Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Mike Michaud was sworn in as the Assistant Secretary of Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) in the U.S. Department of Labor on December 2, 2015. As the Assistant Secretary of VETS, Michaud served as the focal point in the federal government for veterans’ employment by preparing military service members for transition to civilian employment, assisting veterans to find good jobs, protecting veterans’ employment rights and promoting veterans’ employment in the private sector.
For more than 36 years, Mike has devoted his life to public service on behalf of the people of Maine and the country. Mike represented the 2nd Congressional District in Maine from January 3, 2003 to January 3, 2015. In Congress, Michaud spent all 6 terms serving on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and was selected by Leader Pelosi and the Democratic Steering Committee to become the ranking Democrat on the committee in his final term. Michaud also served on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Small Business Committee. Prior to his election to Congress, Michaud served in the Maine State Senate from 1994 to 2002 and was unanimously elected Senate President in 2000 presiding over an evenly divided chamber consisting of 17 Democrats, 17 Republicans and one Independent under a unique power sharing agreement. In the second year, Michaud traded position with his Republican counterpart and became Senate President Pro Tempore. Prior to his 4 terms in the Maine Senate, Michaud was elected to 7 terms in the Maine State House of Representatives beginning in 1980. During that time, Mike held various leadership positions including, Speaker Pro Tem, Chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Mike was born and raised in the Katahdin Region and graduated from Schenck High School in East Millinocket. Prior to and during his political career, Michaud worked for over 29 years at the Great Northern Paper Company in East Millinocket. Michaud currently serves on the Maine Community College Board of Trustees, the Katahdin Region Economic Development Board, the Katahdin Region Broadband Utility and the Board of Selectmen in the Town of East Millinocket.