About Mike Sanders - Manager, Professional Writer, Native American

Mike grew up poor in farming communities in northern Louisiana and the San Joaquin Valley of California. Consequently, he felt a bit out of place as a Chemistry major at a big-city university. As a kid, Mike and his three best friends entertained themselves for free by playing sports year round. And sports, being something he felt comfortable with, was why he made his way down to the courts of UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for four to six hours of basketball daily.

His first job out of school was as a chemist for a small, chemical-based manufacturing company in West Los Angeles. Three years later he was managing the company with close to 50 direct reports and an around-the-clock manufacturing operation.

To a large extent, his managerial success was directly related to his ability to analyze, streamline, and document complicated, technical processes. Mike enjoyed the writing so much that he decided to change careers to become a technical writer.

This career change was no small step. Mike's first tech writing job was for a small aerospace firm in Chatsworth, California that paid only minimum wage. He was given the job nobody wanted: document a very out-of-control and tough-minded manufacturing floor. He did well, though, and learned his new trade quickly. And, after close to 10 successful years of technical writing in the aerospace industry, Mike began to write for software companies and other commercial enterprises. He also began to train and teach.

In the 90's, Mike also began managing technical programs. This included program administration and employee supervision. He won the prestigious IR&D 100 award for an advanced spacecraft battery, presented at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. He continued to improve his management and process analysis skills, often putting him in management roles wherever he worked.

After a business trip to Italy in 1993, Mike got hooked on espresso. Not even knowing how to brew a cup of coffee at the time, he worked after hours for several months to develop a college-level coffee and espresso course and even wrote a small book on the subject. His proposed course included coffee history, its spread through the millennia and the world, its trade significance during the early years of our country, and the invention and proliferation of espresso.

Mike proposed his course to four colleges and universities in Southern California. After an on-site demonstration at UCLA Extension, it picked up the program. Mike taught his espresso class for two years through UCLA's Culinary Arts Program. He became a national authority on espresso and, in 1994, addressed the trade association's national coffee convention at the Long Beach Conference Center (Specialty Coffee Association of America). He has also appeared on television debunking espresso myths.

Mike Sanders continues his work as a manager, project manager, process analyst, and technical writer in diverse technical fields. Over the past five years, he has also mastered the communication mediums of audio, video, radio, and on-line media.

Mike lives in Tustin, California. Although currently an IT Manager, he advises as a technical writer and project manager, and freely mentors new project managers and technical writers. Mike has served as President of the Society for Technical Communication (IESTC) and President of the Program Management Institute (PMICIE). He is also past Director for the Unity Church of Brea, is a regular business association program speaker, and is a practicing Native American healer and Huna Trainer.