WHO Is Mike Snyder ?

Meet him........

Mike is the oldest of six children and is a native of southern New Jersey, moving there from Philadelphia when he was three years old.  He attended public schools in Mantua and Mullica Hill area before heading off to serve his country just fifteen days after graduating from high school.  What was supposed to be a four-year stint turned into a26.5 year career in the Marine Corps. 

Duty took Mike to various jobs throughout the world.  He served in headquarters, corrections, artillery,
security, and infantry units located in such places as California, Egypt, Munich, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Kenya, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and North Carolina. 

Once Mike decided to remain past his initial four-year enlistment, thoughts turned to furthering his education. He began by taking college courses at night. He eventually applied for and was accepted into a very competitive program for enlisted men and women seeking to achieve commissions.  Acceptance, full-time attendance while remaining on active duty, and graduation from a major college/university were the requirements of this program before being commissioned a second lieutenant.  Mike attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received a Bachelor degree in Business Administration.

Later, after tours at Camp Lejeune and Washington, DC, Mike was looking for avenues to pursue a master’s degree.  He once again applied for and was
accepted into a program that would eventually lead to this.  He received a Master of Science degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.  Both degrees’ foci of study were in Management, with the master’s degree curriculum concentrated in manpower, personnel, training, and analysis (MPTA).  It was this expertise that led to his assignment to Headquarters, Marine Corps in Washington, DC where he was the manpower end-strength planner for all 190 Marine Corps Reserve units at over 300 sites in the U.S., and 40,000 personnel; quite a daunting task by any imagination! 
It was during this tour that Mike had the opportunity to routinely prepare and brief General officers in Washington, and at Marine Reserve headquarter sites in Louisiana and Kansas many times.  He prepared documents for Congress and was even called upon to brief a congressional budget subcommittee.

His last job in the Corps was as an assistant professor at Duke, NCSU, and UNC teaching military history from 1997-2000.  He has been awarded for his leadership skills and management ability on numerous occasions and is the recipient of  two Meritorious Service Medals, a Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two, Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals and other service medals, letters, and certificates of achievement.

After his retirement in 2001, Mike decided to put permanent roots down here in North Carolina, specifically in the Triangle area where he found the people down-to-earth.  The area just had so much to offer, from the theatre, to sports, to the climate…and then there were the mountains 2.5 hours to the west and the beach 2 hours to the east.  Is this Heaven??!!

Mike has worked the last four years at Duke University as the Training Coordinator for the Facilities Management Department.  One of the programs he runs, an apprenticeship program for maintenance personnel, was recognized at a State Awards luncheon in May as the Best Apprenticeship Program at a college or university in the State of North Carolina. 

One of this year’s highlights in Mike’s life was being able to help his parents celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary.  Mike and his siblings organized and surprised them with a party attended by 60+ friends and family. 

Mike and his wife, Dianne, have five children: Melissa, Jennifer, Scott, Tim, and Patrick.  Mike’s hobbies and interests are varied and include: volunteer service to his community and church, sports--golf, playing softball, running, just about anything to do with a ball, watching NASCAR, collecting ball cards and coins, and traveling with Dianne.   Here are just a few of the things Mike is and has been involved with over the last 20 years or so:

1.  Current Volunteer Efforts

a. WUNC radio fall/spring pledge drive volunteer (7 years)

b. NC Senior Olympics volunteer (7 years)

c. Co-coordinator of St Mary Magdalene blood drive   (2.5 yrs; 4 times/yr)

d. Knights of Columbus Adopt-a-Highway coordinator (2 years)

e. Town Hall residents Adopt-a-Highway
co-coordinator (2 years)

f.  Duke Children’s Miracle Network volunteer (1 year)

g. USO volunteer at RDU airport
(6 months)

h. Campaign volunteer for Morrisville elected officials (2 years)

i. High school class annual golf outing chair/coordinator

j. Vice-chair of Industrial Systems Technology Program Advisory Committee at Durham Tech (1.5 years)

k. Member, Office Of Institutional Equity Diversity Advisory Committee
(2 months)

L. Volunteer for the Carolina Hurricanes NHL hockey team.

2.  Current Volunteer Organizations

a. Presidential Classroom volunteer instructor for high school juniors/seniors
 (9 years);
www.presidentialclassroom.org

b. Knights of Columbus (14 Years) - Past Grand Knight;
http://www.stmm.net/church/kofC7186.htm

c. Military Officer’s Organization of America (MOAA) (6 years)– Triangle Chapter MOAA Vice President
(2 months); 
http://www.trianglemoaa.com

3.  Other – Current

a. Trained mediator at Duke University
       (3 years)

b. Dispute Resolution Team
       (new program; 1 month)

4.  Other – Past

a. Little league baseball coach

b. Little league baseball umpire

c. Youth soccer coach

d. USSFA Soccer referee                 

PERSONAL NOTE FROM MIKE: Now, as you have had an opportunity to meet me, I hope I’m afforded the same opportunity to meet you sometime either during or after our campaign and the election.  I welcome your help and support with open arms!  Have a GREAT day and see you on the campaign trail AND at the polls on Tuesday, November 8^th!