About Michael Brandwein

MICHAEL BRANDWEIN is an internationally recognized expert onteaching and leading young people.Michael has made presentations in all 50 of the states, most provinces of Canada, and on 6 of the 7 continents. He is the author of three best-selling books on the training and supervision of youth leaders, called Training Terrific Staff, Super Staff SuperVision, and Learning Leadership. He wrote and presented three Emmy® award-winning public television programs about communicating with young people which have been broadcast on PBS stations throughout the U.S.

Michael is best known for his highly practical, “use-it-immediately” approach and entertaining and engaging teaching methods. He is a frequent staff development speaker for schools, camps, recreation programs, child care centers and community service organizations and is a keynoter for many national, state, and international professional associations that serve young people, educators, and families. 

He has worked with young people for over 25 years in a wide variety of settings as a front-line staff person, supervisor, and director. He has served on the national board of directors and executive committee of the American Camp Association. He has been a training consultant for the National PTA’s national program to increase parent involvement and build better partnerships between parents and schools.

Michael has a summa cum laude degree in Speech Communication from the University of Illinois, where he graduated as a Bronze Tablet Scholar, the highest academic recognition awarded by the University. His Juris Doctor degree is from the University of Chicago. Michael is based in the Chicago area in Lincolnshire, Illinois, where he lives with his wife Donna, a certified sign language interpreter, and their two children.

Michael’s presentation skills are enhanced from his creative background, which includes graduating from the famed Second City improvisational theater school in Chicago. He wrote and performed for two years on an Emmy® award-winning weekly educational television program for children on CBS in Chicago. He has been a professional magician for over 25 years and wrote and performed in a live presentation with Jim Henson’s Muppets for HBO and the American Library Association to encourage young people to read.

Successful Meetings magazine searched nationwide and selected Michael as one of two “unique, exceptional speakers who provide real entertainment value with important messages that listeners can apply to their jobs immediately.”  Corporate Meetings & Incentives magazine identified Michael in as one of 15 “sure-thing speakers.”