Michael Lawson

Executive Vice President

Michael is a local government executive who has worked in city and town government in California and Colorado for almost two decades. During his career, he has served in a number of roles, including city manager, for municipalities ranging in size from 8,000 residents to over 1 million. His professional interests include municipal budgeting and finance, employee and leadership development, community engagement, innovation and technology, and strategic planning. He has presented to national audiences and published articles on the topics of employee retention and development, empathy, and budgeting. Michael is currently an assistant town manager for a mid-sized municipality in Colorado.

Michael grew up in Southern California and graduated from a Christian high school in the San Diego area. It was there that God began to develop Michael’s interests in both public service and Biblical studies. In his work for municipal government, Michael seeks to marry together the love of Jesus with local government’s unique mission of serving citizens.

Michael holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California San Diego. Michael has also served as affiliate faculty at Colorado Christian University, teaching on local government budgeting in CCU’s Master’s of Public Administration program.

Michael has been married to Gabriela since 2007. Gabriela holds a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (New Testament). They have two young children and several pets. In his free time, Michael enjoys traveling with his family, roasting and drinking coffee, reading, and playing guitar. Michael and his family live near Denver, Colorado.

mlawson@williamtennent.org