Michael C. Armour, PhD.

Dr. Mike Armour is a veteran leader, author, and executive whose far-ranging experience brings depth and texture to his writing.

The founder of Strategic Leadership Development International, Inc., Mike has been an executive coach and mentor to hundreds of entrepreneurs and top executives in some of America's biggest firms.

He knows firsthand the world of top-level decision making. In his early 30s he founded a highly successful private school in California. By 37 he was one of the youngest college presidents in the United States.

A year later he was a naval reserve commander, eventually retiring as a captain with nationwide management duties in the field of intelligence. During his 35 years of service in the naval reserve, he was decorated three times for his pioneering work in computerizing the naval intelligence community.

Mike began coaching as an adjunct to a long career in ministry with large churches in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Dallas. These congregations drew heavily from professional and managerial circles, and Mike became a regular consultant, confidant, and mentor to many executives and business leaders in his church. Eventually this led to his fulltime work as a leadership development specialist.

A successful author in leadership, ethics, and topics related to spirituality, Mike is currently published in 20 languages. His writing and coaching are marked by an astute understanding of personal behavior, organizational dynamics, and the process of cultural change.

Mike's interest in cultural transitions took him to UCLA, where he earned a doctorate in the cultural and intellectual history of Europe. He also holds a master's degree in modern diplomacy and another in theology.

With this broad knowledge of world affairs and global culture, Mike enjoys work in the international arena. For almost five years he served as CEO of an international non-profit which does humanitarian work in a dozen nations of Eastern Europe. Among other things, he spearheaded programs to develop character curriculum for schools, universities, and youth camps in Russia, Ukraine, and elsewhere.

More recently he launched Leadership Development Africa. Under its umbrella he provides leadership training to public and private sector officials in the emerging economies of both East and West Africa.

As a professional keynote speaker, Mike is in constant demand from coast to coast, as well as overseas. With an extensive background in both radio and television, he is a highly effective communicator, blessed with a resonant voice and a dynamic delivery that holds audiences in rapt attention.

In 2012 he turned began pursuing a long-held dream to providing resources for encore entrepreneurs, men and women who start their first business at mid-career and beyond. By combining a regularly-published inbox magazine, a blog, and extensive online resources, his website Startups After 50 provides comprehensive startup guidance.

Mike and his wife Fran presently live in the Lakewood section of Dallas. They have three grown children who have blessed them with nine grandchildren.