Michael Pearson received a bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi in 1980, a master's degree from Mississippi State University in 1982, and a PhD (Harmonic Analysis) from The University of Texas at Austin in 1989. Prior to joining the MAA (in 2002), he served on the faculty at Florida International University (1989-1992) and Mississippi State University (1992-2002).
As Executive Director, Michael provides leadership to advance the mission of the MAA to further the understanding of mathematics and its impact on our world. As a long-time member of the MAA, he is delighted to have the opportunity to work closely with colleagues who share the sense of community and common purpose that he sees as the fundamental strength of the Association.
During his tenure as Executive Director, Michael has overseen significant restructuring of MAA governance and publications management. Recent MAA efforts include the 2015 Committee on the Undergraduate Program Curriculum Guidelines, the MAA Instructional Practices Guide (2017), and reports from national projects on efforts to improve student success in introductory mathematics courses. The ongoing NSF-funded Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematical Sciences program has engaged thousands of students at more than 200 colleges and universities with business, industry, and government partners to tackle real-world problems, many of which depend on data science. Efforts are underway to expand such programs to accelerate the engagement of mathematics faculty and departments' efforts to modernize the undergraduate mathematics program with focused attention toward broadening participation at all levels.