in Charlotte with his wife, Laura. They have two grown sons, Cole and Beau.