Michalak, Michael W.

BIOGRAPHY

Michael W. Michalak
U.S. Senior Official to APEC
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Term of Appointment: July 2005 to present

Michael W. Michalak, a career Foreign Service Officer with extensive knowledge and experience in Asia, was appointed U.S. Senior Official to APEC, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in July 2005. Prior to his current position, he was Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and had served for almost four years as the Minister-Counselor in the Embassy's Economic Section.

In his over 30 years of service with the U.S. Department of State, Mr. Michalak has worked in Sydney, Australia; Islamabad, Pakistan; Beijing, China; as well as Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the Office for Japan and the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs. He received a group award for valor for his actions in time of crisis when the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad was burned down.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Michalak received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Physics from Oakland University in Rochester, MI, and Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., respectively. He received a second Master's degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. He speaks Chinese, Japanese and French.

Mr. Michalak and his wife have a 14 year-old daughter. He also has two grown daughters from a previous marriage.