Since September 2006, Michael L. Benjamin has served as the executive director of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). Prior to FCCLA, Michael served as executive director of The National Council on Family Relations in Minneapolis, MN. Before that he was executive director of the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives, a component of the School of Public Health, George Washington University in Washington, DC. Michael began his career as a high school teacher teaching German in Beaumont, Texas. He co-authored a chapter with his spouse Marva P. Benjamin, “The Role of Leadership in Addressing Issues of Race and Ethnicity: Cultural Competence as a Framework and Leadership Strategy” in the 2004 book titled Promoting Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Understanding and Reconciliation. Also in 2004, he co-authored a chapter “Public Policy Advocacy” in the Family and Community Policy: Strategies for Civic Engagement.