Since December 2021, Mike has served as President & CEO of The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the second-largest chamber in Illinois with approximately 1,300 members. Mike served as State Representative for the 99th District in the Illinois General Assembly from 2019-2021. He was elected in November of 2018 and re-elected in November of 2020.
His awards and acknowledgments include Freshman of the Year for the 101st General Assembly by The Illinois Chamber of Commerce; Legislator of the Year in 2019 by the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, and Friend of Agriculture Award from the Illinois Farm Bureau in 2020. Prior to his service in the General Assembly, Mike worked in the restaurant industry starting in 1979 and from 2009-2017 as owner/operator of Charlie Parker’s Diner in Springfield.
Mike grew up and attended school in Divernon Illinois. After high school, he joined the US Army and worked as an Air Traffic Controller, serving in The Republic of South Korea from 1975-1976. He attended Eastern Illinois University from 1976-1979, majoring in Political Science.
Mike and Cindy have been married since 1978 and have two children, a son Bobby (wife Christina) and a daughter Megan (husband Jody Crouch). They have six grandchildren who all live in the area.